The Marquess of Milford Haven | |
|---|---|
 Portrait, 1909 | |
| First Sea Lord | |
| In office 8 December 1912 – 28 October 1914 | |
| Prime Minister | H. H. Asquith |
| Preceded by | SirFrancis Bridgeman |
| Succeeded by | John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher |
| Member of theHouse of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Hereditary peerage 7 November 1917 – 11 September 1921 Marquess of Milford Haven | |
| Preceded by | New creation |
| Succeeded by | George Mountbatten |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Count Louis Alexander of Battenberg (1854-05-24)24 May 1854 Graz, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 11 September 1921(1921-09-11) (aged 67) Piccadilly, London, England |
| Resting place | St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parent(s) | Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine Julia, Princess of Battenberg |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1868–1914 |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | Anglo-Egyptian War |
Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (24 May 1854 – 11 September 1921), formerlyPrince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a Britishnaval officer andGerman prince related by marriage to theBritish royal family.
Although born inAustria, and brought up in Italy and Germany, Louis enrolled in the BritishRoyal Navy at the age of fourteen.Queen Victoria and her son thePrince of Wales (later KingEdward VII) occasionally intervened in his career: the Queen thought that there was "a belief that theAdmiralty are afraid of promoting Officers who are Princes on account of the radical attacks of low papers and scurrilous ones".[1] However, Louis welcomed assignments that provided opportunities for him to acquire skills and to demonstrate to his superiors that he was serious about his naval career. Posts on royal yachts and tours arranged by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales impeded his progress, as his promotions were perceived as undeserved royal favours.[2]
After a naval career lasting more than forty years, in 1912 Louis was appointedFirst Sea Lord, the professional head of the British naval service. With theFirst World War looming, he took steps to ready the British fleet for combat, but his background as a German prince forced his retirement once the war began, whenanti-German sentiment was running high. He changed his name and relinquished his German titles, at the behest of KingGeorge V, in 1917. The King made LouisMarquess of Milford Haven.
Louis marriedPrincess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. They had four children:Alice,Louise,George, andLouis. Louise later became Queen of Sweden, while the younger Louis served as First Sea Lord, like his father, from 1954 to 1959. The Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven were the maternal grandparents ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Louis was born on 24 May 1854 inGraz, Styria,[3] the eldest son ofPrince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine by hismorganatic marriage to CountessJulia von Hauke. Because of his morganatic parentage, Louis did not inherit his father'srank in theGrand Duchy of Hesse; and, from birth, hisstyle ofIllustrious Highness and title ofCount of Battenberg instead derived from the rank given to his mother at the time of her marriage. On 26 December 1858, he automatically becameHis Serene Highness Prince Louis of Battenberg when his mother was elevated to Princess of Battenberg with the style ofSerene Highness, by decree of her husband's brother,Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse.[4]
Shortly after Louis's birth, his father was stationed with theAustro-Hungarian Army in Northern Italy during theSecond Italian War of Independence. Louis's early years were spent either in the north of Italy or at Prince Alexander's two houses in Hesse, the castle ofHeiligenberg inJugenheim, and the Alexander Palace inDarmstadt. Because his mother spoke French to him and he had an English governess, he grew up trilingual.[5]
Among the visitors entertained at Heiligenberg were Battenberg's relations, theRussian imperial family and his cousin,Prince Louis of Hesse.[6] Influenced by his cousin's wife,Princess Alice, a daughter ofQueen Victoria, and byPrince Alfred, another of Queen Victoria's children, Battenberg became a naturalisedBritish subject and joined theRoyal Navy on 3 October 1868 at age fourteen.[7][8] He was admitted by theBoard of Admiralty without the production of a medical certificate, which was contrary to the usual regulation.[9] He had been found medically unfit "on account of small, flat chest, slight lateral curvature of the spine and defective vision", but was allowed to join so as not to disappoint the Queen.[10] He was entered as a naval cadet aboardHMS Victory,Nelson's old flagship, then used as a permanently mooredreceiving ship.[11]
