Reuss, Elder Line, 2 Mark 1892
First impression
Historical - "Henry the Naughty"
Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz (28 March 1846 - 19 April 1902) was the reigning ruler of the small principality of Reuss-Greiz from 1859 until his death in 1902. The Principality of Reuss (from 1778) of the older line was a small state in the east of the present-day state of Thuringia.
On 8 November 1859, Heinrich was installed as the reigning Prince Reuss of Greiz after the death of his father. At that time, however, he was only thirteen years old and his mother Caroline of Hesse-Homburg (1819-1872) took over the affairs of state until he came of age in 1867.
Like his parents, Henry was "anti-Prussian" and repeatedly opposed Prussian measures such as the so-called Kulturkampf, the introduction of civil marriage and the Civil Code (BGB), and even voted against the new reform of Otto von Bismarck's (1815- 1898) Socialist Laws, which earned Henry XXII the nickname Henry the Naughty.
Furthermore, he refused to give general decision-making powers to the powerful Hohenzollerns, although they were one of the most important dynasties of the high nobility in Europe at the time, let alone accept them at all. Thus, when asked about his relationship with the Emperor, he merely replied that they were "allies for the common defence of the German Confederation". Heinrich never missed an opportunity to antagonise the Kaiser and even refused to erect a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I (1797-1888).
Likewise, he refused to even announce or tolerate in his principality public expressions of mourning for the deaths of Kaiser Wilhelm I and Frederick III, and forbade any celebrations of the anniversaries of the German victories of 1870. His style of government thus proved to be absolutist, very conservative and rebellious in every respect. Henry XXII ruled much more out of selfishness than out of responsibility towards his fellow men. Since he was very wealthy and most of the territory he ruled was his private property (area of 122 square miles), Reuss "only" counted around 70,000 people in his principality at the end of his reign.