Bernhard II, Duke Of Saxe-Jena
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Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena (
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, 14 October 1638 –
Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
, 3 May 1678), was duke of Saxe-Jena. He was the seventh child but fourth surviving son of
Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (Altenburg, 11 April 1598 – Weimar, 17 May 1662), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. Wilhelm was the fifth (but third surviving) son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. He was brother to Bernard of ...
and Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau. Bernhard attended the University of Jena from February 1654 until November 1657. Subsequently, he was pulled into political affairs when his father sent him to Paris in order to strengthen the relations of Ernestine line with the King
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, hopefully through a marriage. The French king, however, made him wait eighteen months for an audience. The stay in France finally led to his marriage to Marie Charlotte de la Trémoille, daughter of Henri de La Trémoille and Marie de La Tour d'Auvergne. Her family were residents of the French
court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
where they bore the rank of '' princes étrangers''. The wedding took place in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 10 June 1662. Shortly after, the couple moved to
Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
, where their five children were born: #Wilhelm (b. Jena, 24 July 1664 – d. Jena, 21 June 1666). #Stillborn daughter (Jena, 7 April 1666). #Bernhard (b. Jena, 9 November 1667 – d. Jena, 26 April 1668). # Charlotte Marie (b. Jena, 20 December 1669 – d. Gräfentonna, 6 January 1703), married on 2 November 1683 to Wilhelm Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Weimar; they divorced in 1690. # Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Jena (b. Jena, 28 March 1675 – d. Jena, 4 November 1690). In 1662 Bernhard and his brothers divided the paternal inheritance, and he received Jena. The marriage of Bernhard and Marie Charlotte was totally unhappy, and, as they were seemingly irreconcilable, the duke had decided to marry one of the ladies of his court, Marie Elisabeth of Kospoth. He solemnly promised that he would divorce his wife and marry her, and she ceded to his advances. They had one daughter: #Emilie Eleonore of Kospoth (b. Schloss Dornburg, 20 September 1672 – d. Merseburg, 3 May 1709), ''Countess of Altstädt'' since 1676; married in 1692 to Otto Wilhelm of Tümpling. Meanwhile, Bernhard's efforts to have his marriage annulled were unsuccessful, as no theologian or jurist could give him
grounds for divorce Grounds for divorce are regulations specifying the circumstances under which a person will be granted a divorce. Adultery is the most common grounds for divorce. However, there are countries that view male adultery differently than female adulter ...
; and he appeared to reconcile himself with Marie Charlotte. Nevertheless, on 20 October 1672 he promised in writing to his mistress that he would never forget her, but would care and protect her as if she were his true wife, and giving her the style of "Lady of Alstädt" and an annual rent of 1000 Taler. Then, in 1674, they were married by a former Jesuit priest named Andreas Wigand, converted to Lutheranism in 1671. Thus, Bernhard became one of the few cases of
bigamy In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mar ...
among princes. The contract declared the children to be legitimate and noble, until such time as an Imperial Act could bring them to a higher rank. She was given as ''Morgengabe'' a sum of 20,000 Taler and assigned the Schloss Dornburg as her residence. She was obliged to keep the marriage secret until the death of the duke's first wife; should she reveal it, the duke would cease to be bound by the contract. On 8 November 1676 Marie Elisabeth was raised by the Emperor to the rank of an Imperial Countess (''Reichgräfin''), along with her daughter, and any other legitimate children of hers, with the title of Countess of Altstädt (''Gräfin von Altstädt'') and the style of "''hoch- und wohlgebohrne''". When Bernhard died, at the age of 39, was succeeded by his only surviving son Johann Wilhelm, born of his first wife after their reconciliation in 1675. Marie Elisabeth obtained her ''Morgengabe'', not without some difficulty. She survived her "husband" thirty-eight years.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernhard 02 Of Saxe-Jena, Duke 1638 births 1678 deaths House of Wettin Nobility from Weimar Dukes of Saxe-Jena