The dizzying sums that Christian Ernst Prince zu Stolberg-Wernigerode distributed for charitable purposes in 1921, compared to the budgets of the DAG regional departments, give an idea of the immense social distance that existed between the richest and poorest groups of the nobility. A glance at the internal accounts of the Princes of Thurn und Taxis illustrates the width of the gap between the ruined lesser nobility, who needed support by the aristocratic organisations with donations of linen, and the pinnacles of aristocratic wealth.
Before the First World War, the hereditary prince of the Princely House received an annual allowance of around 42,000 marks, which was increased to 60,000 marks in 1916. Together with other allowances, including for cars, riding horses, valets and bodyguards, the Hereditary Prince had a sum of around 136,000 marks “at his free disposal” for the year 1930. Shortly before the start of the Second World War, Prince Albert was once again able to increase his eldest son’s allowance. In 1939, “His Most Serene Highness, on the occasion of His Most Serene Birthday, had decided” to increase the annual payment to 84,000 marks per year.
In most of the grand seigneurs’ families, it was still possible to pay them bonuses, which also made the sons and daughters born after them wealthy aristocrats who were unimaginably rich in comparison to the DAG standards described above. According to bourgeois understanding, it was the respective heads of aristocratic and noble houses who benefited from the continued existence of the considerable, often enormous fortunes within the high nobility. Representation, splendour and the preservation of the economic and symbolic capital of an aristocratic house were primarily guaranteed by the respective head. The idea of luxurious lifestyles in spacious castles with free disposal of enormous assets is therefore initially appropriate for the heads of the family even for the period after 1918 – despite considerable losses.
However, it has to be put into perspective for the sons born later and especially for the widows and daughters of even the wealthiest families. In the above-mentioned example of the Stolberg-Wernigerode family, the princely wealth seems only partially suitable for assessing the social situation of the agnates, especially the daughters. Around 1930, when the house was experiencing great financial difficulties, they had no financial resources at their disposal that would have enabled them to live in line with their status, despite a well-funded family foundation. In Bavaria, Karl Friedrich Prince of Öttingen-Wallerstein was still able to guarantee his wife the considerable sum of 30,000 marks per year in 1928, but did not feel able to distribute any further “gifts”. The estate passed into the hands of his younger brother.
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The fact that a prince was able to spend almost 1 million marks on charitable causes in 1921 points to the immense wealth retained by individual family (heads) of the high nobility and demonstrates the continued existence of princely social benefits within the sphere of action and influence of the old rulers. The bulging folders in which princely archives kept the petitions of socially disadvantaged people who turned to their princes in confidence even after 1918 bear witness to the factual and dreamed-of continued existence of such social support organisations. Wealthy families from the high nobility and other grand seigneurs remained important local charities even after 1918, supporting both needy individuals and organisations of all kinds in their area.
The support files of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis list more than 600 individual clubs, associations and societies that had – mostly successfully – applied for donations from the princely portfolio: from charitable organisations of the Catholic Church to singing, carnival, gymnastics, hunting, blind, literary, bowling, motor sports, officers’, art, student, horse and rabbit breeders to colonial and naval associations. In addition, there were at least 300 individuals who were supported with regular or temporary payments.
