Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen: On March 26, 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. On February 24, 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen and Bernhard, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Meinigen.

On November 9, 1918, Wilhelm II abdicated as German Emperor and King of Prussia in the wake of the November Revolution. Bernhard III, the last Duke of Saxe-Meiningen abdicated the next day due to pressure from the Meininger Workers and Soldiers Council. His half-brother Ernst waived his succession rights on November 12, 1918, officially ending the monarchy of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen is in the German state of Thuringia.

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Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen was born in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany. on October 22, 1687, the son of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his second wife, Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He had four older siblings:

  • Elisabeth Ernestine (1681-1766) – unmarried
  • Eleonore Friederike (1683-1739) – unmarried
  • Anton August (born and died 1684) – died in infancy
  • Wilhelmine Luise (1686-1753) – married Carl, Duke of Württemberg-Bernstadt, no issue

He also had seven half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt:

Philippine Elisabeth Caesar; Credit – Wikipedia

In Amsterdam on January 1711, Anton Ulrich secretly married Philippine Elisabeth Caesar, a lady-in-waiting to his elder sister Elisabeth Ernestine. The marriage was morganatic and was met with great disapproval from his family. Together they had ten children:

  • Philippine Antoinette (1712-1785)
  • Philippine Elisabeth (1713-1781)
  • Philippine Luise (1714-1771)
  • Philippine Wilhelmine (1715-1718)
  • Bernhard Ernst (1716-1778)
  • Antonie Auguste (1717-1768)
  • Sophie Wilhelmine (1719-1723)
  • Karl Ludwig (1721-1727)
  • Christine Friederike (born and died 1723)
  • Friedrich Ferdinand (born and died 1725)

In 1727, Anton Ulrich, through the benevolence of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI, managed to have his wife and children raised to the rank of Prince/Princess of Saxe-Meiningen. However, they did not have any rights of succession. This was confirmed in 1744, just after Philippine Caesar’s death.

When Anton Ulrich’s father, Bernhard, died in 1706, he decreed in his will that the duchy should not be divided and that his sons should rule jointly. This caused conflict between Anton Ulrich and his two elder half-brothers, Ernst Ludwig I and Friedrich Wilhelm, with Ernst Ludwig fighting to serve as sole ruler. Following his death in 1724, the conflict continued between Anton Ulrich and Friedrich Wilhelm who often disagreed and issued conflicting decrees. In 1742, Anton Ulrich moved to Frankfurt but continued to fight with his brother over the ruling of the duchy. Upon Friedrich Wilhelm’s death in 1746, Anton Ulrich became the sole ruler and Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Although he was now the sole ruler, Anton Ulrich remained in Frankfurt, conducting most of his governmental duties from there, and only made occasional visits to Meiningen. With his children excluded from the line of succession, the Saxe-Meiningen line was in danger of becoming extinct. The Dukes of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Gotha were already planning how to divide the territory should Anton Ulrich die without any legitimate heirs.

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal; Credit – Wikipedia

The succession question was soon resolved. On September 26, 1750, Anton married Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal in Homburg von der Höhe. 43 years younger than Anton Ulrich, Charlotte Amalie was the daughter of Carl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal and Princess Christina of Saxe-Eisenach. Together they had eight children:

In 1747-1748, Anton Ulrich fought a battle with the neighboring Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (known as the Wasunger War). The Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was looking forward to the likelihood that Saxe-Meiningen would be divided amongst the other Ernestine duchies upon Anton Ulrich’s death with no heirs, and was looking for any chance he could find to receive – or take by force – the lands he would likely inherit. After a dispute between two women over their precedence at court, Anton Ulrich intervened, siding with one of the women and harshly treating the other’s family. When the Imperial Court ruled against Anton Ulrich, and he refused to accept their decision, this gave Friedrich III of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg the pretext to invade the city of Wasungen. The dispute was eventually resolved through mediation with Prussia.

After a reign of nearly 17 years, Anton Ulrich died in the Free City of Frankfurt, now in Hesse, Germany,  on January 27, 1763. His remains were buried in the castle church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany.

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Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty