Bernhard II (17 December 1800, in
Meiningen
Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021). – 3 December 1882, in Meiningen) was a Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
Family
He was the only son of
Georg I Frederick Karl, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg I Frederick Karl, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (4 February 1761 in Frankfurt – 24 December 1803 in Meiningen), was Duke of Saxe-Meiningen from 1782 to 1803. He was known as a reformer and considered a model prince by many of his peers.
Family
G ...
and
Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (11 August 1763, in Langenburg – 30 April 1837, in Meiningen) was a German regent. She was duchess of Saxe-Meiningen by marriage to George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and Regent of Saxe-Meininge ...
. Bernhard was a younger brother of
Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom and
Ida, Princess Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Bernhard succeeded his father when he was only three years old (1803); because of this, his mother, the Dowager Duchess Luise Eleonore, acted as regent on behalf of her son until he reached adulthood, in 1821.
[
]
Marriage
In Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
on 23 March 1825, Bernhard II married Princess Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kassel
, house = Hesse-Kassel
, father = William II, Elector of Hesse
, mother = Princess Augusta of Prussia
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Kassel
, death_date =
, death_place = Meiningen, Thüringen, Germany
}
Princes ...
(or Hesse-Cassel). They had two children:
On 12 November 1826, after the redistribution of all the family territories after the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg () was a duchy ruled by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in today's Thuringia, Germany. The extinction of the line in 1825 led to a major re-organisation of the Thuringian states.
History
In 1640 the sons of the l ...
, Bernhard II received Hildburghausen
Hildburghausen (IPA adapted from: ) is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen.
Geography
It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra river ...
and Saalfeld
Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the S ...
.
A very kind family man and proud of his House, Bernhard was a thoughtful husband and father, as long as they obeyed him. In the Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
, he made a decision to side with the Habsburgs. When the Habsburgs lost the War, it cost Bernhard the Duchy. On 20 September 1866, Bernhard was forced to abdicate all his territories to his only son, Georg. He spent the rest of his days as a private citizen.
Ancestry
See also
* Altenstein Palace
Schloss Altenstein is a '' schloss'', or palace, upon a rocky hill on the south-western slope of the Thuringian Forest, not far from Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany. It was the summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, and is surrounded ...
References
External links
Bernhard II at ADB
(German)
1800 births
1882 deaths
Monarchs who abdicated
House of Saxe-Meiningen
Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen
People from Meiningen
Princes of Saxe-Meiningen
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Extra Knights Companion of the Garter
{{Germany-duke-stub