Princess Caroline Elizabeth Ida Reuss of Greiz (13 July 1884 – 17 January 1905) was the first wife of
Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
.
Biography
Early life
Caroline was a daughter of
Heinrich XXII, the reigning
Prince Reuss of Greiz
The Principality of Reuss-Greiz (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz), called the Principality of the Reuss Elder Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß älterer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of ...
by his wife
Princess Ida
''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...
, daughter of
Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolphus I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (''Adolf Georg''; 1 August 1817 – 8 May 1893) was a ruler of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Biography
He was born in Bückeburg to Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Ida of Wal ...
and
Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont (29 September 1827 – 16 February 1910) was a German princess. She was the second daughter of George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. She wa ...
, aunt of
Queen Emma of the Netherlands. Her mother died in 1891, and her father died in 1902. She had only one surviving brother,
Prince Heinrich XXIV Reuss of Greiz, who was incapable of governing because of the physical and mental ailments that resulted from a childhood accident. Power passed to their cousin
Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line (german: Heinrich XIV Fürst Reuß jüngere Linie; 28 May 183229 March 1913) was Prince Reuss Younger Line from 1867 to 1913.
Early life
Heinrich XIV was born at Coburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, sixth child o ...
as a result once their father died. Her younger sister
Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz
Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz (german: Hermine, Prinzessin Reuß zu Greiz;Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, pp. 248-249,302. "Almanach de Gotha", ''Russie'', (Gotha: Justus ...
would later marry
Emperor Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...
as his second wife.
Marriage
The betrothal of Princess Caroline and
Wilhelm Ernst
Wilhelm Ernst (25 August 1905, in Gelsenkirchen – 23 July 1952, in Gelsenkirchen) was a German chess master.
Biography
He was a winner at Weidenau 1937. He played several times in German Chess Championship; took second, behind Kurt Richter, at ...
, the reigning Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach since 1901, was announced on 10 December 1902.
At
Buckeburg Castle (the home of her uncle), they married on 30 April 1903.
Caroline was reportedly very against the match; at the last second of the wedding, she attempted to draw back, only to be persuaded most forcibly by
Emperor Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...
and
Empress Augusta Viktoria to proceed with the marriage.
[ ] Caroline wore a dress of white satin trimmed with lace; her cousins
Prince George of Schaumburg-Lippe and
Prince Heinrich XIV of Reuss zu Schleiz, as well as William Ernest's mother
Dowager Hereditary Grand Duchess Pauline attended the wedding.
[ His cousin ]Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands
The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the ...
and her consort Prince Hendrik also came to the wedding.
Life at the Weimar court
The marriage was unhappy, as Caroline found the rigid Weimar court etiquette intolerable. The court was generally considered to be one of the most stifling and etiquette-driven in Germany.[ One source recounted:]
"It envelops royalty there in a species of captivity, and while the grand duke lends thereto and is too conservative to admit of any change, it crushes with its trammels the more spirited members of the family".[
]
Her husband was described as:
"One of the wealthiest sovereigns in Europe; stolid, well-behaved, imbued with great pride of race, and a strict sense of what is due to the anointed of the Lord. He is also one of the most severely respected and proper of German rulers...the Grand Duke is very dull, and his court and environment reflect his character in this respect to such a point that Weimar has become the dreariest capital in Europe".[
]
Caroline caused a scandal by seeking refuge in Switzerland; her husband followed soon after, as it was made understood that she had not fled the marriage but instead had simply sought to be away from her entourage in Weimar.[ ] She was eventually induced to return, but soon lost health and lapsed into melancholia
Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly dep ...
. She died eighteen months after their marriage, on 17 January 1905, under mysterious circumstances.[ The official cause of death was pneumonia following influenza; other sources however have suggested suicide.][ The couple had no children together. She was the last member of the House of Saxe-Weimar to be buried in the '']Weimarer Fürstengruft
The Klassik Stiftung Weimar (''Classical Foundation Weimar'') is one of the largest and most significant cultural institutions in Germany. It owns more than 20 museums, palaces, historic houses and parks, as well as literary and art collections, ...
'', the royal family's crypt. William Ernest later remarried to Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
, spouse =
, house = Wettin
, father = Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
, mother = Princess Charlotte of Prussia
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Potsdam, German Empire
, death_date =
, death_place = Hirschberg, Silesia, Provisional Gover ...
.
Honours
* : Dame Grand Cross of the White Falcon, in Diamonds[''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1904), "Genealogie", p]
2
/ref>
* : Dame of the Order of Louise
The Order of Louise (German: ''Luisen-Orden'') was founded on 3 August 1814 by Frederick William III of Prussia to honor his late wife, the much beloved Queen Louise (''née Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie, Herzogin zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz''). T ...
, 1st Class
Ancestry
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caroline Reuss Of Greiz, Princess
1884 births
1905 deaths
House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Grand Duchesses of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princesses of Reuss
Daughters of monarchs