Category Archives: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Royals

Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2021

Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was created in 1809 when the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach and the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar merged. The Congress of Vienna elevated Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach to a Grand Duchy in 1815.  As the German Empire was crumbling at the end of World War I, Wilhelm Ernst, the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was forced to abdicate on November 9, 1918. He was stripped of his throne and his properties and forced into exile. With his family, he took up residence at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia, now Henryków, Poland. Today the territory that encompassed the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach is located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach source: Wikipedia

Karl August was the first Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, reigning from 1815 until 1828. He was born in Weimar, Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, now in Thuringia, Germany on September 3, 1757, the eldest son of Ernst August II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He had one younger sibling:

When his father died in May 1758, Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Duke of Saxe-Eisenach at just nine months old. His mother served as regent and is recognized for having built up the resources and strength of the duchies during her son’s youth. Meanwhile, Karl August was educated privately by several tutors and then made a grand tour of Europe along with his younger brother. It was on this trip that he met the great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who would become a close friend, confidante, and advisor.

Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt. source: Wikipedia

Shortly after reaching his majority and taking control of the government of the two duchies, Karl August married Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt in Karlsruhe, Margraviate of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg on October 3, 1775. Luise was the daughter of Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Caroline of Zweibrücken. They had seven children:

Karl August’s surviving children – Bernhard, Karoline Luise, and Karl Friedrich. source: Wikipedia

One of his first official acts was appointing the great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to his privy council. It is perhaps through Goethe’s influence and support that Karl August worked to promote education and the arts. He established the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School in 1776 and was instrumental in reforming the education system and promoting the University of Jena.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. source: Wikipedia

A firm supporter of a unified Germany, Karl August was one of the leading forces behind the establishment of the League of Princes in 1785. Two years later, he was offered the Hungarian crown but refused. He served with the Prussian Army as a major-general and led his regiment into several battles in 1792. After the disastrous Battle of Jena in 1806, Karl August was forced to join Napoleon’s Confederation of the Rhine, to avoid losing his territories.

In 1809, the two duchies were united and Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Six years later, following the Congress of Vienna, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was elevated to a Grand Duchy with Karl August as its first Grand Duke. Much more liberal than many of his contemporaries, Karl August was the first German prince to grant a liberal constitution and to promote the freedom of the press.

Grand Duke Karl August died at Castle Graditz in Graditz, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Saxony, Germany on June 14, 1828, and is buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany.

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Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Credit – Wikipedia

June 23, 1859 – Death of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Maria Pavlovna’s Wikipedia page

Born in St. Petersburg in 1786, Maria Pavlovna was the third daughter and fifth child of Tsar Paul of Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. Maria Pavlovna’s siblings included two future Russian Tsars, a Queen of Württemberg, and a Queen of the Netherlands. She grew up mainly at the imperial palaces at Pavlovsk and Gatchina, the latter of which was her parents’ favorite residence. Maria Pavlovna was known by the nickname of “Masha” within the family and was particularly close to her younger brothers Nicholas and Michael.

Maria Pavlovna was close to her sisters, but was not considered as pretty as her smallpox inoculation during her childhood had caused facial scarring. Nevertheless, Maria Pavlovna received an excellent education, with lessons in literature, math, music, and foreign languages. She was a particularly talented pianist. Like Paul’s older children, her lesson plans were designed in part by Maria Pavlovna’s paternal grandmother, Catherine II.

Maria Pavlovna grew up as somewhat of a tomboy, so much so that Catherine referred to her granddaughter as the “guardsman in a skirt” and remarked that she would more fortunate if born a boy. As she matured, Maria Pavlovna’s looks improved greatly, and she was noted for her charm and intelligence.

In 1804, Maria Pavlovna married Charles Frederick, the future Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in a lavish ceremony in St. Petersburg. Charles Frederick had spent some months in Russia with the imperial family and had become very fond of his new wife, although their different personalities caused some strife in the following years. The match was an excellent one for intelligent Maria Pavlovna, as Weimar was then an important cultural center (particularly for music) in Europe. Her new husband shared her love of music and worked to keep Weimar’s musical heritage strong. Franz Liszt (who was invited to Weimar at Maria Pavlovna’s insistence) and Richard Wagner both enjoyed considerable success while in Weimar.

Maria Pavlovna maintained her intellectual pursuits during her time in Weimar, attending lectures at the University of Jena, hosting circles of local writers in her home, and serving as patroness of various literary, artistic, and scientific organizations. She also maintained correspondence with several Russian and German intellectuals of the time. Maria Pavlovna also established a horticultural school and provided funding for the establishment of several parks.

Maria Pavlovna and Charles Frederick had three surviving children. Their daughters Marie and Augusta respectively married Charles of Prussia and the future German Emperor Wilhelm I. Son Charles Alexander succeeded his father in the grand duchy. Several current European monarchs can claim descent from Maria Pavlovna, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Sophia of Spain.

Maria Pavlovna died of a heart attack at Schloss Belvedere, surviving her husband by six years. She is buried beside her husband at a mausoleum in Weimar. A Russian Orthodox church was erected near the mausoleum in her honor.