Ernst, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen

Ernst
Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen
Reign 16 January 1928 – 29 December 1941
Predecessor Bernhard III
Successor Prince Georg
Born (1859-09-27)27 September 1859
Meiningen
Died 29 December 1941(1941-12-29) (aged 82)
Altenstein
Spouse Katharina Jensen
Issue Baron Georg Wilhelm
Baroness Elisabeth Helene
Baron Ernst Frederick
Baron Ralf Erich
Baron Sven Hans
Baron Heinrich
Full name
Ernst Bernhard Victor Georg
House Saxe-Meiningen
Father Georg II
Mother Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Ernst, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (Ernst, Prinz von Sachsen-Meiningen; 27 September 1859 – 29 December 1941) was the head of the house of Saxe-Meiningen from 1928 until his death.

Biography

He was born in Meiningen, the eldest son of the heir apparent to the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, Prince Georg and his second wife, HSH Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. His father succeeded to the throne in 1866. Ernst pursued a career in the Army and retired as Colonel in the Prussian cavalry. He received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the University of Jena.

Ernst was married, morganatically, in Munich on 20 September 1892, Katharina Jensen, the daughter of the painter Marie and poet Wilhelm Jensen. Since the marriage was morganatic, his wife was created Baroness of Saalfeld on their wedding day by Ernst's father, Georg II.[1] Despite his unequal marriage, Ernst retained his succession rights to the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen.[2]

When his older half-brother, the last reigning duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Bernhard III, died on 16 January 1928, Ernst succeeded him as head of the ducal house. As his children were born of a morganatic marriage, Ernst's nephew, Georg, succeeded him as head of the house following his death at Schloss Altenstein.

Children

Ernst and Katharina had six children, all of whom held the title Baron(ess) of Saalfeld:

Name Birth Death Notes
Baron Georg Wilhelm 11 June 1893 29 April 1916 Killed in Action, La Bassée, France during World War I
Baroness Elisabeth Helene Adelheid Marie 2 February 1895 4 June 1934 married on 25 April 1917 to Dr. Johann Duken (12 January 1889 – about 1954).
Baron Ernst Friedrich Heinrich Paul 4 July 1896 28 May 1915 Killed in Action at Josefovo, near Kielmy, Lithuania during World War I
Baron Ralf Erich 28 March 1900 22 July 1947 Married firstly on 11 October 1928 to Marie Seitz, had issue:
  • Karin Baroness von Saalfeld (30 January 1927 – 16 September 1944)
  • Hermann Ernst Baron von Saalfeld (b. 27 June 1928), married Monika Deinhardt (b. 17 April 1933) on 4 August 1956, had issue:
    • Katharina Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 23 April 1959)
    • Franz Georg Baron von Saalfeld (b. 4 October 1961)
    • Peter Alexander Baron von Saalfeld (b. 14 July 1963)

Married secondly on 16 August 1936 to Melanie of Bismarck, had issue:

  • Christian Wilhelm Baron von Saalfeld (b. 16 July 1937), married Claudia Reichhold (b. 23 January 1942) on 8 November 1969, had issue:
    • Olivia Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 30 March 1972)
    • Cornelia Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 30 May 1975)
  • Klaus Baron von Saalfeld (b. 5 May 1939), married Helene Pejskova (b. 20 December 1939) on 3 August 1973, no issue.
  • Bettina Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 27 November 1942)
  • Ulrike Karin Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 24 September 1946)
Baron Sven Hans Heinrich Bernhard 18 September 1903 13 December 1998 Married on 20 March 1936 (divorced 1952) Elisabeth Faust, had issue:
  • Maleen Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 21 May 1937), married firstly Istvan Babotai on 26 July 1961, no issue; married secondly Hans Wolfgang Müller (16/17 August 1907 – February 1991), had issue:
    • Enzio Müller (b. 27 June 1969)
    • Clea Müller (b. 9 August 1973), married Andreas Herbert Albrecht Winkelbach (b. 20 December 1976) on 7 February 2007, had issue:
      • Sara Marie Ernestine Winkelbach (b. 12 April 2008)
  • Inka Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 8 July 1939), married Dieter Goder (b. 15 Mar 1938) on 14 August 1964, had issue:
    • Janka Goder (b. 3 July 1967)
  • Heike Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 8 June 1941), married Axel Varekamp (b. 21 January 1937) on 25 August 1962, had issue (three daughters):
    • Maj Varekamp (b. 21 July 1963)
    • Nanon Varekamp (b. 5 July 1965)
    • Lisenka Varekamp (b. 16 April 1967)
  • Lerke Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 25 September 1944), married Volkmar von Braunbehrens (b. 22 March 1941) on 25 March 1968; no issue.
  • Sven Baron von Saalfeld (b. 24 January 1946), married Catherine Eisenbraun (b. 26 September 1947) on 14 June 1969 (divorced 1973), had issue:
    • Nathalie Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 22 July 1970)
Baron Heinrich (Enzio) 17 July 1908 31 March 1941 Married on 28 February 1936 to Rut Viererbe and had issue:
  • Jörg Baron von Saalfeld (b. 17 January 1937), twin to Jens Baron von Saalfeld, married firstly Heidi Schmidt-Steinworth on 13 August 1966 in San José, Costa Rica, divorced in 1973; no issue. Married secondly Hilda Lauenstein (b. 6 April 1953) in April 1976; no issue.
  • Jens Baron von Saalfeld (b. 17 January 1937), twin to Jörg Baron von Saalfeld, married Kathryn Kostka on 7 March 1975 in San José, Costa Rica; no issue.
  • Jay Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 9 June 1938), married Hans Hermann Schmidt-Steinworth (b. 18 June 1942) on 7 March 1966 in Barcelona, Spain; no issue.
  • Jan Baron von Saalfeld (b. 11 Nov 1941), married Clara Bansbach (b. 10 April 1942) on 7 December 1967, had issue:
    • Silke Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 7 September 1968 in San José, Costa Rica)
    • Enzio Baron von Saalfeld (b. 11 September 1969 in San José, Costa Rica)
    • Karin Baroness von Saalfeld (b. 17 December 1971 in San José, Costa Rica)

Killed in action flying over England in World War II

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ "Ill Fortune of Half Royal Sons", The Washington Post, 20 April 1908
  2. ↑ "Whims of Young William; Zedlitz Sacrificed to Prove the Emperor a Liberal". The New York Times. 20 March 1892. p. 1.

External links

Ernst, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 27 September 1859 Died: 29 December 1941
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Bernhard III		 — TITULAR —
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
16 January 1928 – 29 December 1941
Reason for succession failure:
Duchy abolished in 1918		 Succeeded by
Georg
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