William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
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Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Frederick Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (10 June 1876 - 24 April 1923) was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
[edit] Biography
He was born in Weimar, the eldest son of Karl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the Hereditary Grand Duke, and his wife Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
He succeeded his grandfather Karl Alexander as Grand Duke on the 5 January 1901 as his father had predeceased him.
Wilhelm Ernst created the new Weimar state with the direction of Hans Olde, Henry van de Velde and Adolf Brütt. Also, he renewed the University of Jena by Theodor Fischer from Munich as well as that Weimar theatres.
In the course of the construccion of the monument setting for Karl Alexander by Adolf Brütt the old part of the town was distinguished altogether by a protection regulation from the development area of the new Weimar and the art nouveau. The statue, in marble, was finished in 1911.
According to the Dutch Constitution Wilhelm Ernst was in line on the succession of the throne of the Netherlands (he was the grandson of Sophie of the the Netherlands) after the Queen Wilhelmina. The Dutch people beginning 20th had century with fear, for the possibility of the German influence or annexation of the Netherlands.
In order to prevent this, some lawyers tried to change the Constitution for excluded Wilhem Ernst of the succession of the throne of the Netherlands. Other way, however, was this: he or its offspring -if Wilhelmina died childless- would have choose between Dutch and the Weimar throne. Birth of Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana in 1909 made chance by any member of house Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach smaller and with the amendment to the constitution of 1922 -according to which the right to succession was restricted to the offspring of Wilhelmina- disappeared entirely.
In 9 November 1918 Wilhelm Ernst -along with the rest of the German monarchs following the defeat of Germany in World War I- was forced to abdicated to his throne and all his lands and fled with his family to the exile in Silesia, when he died four years later.
Despite all his work for Weimar during his government, Wilhelm Ernst was a hated ruler. This was for his private life, when he was known to be a sadist; the day of his abdication, he was called the "most unpopular prince in all Germany".
He died in Heinrichau, Silesia.
[edit] Family and children
In Bückeburg on 30 April 1903 Wilhelm Ernst married firstly with Karoline Reuss of Greiz. This marriage was childless and ended in 1905 with the death of Karoline under mysterious circumstances.
In Meiningen on 21 January 1910, Wilhelm Ernst married secondly with Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, granddaughter of the Duke Georg II. They had four children:
- Sophie Luise Adelheid Marie Olga Carola (b. Weimar, 20 March 1911 - d. Hamburg, 21 November 1988), married on 7 March 1938 to Prince Frederick Günther of Schwarzburg; they divorced only eight months later, on 1 November 1938.
- Karl August Wilhelm Ernst Friedrich Georg Johann Albrecht, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. Schloss Wilhelmsthal, 28 July 1912 - d. Schienen am Bodensee, 14 October 1988).
- Bernhard Friedrich Viktor Rupprecht Adalbert Ernst Ludwig Hermann Heinrich (b. Weimar, 3 March 1917 - d. Wiesbaden, 23 March 1986).
- Georg Wilhelm Albert Bernhard (b. Heinrichau, Silesia, 24 November 1921).
| Preceded by Karl Alexander |
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1901-1918 |
Grand Duchy abolished |
| Head of the Grand Ducal of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1901-1923 |
Succeeded by Hereditary Grand Duke Karl August |
