by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018
Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born in Kassel, Electorate of Hesse, now in Hesse, Germany, on September 6, 1804, to Wilhelm II, Elector of Hesse and Princess Auguste of Prussia, and had five siblings:
- Prince Wilhelm (1798-1780) – died in childhood
- Princess Karoline (1799-1854) – unmarried
- Princess Luise (1801-1803) – died in childhood
- Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Hesse (1802-1888) – married Gertrude Falkenstein, had issue
- Prince Ferdinand (born and died1806) – died in infancy
Marie Friederike also had eight half-siblings from her father’s second morganatic marriage in 1841 to his longtime mistress Emilie Ortlöpp, Countess von Reichenbach-Lessonitz, who were all born before the marriage and styled Count/Countess von Reichenbach-Lessonitz:
- Countess Luise (1813-1883) – married Karl, Count von Bose
- Count Julius (1815-1822) – died in childhood
- Countess Amalie (1816) – married (1) Wilhelm, Count von Lückner; (2) Karl, Baron von Watzdorf; (3) Wilhelm, Count von Lückner
- Count Gustav Karl (1818-1861) – married Clementine Richter
- Countess Emilie (1820-1891) – married Felix, Count Zichy-Ferraris
- Countess Friederike (1821-1891) – married Wilhelm, Baron von Dungern
- Count Wilhelm (1824-1866) – married Amelie, Baroness Goeler von Ravensburg
- Countess Helene (1825-1898) – married Oswald, Baron von Fabrice
Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia
Although she had been considered as a potential bride for King Oscar I of Sweden several years earlier, Marie Friederike married Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen on March 23, 1825. He was the son of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Princess Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Marie Friederike and Bernhard had two children, born over seventeen years apart:
- Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1826-1914) – married (1) Princess Charlotte of Prussia, had issue; (2) Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, had issue; (3) Ellen Franz, no issue
- Princess Auguste (1843-1919) – married Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg, had issue
Marie Friederike was Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen from her marriage until her husband was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, in 1866 following the defeat of Austria, who he supported, in the Austro-Prussian War. The couple took up residence at the Great Palace (link in German) in Meiningen, where they would live the rest of their lives.
The Dowager Duchess died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany on January 1, 1888, having survived her husband for more than five years. She was buried in the Ducal Crypt Chapel (link in German) in the Meiningen municipal cemetery until 1977 when her remains were removed from the chapel, cremated, and buried elsewhere in the cemetery.
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