| Albrecht | |||||||||||||||
| Full Name: | Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph | ||||||||||||||
| Crown Prince of Württemberg | |||||||||||||||
| Succession: | Head of the House of Württemberg | ||||||||||||||
| Reign: | 2 October 1921 - 31 October 1939 | ||||||||||||||
| Reign-Type: | Tenure | ||||||||||||||
| Predecessor: | King Wilhelm II | ||||||||||||||
| Successor: | Duke Philipp Albrecht | ||||||||||||||
| House: | Württemberg | ||||||||||||||
| Father: | Duke Philipp of Württemberg | ||||||||||||||
| Mother: | Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 23 December 1865 | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Vienna, Empire of Austria | ||||||||||||||
| Death Place: | Altshausen, State of Württemberg, Nazi Germany | ||||||||||||||
| Religion: | Roman Catholic | ||||||||||||||
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Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Württemberg, a German military commander of World War I, and the head of the House of Württemberg from 1921 to his death.
Duke Albrecht was born in Vienna as the eldest child of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen.
Albrecht entered the armies of the Kingdom of Württemberg and the German Empire in 1883, rose quickly through its ranks, and became the heir apparent to the throne of Württemberg.
In 1910, Albrecht attended the funeral of Edward VII. He was a third cousin of Mary of Teck, who was the Queen consort of George V.
When World War I began, Duke Albrecht's VI Inspectorate Corps was formed into the 4th Army, 123 battalions strong. As King William II had no sons, Albrecht was appointed the army's commander and assigned to the Ardennes, with Walther von Lüttwitz serving as his chief of staff. This army he led to victory alongside Crown Prince Wilhelm's 5th Army at the Battle of the Ardennes in August 1914. Following that victory, the 4th Army saw action in the First Battle of the Marne before being transferred to Flanders in October, where Albrecht commanded them during the Battle of the Yser. Albrecht also commanded the German forces during the Second Battle of Ypres, where poison gas was used on a large scale for the first time.
Albrecht was awarded the Pour le Mérite in August 1915 and promoted to Generalfeldmarschall in August 1916. The new Army Group Duke Albrecht was placed under his command in February 1917, and he was responsible for the southern sector of the Western Front until the Armistice.
Albrecht had become heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Württemberg following the death of his father in October 1917, but the German Empire's World War I defeat and the abdication of his cousin King Willhelm II of Württemberg following the German Revolution prevented him from ever succeeding to the throne. He became head of the House of Württemberg after the death of Wilhelm on 2 October 1921.
Albrecht died at Altshausen Castle. His son Duke Philipp Albrecht succeeded him as head of the House of Württemberg.
Albrecht was married in Vienna on 24 January 1893 to Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria,[1] a daughter of Archduke Carl Ludwig. They had seven children:
. Barbara W. Tuchman. Guns of August. 1962. 2014. Random House Trade. 978-0-345-38623-6.