Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Last updated
Michael
Prof. Mildenberger.jpg
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (right)
Head of the House of
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Tenure14 October 1988 – present
Predecessor Hereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus
Heir presumptive Prince Wilhelm Ernst
Born (1946-11-15) 15 November 1946 (age 78)
Bamberg, Germany
SpousesRenate Henkel (div.)
Dagmar Hennings
Issue 1
Names
Michael Benedikt Georg Jobst Carl Alexander Bernhard Claus Friedrich
House Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Father Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Mother Baroness Elisabeth von Wangenheim-Winterstein
Religion Lutheranism

Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach [1] (German : Michael Prinz von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach; born 15 November 1946) is the current head of the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as the most senior agnate of the entire House of Wettin. [2]

Contents

Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Prince Michael was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, the only son of Hereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Baroness Elisabeth von Wangenheim-Winterstein (1912–2010). [3] Among his godparents were Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia imposter, Anna Anderson, who was living with his aunt Princess Luise of Saxe-Meiningen. [4]

When his father died on 14 October 1988, Prince Michael succeeded him as Head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. On 13 February 1991, he inherited the leadership in the House of Saxe-Altenburg,[ citation needed ] as that line became extinct, and since 23 July 2012 he regards the Albertine royal Saxon line to be extinct. [5] However, Prince Michael has also stated that he "[does not] believe in historical carnival" and that "Germany should have done it like Austria long ago and abolished all titles." [6]

In 2004, he withdrew his claim for restitution of numerous properties, archives (partly including those of Schiller and Goethe) as well as priceless artwork in a settlement with the Free State of Thuringia and acquired some forest estates in exchange. [7]

Since Prince Michael has no sons, the current heir to the headship of the grand ducal house is his elder (by age) first cousin, Prince Wilhelm Ernst (b. 10 August 1946), whose only son Prince Georg-Constantin (13 April 1977 – 9 June 2018), a banker who was married but without issue, was killed in a horse riding accident on 9 June 2018 while riding with Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten. [8] Therefore, the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach will most likely become extinct in the male line.

Marriages

Prince Michael married Renate Henkel (b. Heidelberg, 17 September 1947), daughter of industrialist Konrad Henkel and wife Jutta von Hülsen and sister of Christoph Henkel, in a civil ceremony on 9 June 1970 at Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, and religiously on 4 July 1970 at Linnep bei Breitscheid. [3] The marriage was childless and dissolved by divorce at Düsseldorf on 9 March 1974.

He was married secondly to Dagmar Hennings (b. Niederpöcking, Upper Bavaria, 24 June 1948), daughter of Heinrich Hennings and wife Margarethe Schacht, in London on 15 November 1980. They have one daughter.

Ancestry

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Wettin</span> German noble and royal family

The House of Wettin was a dynasty which included Saxon kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its origins can be traced back to the town of Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt. The Wettins gradually rose to power within the Holy Roman Empire. Members of the family became the rulers of several medieval states, starting with the Saxon Eastern March in 1030. Other states they gained were Meissen in 1089, Thuringia in 1263, and Saxony in 1423. These areas cover large parts of Central Germany as a cultural area of Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha</span> Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the son and heir apparent of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He died aged 24 under circumstances still not entirely clear. He was a first cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V of the United Kingdom and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernestine duchies</span> Set of related states in Germany

The Ernestine duchies, also known as the Saxon duchies, were a group of small states whose number varied, which were largely located in the present-day German state of Thuringia and governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach</span> Duke of Saxe-Weimar

Ernst August II Konstantin, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, was the reigning Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen</span> German prince (1861–1914)

Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen, Duke of Saxony was a German soldier and member of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg</span>

Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg, was a member of the ducal house of Saxe-Altenburg. He was the father of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach</span> German grand duke (1818–1901)

Charles Alexander was the ruler of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach as its grand duke from 1853 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1912–1988)</span>

Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, was a German prince and head of the grand ducal house of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach</span> Duke of Saxe-Weimar

Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, was a duke of Saxe-Weimar and, from 1741, of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Francis IV</span> Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1897 to 1918

Frederick Francis IV was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and regent of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He inherited the throne when he was fifteen years old in 1897 and was forced to renounce it in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1844–1894)</span> German grand duke (1844–1894)

Karl August, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a German prince and Hereditary Grand Duke (Erbgroßherzog) of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau</span> Chivalric order in Luxembourg and Netherlands

The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Arnulf of Bavaria</span> German prince and military general (1852–1907)

Prince Arnulf of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a General of Infantry.

Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a member of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was heir to his relative William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until 1909, when he was disinherited of his royal status. From that point onwards, Hermann was commonly referred to with the lesser style, Graf von Ostheim.

Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein was the wife of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and the mother of Prince Michael, current head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1825–1901)</span> German prince and military general (1825–1901)

Hermann George Bernard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Duke of Saxony, and a general in the Württemberger army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleonore Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen</span>

Eleonore Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen was a princess of Anhalt-Köthen by births and by marriage successively Princess of Saxe-Merseburg and Duchess of Saxe-Weimar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Wilhelm of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach</span>

Prince Wilhelm Karl Bernhard Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a member of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House Order of the Wendish Crown</span>

The House Order of the Wendish Crown is a dynastic order that was jointly instituted on 12 May 1864 by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. It is the oldest and most senior order of the House of Mecklenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emil von Schlitz</span> German sculptor

Emil Friedrich Franz Maximilian Graf von Schlitz genannt von Görtz was a German sculptor, Hessian nobleman, cultural policymaker and confidant of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

References

  1. In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained. Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Willis, Daniel A., The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain, Clearfield Company, 2002, pp. 457-458.
  3. 1 2 Montgomery-Massinberd, Hugh (1972). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family . London: Burke's Peerage, Ltd. p.  266. ISBN   0-220-66222-3.
  4. Mundy, Carlos & Stravlo, Marie. The Lost Romanov Icon and the Enigma of Anastasia. Page XXII.
  5. Erbfolgestreit bei den Wettinern
  6. Locke, Stefan (9 April 2014). "Das war's mit dem Adel!". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  7. McLean, Scott; Schmidt, Nadine (30 December 2022). "Germany's ex-royals want their riches back, but past ties to Hitler stand in the way". CNN . Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. "Baron tells how he tried to save life of German prince who died in freak horse riding accident". Telegraph. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 15 November 1946
Titles in pretence
Preceded by TITULAR 
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
14 October 1988 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Grand Duchy abolished in 1918
Incumbent
Heir:
Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Head of the House of Wettin
14 October 1988 – present