Illustrious Highness
The Battenberg family was formerly a morganatic branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, rulers of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in Germany. The first member was Julia Hauke, whose brother-in-law Grand Duke Louis III of Hesse created her in 1851 Countess of Battenberg, with the style "Illustrious Highness" (H. Ill.H.), at the time of her morganatic marriage to Grand Duke Louis's brother Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine. The name Battenberg refers to the town of Battenberg in Hesse. In 1858, Prince Alexander elevated the Countess's title to Princess of Battenberg, with the style of "Serene Highness" (HSH).