George, King of Saxony
King of Saxony
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| Intro | King of Saxony | ||||||||||
| Places | Germany | ||||||||||
| was | King | ||||||||||
| Work field | Military Royals | ||||||||||
| Gender |
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| Religion: | Catholic church | ||||||||||
| Birth | 23 August 1832, Dresden, Dresden Directorate District, Saxony, Germany | ||||||||||
| Death | 15 October 1904Pillnitz, Dresden, Dresden Directorate District, Saxony (aged 72 years) | ||||||||||
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The details
Biography
George (German: Friedrich August Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Karl Maria Nepomuk Baptist Xaver Cyriacus Romanus; 8 August 1832 – 15 October 1904) was a King of Saxony of the House of Wettin.
Life
Early life
George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony (1801–1873) and his wife Princess Amelia of Bavaria (1801–1877), daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (1756–1825).
On 11 May 1859 at Belém Palace, Lisbon, George married the Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal (1843–1884), the eldest surviving daughter of Queen Maria II of Portugal (1819–1853) and her consort, King Ferdinand II (1816–1885). Ferdinand was born as the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and as such was a Catholic Saxon kinsman of George. Maria Anna died young and George stayed unmarried for the rest of his long life.
Military career
George served under his brother Albert's command during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and in the Franco-German War. In the re-organisation of the army which accompanied the march towards Paris, his brother the Crown Prince gained a separate command over the 4th army (Army of the Meuse) consisting of the Saxon XII corps, the Prussian Guard corps, and the IV (Prussian Saxony) corps and George succeeded him in command of the XII corps.
In 1871, Prince George was awarded the Grand Cross of the Württemberg Military Merit.
King of Saxony
Prince George was a Generalfeldmarschall before his ascension. It gradually became clear that George's older brother Albert I (1828–1902) and his wife Queen Carola (1833–1907) would not have any children, thereby making George the heir presumptive to the throne. He succeeded Albert I as King of Saxony on 19 June 1902, albeit for just a brief two-year reign. He died in Pillnitz and was succeeded by his eldest son Frederick Augustus III (1865–1932), who was deposed in 1918.
King George was a controversial figure. He divorced by royal decree his eldest son from his daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Luise. Luise's flight from Dresden was due to her father-in-law's threatening to have her interned in Sonnestein Mental Asylum for life.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Johanna Amalie Ferdinande Antonie Luise Juliane | 19 June 1860 | 2 March 1861(1861-03-02) (aged 0) | died in childhood, no issue |
| Elisabeth Albertine Karoline Sidonie Ferdinande Leopoldine Antonie Auguste Clementine | 14 February 1862 | 18 May 1863(1863-05-18) (aged 1) | died in childhood, no issue |
| Mathilde Marie Auguste Viktorie Leopoldine Karoline Luise Franziska Josepha | 19 March 1863 | 27 March 1933(1933-03-27) (aged 70) | died unmarried, no issue |
| Frederick Augustus Johann Ludwig Karl Gustav Gregor Philipp | 25 May 1865 | 18 February 1932(1932-02-18) (aged 66) | married Princess Louise of Tuscany (1870–1947), had issue |
| Maria Josepha Luise Philippine Elisabeth Pia Angelica Margarethe | 31 May 1867 | 28 May 1944(1944-05-28) (aged 76) | married to her second cousin Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (1865–1906), had issue |
| Johann Georg Pius Karl Leopold Maria Januarius Anacletus | 10 July 1869 | 24 November 1938(1938-11-24) (aged 69) | married first Duchess Maria Isabella of Württemberg (1871–1904) and second Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1874–1906) |
| Maximilian Wilhelm August Albert Karl Gregor Odo | 17 November 1870 | 12 January 1951(1951-01-12) (aged 80) | died unmarried, no issue |
| Albert Karl Anton Ludwig Wilhelm Viktor | 25 February 1875 | 16 September 1900(1900-09-16) (aged 25) | died unmarried, no issue, the result of injuries sustained in a carriage crash caused by Prince Miguel of Braganza |
Ancestors
| Ancestors of George, King of Saxony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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