In January of the following year, thePrince andPrincess of Wales cruised theMediterranean andBlack Seas in the frigateHMS Ariadne; and the Prince of Wales requested that Louis be appointed to the vessel,[12] before his training was complete.[13] As part of the same tour, Louis accompanied them on a visit toEgypt, where they visited the construction site of theSuez Canal. As was traditional, theKhedive,Isma'il Pasha, bestowed honours on the party, with Louis receiving theOrder of the Medjidie (4th Class);[14] in April, he received theOrder of Osmanieh (4th Class) from Ottoman SultanAbdulaziz.[15]
Louis returned to Britain in May 1869. In June he joinedHMS Royal Alfred, the flagship of theNorth America and West Indies Station, becoming amidshipman in October.[16] From June to September 1870 he took leave in Germany, coinciding with theFranco-Prussian War,[17] but he spent the next three-and-a-half years in the Americas (Bermuda andHalifax, Nova Scotia), where his tour of duty served to make up for the training he had missed while posted with the Prince of Wales on theAriadne.[18] Returning to Europe in early 1874, he was placed on the books ofHMS Excellent at Portsmouth,[19] and passed the sub-lieutenant's examinations—gaining the best marks ever recorded at seamanship and joint best-ever at gunnery.[20]
In 1875, again at the invitation of the Prince of Wales, he joinedHMS Serapis, which conducted the Prince on an official tour ofIndia, 1875–76.[21] Louis sketched some of the events of the tour and his drawings were published in theIllustrated London News.[22] He was promoted tolieutenant on 15 May 1876.[23] The Prince asked Louis to stay with him atMarlborough House for the summer of 1876, but wishing to gain further experience at sea, Louis instead accepted an offer to joinPrince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, as a lieutenant on boardHMS Sultan.[24] In addition to acting as the Duke'sequerry, Louis continued his naval duties. He did not enjoy the position, as the Duke was rather touchy[25] and Louis's cabin was infested with rats, one of which he caught with his bare hands as it ran across his chest as he lay in bed.[26] TheSultan toured the Mediterranean from July 1876.[24]
In late February–early March 1878, Louis was still serving on theSultan as it lay in theBosphorus during theRusso-Turkish War. He was criticised for visiting his brother,Prince Alexander, who was serving with the Russian forces, but an investigation cleared both Louis and Alexander, as well as Prince Alfred, of any wrongdoing.[27] For the next two years Louis served onHMS Agincourt and on the Royal Yacht,HMY Osborne, but in October 1879 he refused further service on the Royal Yacht, saying it was damaging his professional career, and requested half-pay until he could be given an active duty.[28] On 17 February 1880 he, his father, andTsar Alexander II witnessed an explosion at theWinter Palace inSaint Petersburg, whenStephen Chalturin unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the Tsar with dynamite beneath the great dining room.[29]
On 24 August 1880, Louis was posted toHMS Inconstant, the flagship of the Flying Squadron, which includedHMS Bacchante on which PrincesAlbert Victor andGeorge were serving. The ship sailed to South America, South Africa, Australia,Fiji,Japan,China,Hong Kong,Singapore and theDutch East Indies, before returning to South Africa in April 1882.[30] Seven months after Louis left Britain on the voyage, actressLillie Langtry allegedly bore him an illegitimate daughter,Jeanne Marie. Langtry was also a one-time mistress of the Prince of Wales. Jeanne Marie's parentage was never completely verified, but Louis made a financial settlement nonetheless.[31][32][33]
From South Africa theInconstant sailed toSt Helena, and theCape Verde Islands, where the squadron received orders to proceed toGibraltar, and from there toMalta and Egypt to take part in theAnglo-Egyptian War.[34] On 11 July 1882,Alexandria was bombarded and in the next two weeks Louis served in the Flying Squadron delivering shells and ammunition to the battle fleet, and then as a guard to the Khedive atRas El Tin Palace.[35] He was decorated with theEgypt Medal by Queen Victoria personally.[36]
In November 1882, he left theInconstant, spent Christmas inDarmstadt, and in March the following year visited his younger brother, Prince Alexander, inBulgaria.[37] Alexander had been made Sovereign Prince of Bulgaria in 1879 with the approval of Europe'sGreat Powers. Louis accompanied his brother on a state visit to theOttoman Empire, and then on a tour ofCyprus and theHoly Land with theOttoman Navy, during which Louis was appalled at the lack of seamanship—the Turkish captains were unable to navigate and had to hug the coast so as not to get lost; when they did leave the coast they became so disoriented that they were unable to steer forJaffa. On its return journey the ship on which they had travelled ran aground.[38]
