William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann, '' en, William Ernest Charles Alexander Frederick Henry Bernard Albert George Herman''; 10 June 1876 – 24 April 1923), was the last Grand Duke of

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (german: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was a historical German state, created as a duchy in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741. It was rais ...

Biography

He was born in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, the eldest son of

Karl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

, heir to the Grand Duke, and his wife

Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Pauline Ida Marie Olga Henriette Katherine; 25 July 1852 – 17 May 1904) was the wife of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Early life She was a daughter of Prince Her ...

. He succeeded his grandfather Karl Alexander as Grand Duke on 5 January 1901, as his father had predeceased him. His heir was a distant cousin,

Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, until his disinheritance in 1909. Hermann's younger brother subsequently served as heir presumptive to the

Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (german: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was a historical German state, created as a duchy in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741. It was raised ...

until the birth of William Ernest's eldest son. Wilhelm Ernst created the new Weimar town centre under the direction of

Hans Olde Johannes Wilhelm (Hans) Olde (27 April 1855, Süderau – 25 October 1917, Kassel) was a German painter and art school administrator. Life He originally planned to follow family tradition and become a farmer but, over his father's strong ob ...

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.'' ...

, and

Adolf Brütt Adolf Brütt (10 May 1855 in Husum – 6 November 1939 in Bad Berka)Husum Tourismus ...

. He also had the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

rebuilt by

Theodor Fischer Theodor Fischer (28 May 1862 – 25 December 1938) was a German architect and teacher. Career Fischer planned public housing projects for the city of Munich beginning in 1893. He was the joint founder and first chairman of the Deutscher Wer ...

and also reconstructed Weimar's theatres. The improvements to the city included a marble statue of his predecessor Charles Alexander, which was completed in 1911. It was placed in a setting designed by Brütt. The placement of the setting was designed to distinguish the "old town" from the newly built area. A preservation law for the "old town" barred it to the "

art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

"-style which was used in the new area.

The Dutch throne

According to the Dutch constitution, Wilhelm Ernst was in the line for the throne of

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(as the grandson of

Princess Sophie of the Netherlands Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

) after

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Dutch feared the possibility of German influence or even annexation of the Netherlands. In order to prevent this, some lawyers tried to change the constitution to exclude Wilhelm Ernst from the succession. Another proposal, however, was this: if Wilhelmina would die childless, then he or his offspring would have to choose between the Dutch and the Weimar throne. The birth of Wilhelmina's daughter

Juliana Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, wh ...

in 1909 lessened the chance for any member of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

(Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach branch) to inherit the Dutch throne. With the amendment to the constitution of 1922, which restricted the right of succession to the offspring of Wilhelmina, the possibility disappeared entirely.

Abdication

On 9 November 1918,

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...

Wilhelm Ernst - along with the rest of the German monarchs following the defeat of Germany in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

- was forced to abdicate. His throne and all his lands were relinquished and he fled with his family to the family estate in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, where he died five years later. Despite all his work for Weimar during his government, Wilhelm Ernst was a hated ruler. This was for his private life, where 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 in Silesia.

Family and children

Bückeburg Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...

on 30 April 1903 Wilhelm Ernst married first to

Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz 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. Biography Early life Caroline was a daughter of Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz, ...

, a daughter of

Prince Heinrich XXII Reuss of Greiz Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz (28 March 1846 – 19 April 1902) was the reigning sovereign of Reuss-Greiz, a small principality of the German states, from 1859 until his death in 1902.Martin (1879), p. 173. Reign Heinrich succeeded as rei ...

. This marriage was childless and ended in 1905 with the death of Caroline under mysterious circumstances. The official cause of death was pneumonia following influenza; other sources have suggested suicide. 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).

on 21 January 1910, Wilhelm Ernst married second 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 ...

, daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meinigen. They had four children:

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1913), "Genealogie
pp. 1
2

Ancestry

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:William Ernest Of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1876 births 1923 deaths Hereditary Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Nobility from Weimar Heirs presumptive to the Dutch throne Princes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Protestant monarchs Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau