Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1912–1988)
Charles Augustus | |||||
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Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | |||||
Head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | |||||
Reign | 24 April 1923 – 14 October 1988 | ||||
Predecessor | Wilhelm Ernst | ||||
Successor | Michael | ||||
Born | Schloss Wilhelmsthal | 28 July 1912||||
Died | 14 October 1988 Schienen am Bodensee | (aged 76)||||
Spouse | Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein | ||||
Issue | Princess Elisabeth Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Princess Beatrice-Maria | ||||
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House | House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||||
Father | Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||||
Mother | Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen |
Charles Augustus William Ernest Frederick George John Albert of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, full German name: Carl August Wilhelm Ernst Friedrich Georg Johann Albrecht von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (28 July 1912 – 14 October 1988) was a German prince and head of the Grand Ducal house of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.[1] He gained the title of Erbherzöge von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (styled as Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach).[1]
Life
He was born in Schloss Wilhelmsthal the second child but eldest son and heir of Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his second wife Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen (1890–1972). His father's reign came to an end on 9 November 1918 as a result of the German revolution. When his father died on 24 April 1923, Charles Augustus succeeded him as head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Until 1922 Charles Augustus was third in line to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. As a young Grand Duke, Carl August is expected by various observers to be a far more suitable ruler than his father, who was widely unpopular and rumoured to be a sadist. The Grand Duke is still unmarried, and by now, his heir apparent is his younger brother Bernhard.
Charles Augustus died at Schienen and was succeeded as head of the grand ducal house by his son Michael. He died on 14 October 1988 at age 76.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.png/220px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.png)
He also inherited his father's rights of succession upon the Dutch throne, as the amendment on the Constitution of 1922 to limit the succession to Queen Wilhelmina's offspring was rejected under German pressure. As Princess Juliana is still unmarried, Grand Duke Carl August is the current second in line for the Dutch throne; he or one of his brothers, as the Dutch Constitution forbids to another ruler to inherit the crown of The Netherlands. However, Carl August's rights are seen in Netherlands as a possible threat to their independance from Germany, and many are urging the Parliament to draft a new succession law or to prepare a wedding for Princess Juliana.
Marriage and issue
Charles Augustus was married at the Wartburg castle on 5 October 1944 to Elisabeth Freiin von Wangenheim-Winterstein (Tübingen, 16 January 1912 - Munich, 15 March 2010), daughter of Othmar Freiherr von Wangenheim-Winterstein and wife Maud von Truetzschler. They had three children:
- Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duchess of Saxony (b. Burgellern bei Bamberg, 22 July 1945), married in Munich on 10 July 1981 to Mindert Diderik de Kant (b. Leeuwarden, 6 August 1934). They divorced in 1983, without issue.
- Prince Michael of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duke of Saxony (b. Bamberg, 15 November 1946)
- Princess Beatrice-Maria of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duchess of Saxony (b. Bamberg, 11 March 1948), married in London on 9 December 1977 to Martin Charles Davidson (b. London, 23 September 1940), and had a daughter, Bettina Davison
Ancestry
References
- ^ a b Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Karl August Erbherzöge von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach". Retrieved 10 May 2003.
External links