In September 1883,Queen Victoria appointed him to her yacht,HMY Victoria and Albert (1855). On 30 April 1884 atDarmstadt in the presence of the Queen, Prince Louis married her granddaughter,Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.[39] His wife was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria's second daughterPrincess Alice andLouis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse. Through the Hesse family, Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg werefirst cousins once removed. They had known each other since childhood,[40] and invariably spoke English to each other.[41] As wedding presents Louis received the BritishOrder of the Bath and the Star and Chain of theHessian Order of Louis.[42]
Louis and Victoria had four children:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice | 25 February 1885 | 5 December 1969 | Married 1903, toPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark; had issue, includingPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. |
| Louise | 13 July 1889 | 7 March 1965 | Married 1923, toGustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (making this his second marriage); one stillborn daughter. |
| George | 6 November 1892 | 8 April 1938 | Married 1916, toCountess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby; had issue. |
| Louis | 25 June 1900 | 27 August 1979 | Married 1922, toEdwina Cynthia Annette Ashley; had issue. |
In 1885, one of Louis's younger brothers,Prince Henry of Battenberg, marriedPrincess Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria, and took up residence with the Queen in Britain so that Beatrice could continue to serve as her mother's companion and personal secretary.[43]
On his penultimate day aboard the Queen's yacht, 30 August 1885, Louis was promoted to the rank ofcommander.[44][45] The next four years were spent in the shore establishmentsHMS Excellent andHMS Vernon on half-pay, onHMSCambridge, very briefly atMilford Haven in August 1886, and on boardHMS Dreadnought in the Mediterranean.[46]Irish nationalistMember of Parliament (MP)Willie Redmond andLiberal MPCharles Conybeare both questioned Battenberg's appointment toDreadnought in theBritish House of Commons. Conybeare asked, "What special qualifications have entitled a foreigner to be promoted over the heads of some 30 British officers?"[7]First Lord of the AdmiraltyLord George Hamilton said, "Captain Stephenson, who commands theDreadnought, applied for Prince Louis of Battenberg to fill the appointment. I may add that another officer who is about to command a large iron-clad in the Mediterranean has made a similar application."[7] He added that 22 commanders junior to Battenberg held similar appointments,[7] and that Battenberg was a naturalised British subject.[8] Another Liberal MP,Edward Pickersgill, backed up by Conybeare and Irish nationalistCharles Tanner, questioned the propriety of Battenberg's appointment to the Navy in 1868, given Battenberg's failure to get the required medical certificate, and suggested that he only got in the Navy because of royal favour.[9]
On 3 October 1889, Battenberg was appointed to his first independent command,HMS Scout, a torpedo-cruiser, which saw service in theRed Sea.[47]
On 31 December 1891, Prince Louis was promoted to the rank ofcaptain.[48][49] At the beginning of the following year, he was appointed naval advisor to the inspector-general of fortifications. His role was to act as a liaison between the navy and the army in order to ensure a co-ordinated defence.[31] Traditionally, there was a great deal of friction between the two services, but Louis exercised his social skills in the role, leadingPrince George, Duke of Cambridge, to write to him, "You have produced a mutual feeling of goodwill and unanimity which I have always wished to see established, and which, by your tact and sound judgement, you have brought about to the fullest extent."[50]
In 1892, Battenberg invented theBattenberg Course Indicator, ananalogue computer device used by seamen to determine course and speed to steer for changes of position between ships.[51][52]
By February 1894 his role was further developed when he was appointed joint secretary of the naval and military committee on defence, which was later renamed theCommittee of Imperial Defence.[31] Louis captainedHMS Cambrian in theMediterranean Fleet from October 1894 to May 1897 andHMS Majestic in theChannel Fleet from June 1897.[53] His careful study of both naval and military defence, as well as its interaction, led to his appointment as assistant director of theNaval Intelligence in June 1899.[54] He used his relationships with the royal houses of Europe to gather intelligence on the naval fleets of other nations, which he passed on to theAdmiralty in full and detailed reports.[55] He became an aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1897,[56] a post he would retain under both KingEdward VII and KingGeorge V.[57]
