Ellen Franz (30 May 1839 – 24 March 1923) was a German pianist and actress.

Biography

Early life

She was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. According to

Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (22 April 1819 – 19 April 1892) was a German author. Biography Bodenstedt was born at Peine, in the Kingdom of Hanover. He was trained as a merchant in Braunschweig and studied in Göttingen, Munich and Berlin. ...

, Ellen Franz made her first appearance in the ''Hoftheater'' of Meiningen in 1867.

Marriage

On 18 March 1873 she married, as his third wife,

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (2 April 1826 – 25 June 1914), was the penultimate Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1866 to 1914. For his support for his successful court theatre he was also known as the ''Theaterherzog'' (theatre duk ...

, in the Villa Feodora in Bad Liebenstein. Because of her '' bourgeois'' origin, the Duke ennobled her shortly before their marriage, as

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

von Heldburg, the title by which she was henceforth known. This

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

annoyed the German Emperor

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

so much that because of his aversion towards Helene he decided not to visit the Schloss Altenstein after the reconstruction undertaken by Georg II and completed in 1889. Ellen Franz - Parkfriedhof Meiningen

Development of Meiningen Theatre

The Duke and she, together with the Director

Ludwig Chronegk Ludwig Chronegk (3 November 1837, Brandenburg an der Havel – 8 July 1891, Meiningen) was a German actor and director. He headed the Meiningen Ensemble and reformed theatre direction principles. Life Chronegk came from a mercantile family and ...

, established the "Meiningen Principles" (''Meininger Prinzipien''), a profound reform in theatrical practice, and created what would become the world-famous

Meiningen Ensemble The Meiningen Ensemble, also known as the Meiningen Company, was the court theatre of the German state of Saxe-Meiningen, led by George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Its principal director was Ludwig Chronegk. The Ensemble was a great influence on ...

(''Meininger Hoftheater''). Helene also implemented major changes in the dramaturgy, as well as being responsible for commitment and cast decisions and the education of young students. Her husband Georg II together with Chronegk undertook the direction, and decided on the appropriate scenery and costumes. After the death of her husband in 1914, Helene retired to her country seat, the Veste Heldburg. From 1918 she lived in the palace " Helenenstift", her widow's residence built in 1891/92. She died in the year 1923, aged eighty-three, in Meiningen. She was buried near the Duke Georg II in a common grave arrangement in the Meininger Park Churchyard (Meininger Parkfriedhof).

Bibliography

* Ludwig Eisenberg: ''Großes biographisches Lexikon der Deutschen Bühne im XIX. Jahrhundert''. edited by Paul List, Leipzig 1903,
online
* Eva Hoffmann-Aleith: ''Ellen Franz'',

Evangelische Verlagsanstalt The Evangelische Verlagsanstalt (EVA) is a denominational media company founded in Berlin in 1946. Its shareholders are the and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony. The managing director is Sebastian Knöfel. Book publisher The range inc ...

Berlin, 1989, * * Kuratorium Meiningen (ed): ''Lexikon zur Stadtgeschichte Meiningen.'' Bielsteinverlag, Meiningen 2008, . * Norbert Klaus Fuchs: Das Heldburger Land–ein historischer Reiseführer; ed. Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2013,

External links

* * 1839 births 1923 deaths House of Saxe-Meiningen Morganatic spouses of German royalty Actresses from Berlin 19th-century German actresses German stage actresses {{Germany-duchess-stub