Heinrich VII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz

Heinrich VII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (Heinrich VII. Reuß zu Köstritz; 14 July 1825 – 2 May 1906) was a German diplomat.

Early life
Prince Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz was born at Klipphausen on 14 July 1825. He was the fifth child and third son of Prince Heinrich LXIII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz and his first wife, Countess Eleonore of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1801-1827).

Career
From 1845 to 1848 he studied law at Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg and Humboldt University of Berlin. He then joined the 8th Lancers Regiment. From 1853, he pursued a diplomatic career.

From 1854 to 1863 he worked as a diplomat (Legationsrat) in the Prussian embassy in Paris. Then he was sent as Prussian royal ambassador to Kassel, and later to Munich. On 5 February 1868 he was posted as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the North German Confederation to the Russian court at St. Petersburg by William I, who was still King of Prussia at that time. On 26 April 1871 he was designated the first ambassador of the German Empire by William, who had been crowned Emperor a few months earlier.

From 1873 to 1876 he served Emperor William I as adjutant general, and was eventually promoted to General of the Cavalry. In 1876 he married Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In that same year, the prince became a member of the Prussian House of Lords. In 1877, he was the first imperial ambassador to Constantinople, where he opened the magnificent Embassy building, which he was allowed to set up to his own taste. Just one year later he went as German ambassador to Vienna; this was his last foreign assignment.

In 1894, he retired to his castle in Trzebiechów (Trebschen).

Family and issue
On 6 February 1876, Heinrich VII married Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, daughter of Grand Duke Charles Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. From this marriage, he had the following children:
 * Unnamed son (1877–1877)
 * Heinrich XXXII (1878–1935)
 * married in 1920 (divorced 1921) Princess Marie Adelaide of Lippe (1895–1993)


 * Heinrich XXXIII (1879–1942)
 * married firstly in 1913 (divorced 1922) Princess Victoria Margaret of Prussia (1890–1923)
 * married secondly in 1929 (divorced 1935) Allene Tew (1876–1955)


 * Johanna (1882–1883)
 * Sophie Renate (1884–1968)
 * married in 1909 Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss (1887–1956)


 * Heinrich XXXV (1887–1936). He married firstly, Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1888–1947) on 20 April 1911 in Altenburg. They had one daughter before divorcing in 1921. He married secondly in 1921 (divorced 1923) Princess Marie Adelaide of Lippe (1895–1993)
 * Marie Helene Reuss of Köstritz (b. 23 February 1912, Silesia - d. 1 August 1933, Korfantow)

Prince Heinrich VII died at Trebschen Castle on 2 May 1906.

Honours
He received the following orders and decorations: • Principality of Reuss-Gera: Cross of Honour, 1st Class

•  Kingdom of Prussia:

• * Knight of Justice of the Johanniter Order, 8 April 1851

• * Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, with Swords, 1866; Grand Commander's Cross with Swords on Ring, 1878; with Star, 11 June 1879

• * Grand Cross of the Red Eagle, with Oak Leaves, 6 February 1876

• * Knight of the Black Eagle, 1887; with Diamonds, 15 March 1894; with Collar

•  Electorate of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Wilhelmsorden, 11 October 1864

•  Kingdom of Bavaria: Grand Cross of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, 1867

•  French Empire: Commander of the Legion of Honour

•  Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 18 May 1893

•  Two Sicilies: Commander of the Constantinian Order of St. George

•  Schaumburg-Lippe: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class

•  Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore

• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion

•   Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1880; in Diamonds, 1894

•  Persian Empire: Order of the August Portrait, in Diamonds

•  Russian Empire:

• * Knight of St. Andrew, in Diamonds

• * Knight of St. Vladimir, 2nd Class

•  Kingdom of Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1891

•  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1875

•    Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1876

•  Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class

•  Württemberg:

• * Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1893

• * Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order

Literature

 * Kurt von Priesdorff: Soldatisches Führertum, vol. 9, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, Hamburg, 1941