Battenberg's dynastic family network

Louis of Battenberg was the eldest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and Julia von Hauke. Their morganatic marriage meant that he inherited his mother's titles rather than his father's. He married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, Queen Victoria's granddaughter, whom he had known since childhood. The couple spoke English together, and English had become his most comfortable language. His royal connections should have offered some political protection, while his efforts to recover Grand Duchess Elizabeth's body and arrange her burial in Jerusalem reflected his sense of family duty.