He commissioned the newly built battleshipHMS Implacable on 10 September 1901,[58] and served as its captain for a year in the Mediterranean, during which he spectacularly defeated a larger opposing force in a naval exercise.[59] When the Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, Rear-AdmiralBurges Watson, died suddenly in late September 1902, Louis was temporarily appointed 2nd classCommodore with added responsibilities.[60] In November of the same year he was appointed as Director of Naval Intelligence,[61][62] an apt posting for a man whomFirst Lord of the AdmiraltyWilliam Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, described as "the cleverest sailor I have met yet".[63] The outgoing Director, Rear-AdmiralReginald Custance, had been Battenberg’s superior at the Naval Intelligence Department a few years earlier and tried to prevent Battenberg’s promotion to succeed him.[64]
He was promoted torear admiral on 1 July 1904,[65] in which year his family connections to the royal courts of Europe helped resolve theDogger Bank incident peacefully.[31] The following February, he was given command of the2nd Cruiser Squadron, withHMS Drake as his flagship. During a successful two years the squadron visitedGreece,Portugal, Canada, and the United States, where the American press commented favourably on Prince Louis's courtesy, unassuming manner and democratic nature.[52][66] After two years at the head of the Second Cruiser Squadron, and further visits to Spain (where his nieceVictoria Eugenie of Battenberg was Queen), he was appointed second-in-command of theMediterranean Fleet as actingvice-admiral withHMS Venerable as his flagship.[67]
After less than six months in post his flag was transferred to the battleshipPrince of Wales in August 1907. The following year, he was promoted to vice-admiral,[68] and appointed as Commander-in-Chief,Atlantic Fleet. HistorianAndrew Lambert described Battenberg as a sea-going admiral as "more cerebral than the average, although somewhat lazy. The [fleet] exercises had a greater sense of realism, reflecting the latest thinking on weapons and strategy."[69] In 1909, he published a translation of Commander Vladimir Semenoff'sRasplata (The Reckoning), a memoir of theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–05, and witnessed the first crossing of theEnglish Channel by air byLouis Blériot.[70] He was appointed as commander of the newly constitutedThird and Fourth Divisions of theHome Fleet two years later. The years immediately preceding this appointment were marred by disagreements between AdmiralsSir John Fisher andLord Charles Beresford over the direction of the navy and the imposition of reforms. Louis largely supported Fisher's modernising efforts, although he disapproved of his methods, and as a result Fisher's opponents attempted to prevent Louis's promotions.[71]
Fisher recommended Louis asFirst Sea Lord in 1911: "He is the most capable administrator in the Admirals Listby a long way",[72] but elements of the British press were against his appointment on the grounds that he was a German.Horatio Bottomley said it was "a crime against our Empire to trust our secrets of National Defence to any alien-born official".[73] In December 1911, Louis did return to theAdmiralty but asSecond rather than First Sea Lord. As Second Sea Lord, Louis pushed through improvements in working conditions for the ratings, and created anAdmiralty War Staff that would prepare the navy's plans in case of war.[74] He was promoted to fulladmiral on 13 July 1912.[75]
However, almost a year to the day later, on 8 December 1912, Battenberg assumed the post of First Sea Lord in succession to Admiral SirFrancis Bridgeman.[76] Military historianHew Strachan contends that Battenberg "lacked Fisher's dogmatism. Not the least of his attractions to Churchill was his malleability. The combination of frequent change and weak appointees ensured that the professional leadership of the Royal Navy lost its direction in the four years preceding the war. Power now lay with the service's civilian head ... Winston Churchill."[77] Late in 1913 Battenberg (according to draft notes in Churchill's papers) gave what historian Nicholas Lambert describes as "uncharacteristically fierce resistance" to Churchill's suggestion of appointing his former superior Reginald Custance to the post of Chief of Naval War Staff (Doveton Sturdee was appointed instead).Jack Sandars,Arthur Balfour’s former political secretary, at one point recorded that his many sources at the Admiralty complained of Battenberg’s subservience to Churchill and that his nickname was "Quite Concur" after the words which he often wrote on Churchill’s memos.[64]
As First Sea Lord, Battenberg was responsible to the First Lord for the readiness of the fleet and the preparation of naval strategy, as well as the development of a scheme for state insurance of merchant vessels in times of war, which was to prove essential in preventing prohibitive insurance rates that would have stifled British trade.[78]
