Prince Alexander (1823–1888) was the third son of
Grand Duke Louis II of
Hesse and by Rhine and of
Wilhelmina of Baden, yet it was openly rumoured that his biological father was actually
Baron Augustus von Senarclens-Grancy, his mother's chamberlain. Prince Alexander's spouse, Julia von Hauke (1825–1895), was a mere
countess, the orphaned daughter of
Count Moritz von Hauke, a Polish nobleman who had served as a general in the
Imperial Russian Army and then as Deputy Minister of War of
Congress Poland. Count von Hauke's rank was too low for his daughter's children with Prince Alexander to qualify for the succession to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. For this reason, her new brother-in-law
Louis III of Hesse created the title of Countess of Battenberg () for her and for the couple's descendants. In 1858, the title, which referred to the town of Battenberg in Hesse, was elevated to princely status. There was never a corresponding
principality of Battenberg; the title was a non-sovereign one in the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. A previous family of the counts of Battenberg had become extinct in the 14th century. After 1858, the children of this union bore the title of Prince () or Princess (), with the style of
Serene Highness (). Battenberg thus became the name of a morganatic
cadet branch of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse, without the right of succession to the Grand Duchy. == Members ==