William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Frederick Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann (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, the Hereditary Grand Duke, and his wife Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

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

Wilhelm Ernst created the new Weimar state with the direction of Hans Olde, Henry van de Velde and Adolf Brütt. Also, he renewed the University of Jena by Theodor Fischer from Munich as well as that Weimar theatres.

In the course of the construction of the monument setting for Karl Alexander by Adolf Brütt the old part of the town was distinguished altogether by a protection regulation from the development area of the new Weimar and the art nouveau. The statue, in marble, was finished in 1911.

The Dutch throne

According to the Dutch Constitution, Wilhelm Ernst was in line to succeed to throne of the Netherlands (he was the grandson of Sophie of the Netherlands) after Queen Wilhelmina. The Dutch people, beginning in the 20th century feared this, for 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 of the succession of the throne of the Netherlands. Another way, however, was this: he or his offspring -if Wilhelmina would die childless- would have to choose between the Dutch and the Weimar throne. The birth of Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana in 1909 made the chance for any member of the house Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach to inherit the Dutch throne smaller and with the amendment to the constitution of 1922 -according to which the right to succession was restricted to the offspring of Wilhelmina- 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 exile in Silesia, where he died four 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". [Citation| title =The Most Unpopular Prince in Germany’: Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach| journal =European Royal History Journal| issue =Issue XIV | pages =24-26| date =December 1999| year =]

He died in Henryków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Silesia.

Ancestry

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1= 1. William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxony
2= 2. Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
3= 3. Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
4= 4. Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
5= 5. Princess Sophie of the Netherlands
6= 6. Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
7= 7. Princess Augusta of Württemberg
8= 8. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
9= 9. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
10= 10. King William II of the Netherlands
11= 11. Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia
12= 12. Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
13= 13. Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen
14= 14. King William I of Württemberg
15= 15. Duchess Pauline of Württemberg

Family and children

In Bückeburg on 30 April 1903 Wilhelm Ernst married firstly with Karoline Reuss of Greiz. This marriage was childless and ended in 1905 with the death of Karoline under mysterious circumstances.

In Meiningen on 21 January 1910, Wilhelm Ernst married secondly with Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meinigen. They had four children:
#Sophie Luise Adelheid Marie Olga Carola (b. Weimar, 20 March 1911 - d. Hamburg, 21 November 1988), married to Prince Frederick Günther of Schwarzburg.
#Karl August Wilhelm Ernst Friedrich Georg Johann Albrecht, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. Schloss Wilhelmsthal, 28 July 1912 - d. Schienen am Bodensee, 14 October 1988).
#Bernhard Friedrich Viktor (b. Weimar, 3 March 1917 - d. Wiesbaden, 23 March 1986).
#Georg Wilhelm Albert Bernhard (b. Heinrichau, Silesia, 24 November 1921).

References

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