On the eve of the World War, Churchill and Battenberg made the crucial decision to cancel the scheduled dispersal of the British fleet following practice manoeuvres, to preserve the Royal Navy's battle readiness.[31][79] In the view ofAndrew Lambert, "While Churchill planned to recall Fisher if war broke out, he missed the chance to prevent war that might have been provided by drafting him earlier. NoCabinet advised by Fisher would have made such a blundering, incompetent, disastrous response to theJuly Crisis. The British trumpet gave a very uncertain note in July [1914], allowing the Germans to delude themselves that Britain might be neutral ... the contrast in habits between the energy and enthusiasm of the young First Lord and the lackadaisical habits of the First Sea Lord Prince Louis of Battenberg made Fisher's recall all but inevitable."[80]
Upon the outbreak of war,gout began to cause Battenberg considerable pain, and the naval staff he had set up did not function as well as it ought to have done.[81] On 6 August 1914 Battenberg and the French Deputy Chief of Staff of the NavyAntoine Schwerer signed a convention in London on the division of responsibilities between the two navies.[82] The convention confirmed the terms of theEntente Cordiale, and placed France in command of all naval operations in the Mediterranean.[82] Malta and Gibraltar would both be treated as French naval bases. In the event thatAustria-Hungary entered the war France would act againstits naval forces, and would at minimum prevent them passing theStrait of Otranto.[82]
Anti-German sentiment rose among the British public, in newspapers, and in elitegentlemen's clubs, where resentment was inflamed by AdmiralLord Charles Beresford despite Churchill's remonstrances.[83] Driven by public opinion, Churchill asked Prince Louis to resign as First Sea Lord on 27 October 1914.[84] When acceptance of Battenberg's resignation was delayed bythe King's opposition to the appointment of Fisher in his place, Louis wrote to Churchill, "I beg of you to release me. I am on the verge of breaking down & I cannot use my brain for anything."[85] On 13 November he wrote to Churchill'sNaval Secretary, Rear-AdmiralHorace Hood, "It was an awful wrench, but I had no choice from the moment it was made clear to me that the Government did not feel themselves strong enough to support me by some public pronouncement".[86] Churchill later toldGeorge Riddell (Diary 29 April 1915) that Battenberg had been "very lethargic". He was also critical ofDoveton Sturdee "not a good Chief of Staff. He is a good fighting admiral but not a clever man."[87]
His resignation was announced amid an outpouring of appreciation from politicians and naval comrades. Battenberg had written to Churchill on 28 October, "What I shd (sic) value above all else is to be admitted to thePrivy Council".[88] The King later swore Louis in as a Privy Councillor in a public show of support.[31]Labour party politician and trade union leaderJ. H. Thomas wrote toThe Times: "I desire to express my extreme regret at the announcement that Prince Louis of Battenberg has, by his resignation, pandered to the most mean and contemptible slander I have ever known ... I was simply astounded to hear the base suggestions and rumours current, and I am afraid that his action will simply be looked upon as a triumph for the mean and miserable section of people, who, at a time of national trial, is ever ready to pass a foul lie from lip to lip without a tittle of evidence".[89] Admiral of the FleetLord John Hay thought that the "ingeniously propagated lies" originated fromGermany.[90]
Prince Louis held no official post for the remainder of the war and lived in retirement at Kent House on theIsle of Wight.[91] He occupied his time in writing a comprehensive encyclopaedia on naval medals published in three large volumes, which became the standard reference work on the subject.[92] His naval career had been characterised by industry, invention and intellect; he introduced mechanical calculators to compute navigations and a cone signalling apparatus.[31] Although assured that he would be returned to command post-war, on 9 December 1918 the First Sea Lord, Admiral SirRosslyn Wemyss, wrote to Prince Louis informing him that he would not be employed again and suggested that he might retire in order to facilitate the promotion of younger officers. Prince Louis agreed,[93] and he officially retired on 1 January 1919 "at [his] own request", shortly before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.[94]
During the war, persistent rumours that theBritish royal family must be pro-German, given their dynastic origins and many German relatives, prompted the King to abandon his subsidiary German dynastic titles and adopt anEnglish surname. At the behest of the King, Louis relinquished the title Prince of Battenberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, along with the style ofSerene Highness, on 14 July 1917. At the same time, Louis anglicised his family name, changing it from "Battenberg" to "Mountbatten", having considered but rejected "Battenhill" as an alternative.[95] On 7 November, the King created himMarquess of Milford Haven, Earl of Medina, and Viscount Alderney in thepeerage of the United Kingdom.[96] He was offered a dukedom by George V, but declined as he could not afford the lavish lifestyle expected of a duke.[97]
