Victor I, Duke of Ratibor


Victor I, Duke of Ratibor, Prince of Corvey, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst was a member of House of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst and later Duke of the Silesian duchy of Ratibor.

Early life and family

Victor was born at Langenburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, eldest son of Franz Joseph, 5th Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, and his wife, Princess Constanze of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,.
After initial private lessons, he attended the Royal Grammar School in Erfurt. He then studied law and modern languages in Göttingen, Bonn, Heidelberg and Lausanne. He also traveled to Switzerland, Italy, France and England.
He subsequently managed the property of his uncle, the Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, Victor Amadeus. These included the former monastery of Corvey in Westphalia, Ratibor in Upper Silesia. This area was 34,000 hectares in size and consisted mainly of forest areas.
Victor was created Duke of Ratibor and Prince of Corvey on 15 October 1840 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia.
His younger brother Chlodwig was Chancellor of Germany and Minister President of Prussia from 1894 to 1900.

Military career

During his military service, made at an early age in the cavalry. In the 1850s he commanded in repeated exercises the 2nd -Landwehr Regiment. During the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, he organized as Chairman of the Silesian Association Knights Voluntary Health Care. Since 1872, he led the honorary title of General of Cavalry à la suite.
In 1893, he was elected as the first president of the German Experimental Institute for Small Arms.

Political career

In 1847 Ratibor was a member of the Prussian United Diet. Between 1856 and 1893 he was a member of provincial parliament for Silesia Province. At first he was Marshal of the Assembly. After the introduction of the new provincial order, he was repeatedly chairman. He was also from 1849 to 1852 on the second chamber of the Prussian State Parliament. In 1850 Ratibor was a member of the Erfurt Union Parliament. From 1867 to 1870 he was a member of the North German Reichstag, and from 1872 to 1890 of the German Reichstag. He was also member from 1854 to 1893 of the Prussian House of Lords. In the latter, he was co-founder of the New Group in 1870/72, from 1877 to 1893 President of the House.
Ratibor was one of the liberal-conservative Aristocracy, political reformants, he was a supporter of Otto von Bismarck. He was also one of the founders of the Free Conservative Party.

Marriage

Victor married 19 April 1845 at Donaueschingen to Princess Amélie of Fürstenberg, third child of Karl Egon II, Prince of Fürstenberg, and his wife, Princess Amalie of Baden.
They had ten children: