Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1888–1913)

For other people named Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, see Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (disambiguation).
Princess Sophie
Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Born (1888-07-25)25 July 1888
Düsseldorf
Died 18 September 1913(1913-09-18) (aged 25)
Heidelberg
Burial Weimar Royal Vault, Weimar, Germany
Full name
German: Sophie Augustine Ida Karoline Pauline Agnes Elisabeth Ernestine[1]
House House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Father Prince William of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Mother Princess Gerta of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach

Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (25 July 1888 - 18 September 1913) was a great-granddaughter of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who was a younger brother of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.[1]

Her life ended in scandal after she committed suicide in apparent reaction to her family's refusal to allow her to marry Hans von Bleichröder, the son of a local banker. Reports speculating about their relationship and her later death were widespread in German and foreign newspapers. Sophie is believed to be the first European royal woman cremated.

Family and early life

Sophie was born in Düsseldorf as the only daughter of Prince William of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Princess Gerta of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach.[1] She was a great great granddaughter of Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as a great granddaughter of William I of Württemberg. On her mother's side, Sophie was a great granddaughter of Frederick William, Elector of Hesse's morganatic marriage to Gertrude Falkenstein, Princess of Hanau.

Due to her parents' lack of wealth, Sophie was brought up at Heidelberg, where they had settled for economy's sake; their family was mainly supported by gifts from the Weimar court.[2][3] There she led the existence of a private lady of rank, and was able to travel with much more freedom than would have been possible at the Weimar court.[2] Sophie was very popular in the city, especially among aristocratic students from the local university.[3] She used to frequent the houses of notable people in the town; it was there that she met Hans von Bleichroeder, a rising lawyer and the son of a powerful banker.[2][4] In addition, she and her parents were much beloved in Heidelberg for the interest they took in the poor and the general public welfare, in spite of their lack of wealth.[5]

Her home life was said to be unhappy, as her elder brother Prince Hermann's affairs weighed heavily on her spirits.[3] Just a few years previously, Hermann had lost his title and style, becoming known as Count Ostheim, after a long period of angering his family through extensive spending and later entering into a morganatic marriage with an actress.[5]

Sophie was described as "a great beauty, and much admired in Court society for her charming ways".[6] She was said to be an excellent musician, with the ability to play several instruments.[3] She was also an accomplished and enthusiastic sportswoman, and was said to be an excellent shot.[3]

Suicide

Background

In early 1913, rumors emerged that Sophie wished to marry Hans von Bleichröder.[7] Several other sources, such as Catherine Radziwill, tell a different account, stating that he was just an "intermediary", and that Sophie actually wished to marry someone else in the town.[8][9] Most other reports list von Bleichröder as the man she wished to marry however. Though they were not equal in birth, newspapers reported that they were engaged regardless.[7] In June 1913, Sophie applied to Emperor Wilhelm II's court for permission to wed.[4] As it was assumed that Wilhelm, a great opponent of morganatic marriages, would most likely refuse, she openly declared that while she would prefer to marry with the Emperor's consent, she would eventually marry even without it.[4]

Shortly after this event however, an official announcement was speedily issued by the Weimar royal court that allegations of their engagement were "groundless".[7] Another rumor has it that William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the head of the family, would have consented to the marriage if Sophie were to relinquish her title, but she would not agree to this.[6][7] Another report states her father considered allowing the marriage until the Grand Duke threatened to cut off his already meager allowance.[5][6] Von Bleichröder's religion (Judaism) also played a role in their decision.[4][6]

Other possible causes

In addition to the family's refusal to consent to the marriage, there was another event that may have led to her suicide. A month earlier, Sophie traveled to France with her mother, Princess Gerda, and von Bleichröder.[10] Enjoying taking long drives to the countryside, on one night while driving at high speed, their vehicle hit a little peasant girl and mortally injured her.[6] The following day, von Bleichröder visited the girl's house and paid them $3000 in compensation.[6][10] The chauffeur was originally charged with hitting the girl, but was acquitted in a later trial after it was revealed that Sophie had been behind the wheel.[6] Rumors circulated throughout Weimar even before her guilt became known in the trial, though her family attempted to keep the affair secret.[10] The stress of the affair may have been instrumental in her later suicide.[6][10]

Event and newspaper reports

At her father's house in Heidelberg on 18 September 1913, Sophie retired to her room "apparently in her usual spirits".[6] A gunshot was heard shortly after midnight, and a servant found her with a gunshot through her forehead.[1][5][6][7][7] Her death was at first announced to be the result of "paralysis of the heart".[7] In reality, Sophie committed suicide, a fact that was eagerly picked up in German and foreign newspapers once new details emerged.[11] The suicide was generally attributed to the opposition she had encountered at home.[11]

Several days after her death, her father released a statement:

"Baron Hans von Bleichröder, like all acquaintances of the House of Saxe-Weimar, had a farewell view of the departed, but he was expressly forbidden to take part in the funeral or to attend the cremation. As for the stories set in circulation in regards to a marriage between Princess Sophie and Baron von Bleichröder, there needs to be repeated the oft-spoken statement of her father, that all the money in the world would never have sufficed to bridge the gulf between a Princess of Saxe-Weimar and Baron von Bleichroeder".[6]

Remains and funeral

Sophie's body was cremated in 1913 in Heidelberg, and her remains were interred in the royal family's vault in Weimar.[3][12] Sophie is believed to be the first European royal woman to be cremated; another relative of hers was the first European royal man to have his body thus disposed of.[3][12] Her funeral was attended by only a small number of persons, most of whom were representatives of princely houses.[13] As stated in her father's statement, von Bleichröder was not allowed to attend the funeral.[13]

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Sophie Augustine Prinzessin von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach". Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Radziwill, Catherine (1920). Secrets of Dethroned Royalty. New York: John Lane Company. p. 217. ISBN 1-112-55968-X.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Princess To Be Cremated", The New York Times (Berlin), 20 September 1913
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Has A Will Of Her Own", The Washington Post (Berlin), 14 June 1913
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Princess A Suicide", The Washington Post (Heidelberg, Germany), 19 September 1913
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Eilers Koenig, Marlene. "Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar". Royal Musings. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Princess A Suicide; Loved A Commoner", The New York Times (Berlin), 19 September 1913
  8. ↑ Radziwill, p. 218.
  9. ↑ "Princess Loved Officer", The New York Times (Berlin), 25 September 1913
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Princess Feared Scandal?", The New York Times (Paris), 5 October 1913
  11. 1 2 Radziwill, p. 219.
  12. 1 2 Fontenoy, Marquise de (24 September 1913), "Royal Tomb Holds Strange Device", The Washington Post
  13. 1 2 "Grief At Princess's Bier", The New York Times (Heidelberg), 21 September 1913

External links

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