The King's British relatives in theTeck,Schleswig-Holstein, andGleichen families underwent similar changes. Louis's wife ceased to use her own title of Princess of Hesse and became known as the Marchioness of Milford Haven. His three younger children ceased to use their princely titles and assumed courtesy titles as children of a British marquess; his eldest daughter, Princess Alice, had married into theGreek Royal Family in 1903, and never had occasion to use the surname Mountbatten. However, her only son,Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, adopted the name when he became a British subject in 1947.[98]
While the transition in names and titles was being effected, Louis spent some time at the home of his eldest son,George. After anglicising his surname toMountbatten and becoming Marquess of Milford Haven, Louis wrote in his son's guestbook, "Arrived Prince Hyde, Departed LordJekyll".[99]
During the war, two of Lord Milford Haven's sisters-in-law (EmpressAlexandra Feodorovna andGrand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna) were killed by theBolsheviks in Russia. Eventually, in January 1921, after a long and convoluted journey, the body of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna was interred inJerusalem in the presence of Milford Haven and his wife.[100]
In 1919, the Milford Havens had to give up their home, Kent House, for financial reasons.[101] He sold his collection of naval medals. All of his financial investments inRussia were seized by the Bolsheviks and his German property became valueless with the collapse of themark.[102] He soldHeiligenberg Castle, which he had inherited from his father, in 1920.[103]
Milford Haven was appointed MilitaryKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), to add to the Civil one he already held, in recognition of his service to theRoyal Navy in the1921 New Year Honours,[104] and was specially promoted byOrder in Council to the rank ofAdmiral of the Fleet on the Retired List, dated 19 August.[94] A few days later he joinedHMS Repulse, the ship on which his son Louis was serving, for a week at the invitation of the captainDudley Pound.[105] It was his last voyage; he died at 42 Half Moon Street,Piccadilly, London in the annexe of theNaval and Military Club on 11 September 1921 of heart failure followinginfluenza, aged 67. After a funeral service atWestminster Abbey, his remains were buried atSt. Mildred's Church, Whippingham, on theIsle of Wight.[102]
Milford Haven's estate comprised £6,535 in England and 734,613 marks in Darmstadt.[106] His elder son,George Mountbatten, who had received the courtesy title Earl of Medina, succeeded him as 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven. Louis's younger son, styledLord Louis Mountbatten after 1917, served in the Royal Navy, became First Sea Lord like his father, was the lastViceroy of India, and was createdEarl Mountbatten of Burma in 1947.[107]
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:
Hesse and by Rhine:
Austria-Hungary:
Principality of Bulgaria:
Egypt:
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of theSaxe-Ernestine House Order[4]
French Third Republic: Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour,20 July 1913[115]
Greece:Grand Cross of the Redeemer[4]
Empire of Japan:Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun,with Paulownia Flowers,2 November 1917[116]
Principality of Montenegro: Grand Cross of theOrder of Prince Danilo I[108]
Ottoman Empire:Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class,April 1869; 1st Class,1882[108]
Kingdom of Portugal:
Kingdom of Prussia:Grand Cross of the Red Eagle[4]
Russian Empire:
Restoration (Spain):
Württemberg:Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown,1884[119] |
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Media related toPrince Louis of Battenberg, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Ship commissioned | Captain ofHMS Implacable 1901–1902 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director ofNaval Intelligence 1902–1905 | Succeeded by |
| New title Squadron formed | Rear-Admiral CommandingSecond Cruiser Squadron 1905–1907 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Second-in-CommandMediterranean Fleet 1907–1908 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-ChiefAtlantic Fleet 1908–1910 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Second Sea Lord 1911–1912 | |
| Preceded by | First Sea Lord 1912–1914 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Marquess of Milford Haven 1917–1921 | Succeeded by |
Battenberg/Mountbatten family | ||
|---|---|---|
Generations are numbered by their descent fromPrince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine andJulia, Princess of Battenberg | ||
| 1st generation |  | |
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
| 4th generation | ||
| 5th generation |
| |
*Not Mountbatten or Battenberg by birth. Adopted the surname Mountbatten from his maternal line on abandoning his patrilineal Greek and Danish princely titles. | ||
 Directors ofNaval Intelligence | |
|---|---|
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