Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena

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Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena (b. Weimar, 14 October 1638 - d. Jena, 3 May 1678), was duke of Saxe-Jena.

He was the seventh child but fourth surviving son of Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau.

Bernhard attended the University of Jena from February 1654 until November 1657. Subsequently, he was pulled into the French affairs, when his father planned to marry him with some French noblewomen, in order to strengthen the relations of the Ernestine line with the king, Louis XIV. The French king, however, let him wait eighteen months for an audience. The stay in France finally led to a marrying with the duchess Marie Charlotte de la Trémoille. The wedding took place in Paris on 10 June 1662. Shortly after, the couple moved to Jena, where their five children were born:

Wilhelm (b. Jena, 24 July 1664 - d. Jena, 21 June 1666).
stillborn son (Jena, 7 April 1666).
Bernhard (b. Jena, 9 November 1667 - d. Jena, 26 April 1668).
Charlotte Marie (b. Jena, 20 December 1669 - d. Gräfentonna, 6 January 1703), married on 2 November 1683 to Wilhelm Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Weimar; they divorced in 1690.
Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Jena (b. Jena, 28 March 1675 - d. Jena, 4 November 1690).

In 1672 Bernhard and his brothers divided the paternal inheritance, and he received Jena.

During his last years, he had an affair with Marie Elisabeth of Kospoth, created Countess of Alstädt in 1676; they had one daughter:

Emilie Eleonore of Kospoth (b. Schloss Dornburg, 1674 - d. Merseburg, 1709), legitimized and created Countess of Alstädt in 1676 with his mother; married in 1692 to Otto Wilhelm of Tümpling.