William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroGrand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
PlacesGermany
wasNoble
Work fieldRoyals
Gender
Male
Religion:Lutheranism
Birth10 July 1876, Weimar, Thuringia, Germany
Death24 April 1923Henryków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Gmina Ziębice, Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship (aged 46 years)
ResidenceSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Family
Mother:Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Father:Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Spouse:Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
Children:Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Charles Augustus Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The details

Biography

Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann (English: William Ernest Charles Alexander Frederick Henry Bernard Albert George Herman) (10 June 1876 – 24 April 1923) was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

Biography

He was born in Weimar, the eldest son of Karl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, heir to the Grand Duke, and his wife Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

He succeeded his grandfather Karl Alexander as Grand Duke on 5 January 1901, as his father had predeceased him.

His heir was a distant cousin, Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, until his disinheritance in 1909. Hermann's younger brother subsequently served as heir presumptive to the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until the birth of William Ernest's eldest son.

Wilhelm Ernst created the new Weimar town center under the direction of Hans Olde, Henry van de Velde, and Adolf Brütt. Also, he also had the University of Jena rebuilt by Theodor Fischer, and also reconstructed Weimar's theatres. The improvements to the city included a marble statue of his predecessor Charles Alexander, which was completed in 1911. It was placed in a setting designed by Brütt. The placement of the setting was designed to distinguish the "old town" from the newly built area. A preservation law for the "old town" barred it to the "art nouveau"-style which was used in the new area.

The Dutch throne

According to the Dutch constitution, Wilhelm Ernst was in the line for the throne of the Netherlands (as the grandson of Princess Sophie of the Netherlands) after Queen Wilhelmina. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Dutch feared the possibility of German influence or even annexation of the Netherlands. In order to prevent this, some lawyers tried to change the constitution to exclude Wilhelm Ernst from the succession. Another proposal, however, was this: if Wilhelmina would die childless, then he or his offspring would have to choose between the Dutch and the Weimar throne. The birth of Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana in 1909 lessened the chance for any member of the house of Wettin (Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach branch) to inherit the Dutch throne. With the amendment to the constitution of 1922, which restricted the right of succession to the offspring of Wilhelmina, the possibility disappeared entirely.

Abdication

On 9 November 1918 Wilhelm Ernst - along with the rest of the German monarchs following the defeat of Germany in World War I - was forced to abdicate. His throne and all his lands were relinquished and he fled with his family to the family estate in Silesia, where he died five years later.

Despite all his work for Weimar during his government, Wilhelm Ernst was a hated ruler. This was for his private life, where he was known to be a sadist; the day of his abdication, he was called the "most unpopular prince in all Germany".

He died in Heinrichau in Silesia.

Family and children

In Bückeburg on 30 April 1903 Wilhelm Ernst married firstly with Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz, a daughter of Prince Heinrich XXII Reuss of Greiz. This marriage was childless and ended in 1905 with the death of Caroline under mysterious circumstances. The official cause of death was pneumonia following influenza; other sources have suggested suicide.

In Meiningen on 21 January 1910, Wilhelm Ernst married secondly with Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meinigen.

They had four children:

NameBirthDeathNotes
Princess Sophie Luise Adelheid Marie Olga Carola20 March 191121 November 1988married Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg; the marriage ended in divorce less than a year later. There were no children.
Karl August Wilhelm Ernst Friedrich Georg Johann Albrecht, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach28 July 191214 October 1988married Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein; had issue
Prince Bernhard Friedrich Viktor3 March 191723 March 1986His daughter Katharina Feodora Adelheid Sabine Sophie Felicitas Sieglinde, Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (born 30 November 1943) married Prince Emanuel Joseph von Hohenzollern-Emden, son of Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden, on 25 May 1968 (divorced in 1985)
Prince Georg Wilhelm Albert Bernhard24 November 192111 March 2011changed name for Jörg Brena in 1953 and renounced his succession rights

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (= 24)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Princess Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (= 25)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Paul I of Russia (= 22)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Sophie Dorothea of Württemburg (= 23)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. William I of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. William II of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Wilhelmina of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Princess Sophie of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Paul I of Russia (=18)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Anna Pavlovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Sophie Dorothea of Württemburg (=19)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (= 16)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Princess Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (= 17)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Princess Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Frederick I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. William I of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Princess Augusta of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Duke Louis of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Pauline Therese of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
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