by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
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 Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach source: Wikipedia
Karl Friedrich was Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from 1828 until 1853. He was born in Weimar in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, now in Thuringia, Germany on February 2, 1783, the eldest son of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Luise Auguste of Hesse-Darmstadt.
He had three siblings who lived past birth:
- Princess Luise Auguste (1779-1784) – died in childhood
- Princess Karoline Luise (1786-1816) – married Hereditary Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, had issue
- Prince Bernhard (1792-1862) – married Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen, had issue
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. source: Wikipedia
After finishing his education, Karl Friedrich embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. While visiting St. Petersburg in July 1803, Karl Friedrich met his future wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. She was the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg. They married at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on August 3, 1804, and had four children:
- Prince Paul (1805-1806) – died in infancy
- Princess Marie Luise (1808-1877) – married Prince Karl of Prussia, had issue
- Princess Augusta (1811-1890) – married Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor, had issue
- Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1818-1901) – married Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, had issue
As Grand Duke, Karl Friedrich instituted the first savings bank in the Grand Duchy and promoted many charitable and welfare organizations. He also promoted trade, joined the German Customs Union, and was instrumental in building the Thuringian Railway in collaboration with the Kingdom of Prussia and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During his reign, he was forced to issue a more liberal constitution and introduce many new reforms, including freedom of the press.
Grand Duke Karl Friedrich – source: Wikipedia
Grand Duke Karl Friedrich died at Schloss Belvedere in Weimar in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, now in Thuringia, Germany on July 8, 1853. He is buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar.
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