Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Johann Leopold William Albert Ferdinand Victor; 2 August 1906 – 4 May 1972) was the eldest son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
Early life
Johann Leopold was born 2 August 1906 at Callenberg Castle in Coburg as the eldest son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
He was heir-apparent, from his birth, until the forced abdication of his father on 18 November 1918, to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The abdication was a result of the German Revolution.
Marriage
Charles Edward hoped to arrange a marriage between Prince Johann Leopold and Princess Juliana, heir presumptive to his first cousin Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. The match never materialized, with Charles Edward blaming his "useless" son.
Johann Leopold's first wife was Feodora Marie Alma Margarete, Baroness von der Horst (1905–1991), who divorced Baron Wolf Sigismund Pergler von Perglas in 1931. They married morganatically on 9 March 1932. The prince was forced to cede his own succession rights at the time of the marriage. The couple had three children and were divorced on 27 February 1962. His second wife was Maria Theresa Elizabeth Reindl (1908–1996), whom he married morganatically on 3 May 1963. They had no children.
Issue
The Prince had three children by his first wife, all barred from the succession of the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Feodora von der Horst | |||
| Caroline Mathilde Adelheid Sibylla Marianne Erika Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 5 April 1933; Hirschberg | married, 5 December 1953, Michael Nielsen (12 August 1923 – 20 September 1975); had issue - Margarete Brigitte (b. 30 September 1954) and Renate Christine (b. 4 February 1957). They had two grand-children by Margarete. | |
| Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 14 January 1935; Hirschberg | 27 June 1996; Bad Wiessee (suicide) | married (1), 4 February 1961, Ingeborg Henig; divorced 1963; had issue (one son, Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) (2), 29 May 1963, Gertraude Monika Pfeiffer; divorced 1985; had issue (two daughters, Viktoria and Alice, and three sons: Ernst-Josias, Karl-Eduard and Ferdinand-Christian) (3), 20 January 1986, Sabine Biller, with whom he died by suicide; no issue |
| Peter Albert Friedrich Josias Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 12 June 1939; Dresden | married, 12 May 1964, Roswitha Henriette Breuer (1 September 1945); had issue (two sons, Peter and Malte) | |
Ancestry
