Battenberg << BAT uhn `buhrg` >> is the name of a royal family that has played a part in English and Bulgarian history. The Battenbergs are a branch of the Hessian royal family from west-central Germany. Prince Alexander of Battenberg became Prince of Bulgaria in 1879, after that country became self-governing. He gave up the throne in 1886. Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg established the English branch of the family. He became a British subject, entered the Royal Navy, and, in 1884, married his cousin Victoria, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. He renounced his German title in 1917, took the name Mountbatten, and became Marquess of Milford Haven. His oldest daughter’s son was Prince Philip—the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, and the father of King Charles III.
