Woldemar of Lippe was the sovereign of the Principality of Lippe, reigning from 1875 until his death.
Background
Prince Woldemar of Lippe was born in Detmold the third child of Leopold II, Lippe"s reigning prince and his consort Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1800–1867). Woldemar was married to Princess Sophie of Baden (1834–1904) a daughter of Prince William of Baden on 9 November 1858 in Karlsruhe.
Career
In 1892 along with the other German sovereigns Woldemar attended a gathering in Berlin with the German Emperor William World War II After the Emperor described the other sovereigns as his vassals. Prince Waldemar took exception and interrupted the speech to say, "Number, Sire, not your vassals. Your allies, if you like".
This was seen as the Coup de grâce to the Emperor"s ambition to become "Emperor of Germany" instead of just "German Emperor".
Prince Woldemar foreseeing this had made a provision in his will that the regency should go to Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe the brother in law of the German Emperor. Prince Woldemar"s decision to appoint Prince Adolf was the beginning of a decade long dispute between two lines of the House of Lippe, the Lippe-Biesterfeld"s led by Count Ernst who claimed the regency, and the princes of Schaumburg-Lippe.
There were various compromises and the matter was finally resolved in 1905.