Charles Alexander (Karl Alexander August Johann; 24 June 1818 – 5 January 1901) was the ruler of

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach () was a 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 to a grand duchy in 1815 by resolutio ...

as its grand duke from 1853 until his death.

Biography

Born in

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 ...

, Karl Alexander was the second but eldest surviving son of Karl Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. His mother engaged as tutor for Karl the Swiss scholar

Frédéric Soret Frédéric Soret (12 May 1795 in Saint Petersburg – 18 December 1865 at Plainpalais in Geneva) was a Swiss private scholar in physics and Oriental numismatics. Biography The Soret family originates from Geneva. Frédéric Soret was born ...

who became a close acquaintance to

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

. When he was the Hereditary Grand Duke, Karl Alexander established a strong friendship with Fanny Lewald and

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

, but this close relationship stopped in 1849 for the war against Denmark over the duchies of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

(the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

). On 8 July 1853 his father died, and Karl Alexander became Grand Duke; however, he postponed his constitutional accession until Goethe's birthday, on 28 August 1853. The Danish author and poet

was reportedly infatuated with Karl Alexander, writing

"''I quite love the young duke, he is the first of all princes that I really find attractive''".

Andersen and Karl Alexander maintained a relationship for many years and according to Andersen, the relationship was romantic in nature. In 1997, 173 letters between the two spanning 32 years, was published. Karl Alexander renovated

Wartburg Castle The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, th ...

and left his traces in many places in Eisenach. He was the protector of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

and

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, retained the tradition of Weimar's classical period, and gave the old part of Weimar a new and better appearance with the establishment of the Herder monument and the double monument for Goethe and Schiller. In 1860, he founded the Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar (with

Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin (16 October 182716 January 1901) was a Swiss Symbolism (arts), Symbolist Painting, painter. His five versions of the ''Isle of the Dead (painting), Isle of the Dead'' inspired works by several late-Romantic composers. Biography ...

Franz von Lenbach Franz Seraph Lenbach, after 1882, Ritter von Lenbach (13 December 1836 – 6 May 1904), was a German painter known primarily for his portraits of prominent personalities from the nobility, the arts, and industry. Because of his standing in society ...

, and the plastic artist

Reinhold Begas Reinhold Begas (15 July 1831 – 3 August 1911) was a German sculptor. Biography Begas was born in Berlin, son of the painter Carl Joseph Begas. He received his early education (1846–1851) studying under Christian Daniel Rauch and Ludwig Wi ...

). As Grand Duke he was automatically rector, or president, of the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

, where he supported especially the collections, among them prominently the Oriental Coin Cabinet. In the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

(1870–1871), Karl Alexander participated only in "''Samaritan''"; he stressed, however, for his entrance into the war in favor of Schleswig in 1849. The Weimar Congress of the

Goethe Federation The General German Goethe Federation (''Allgemeine Deutsche Goethe-Bund''), or Goethe Federation for short, was a league created in March 1900 to counter the censorship attempts of the Lex Heinze by gathering all intellectual and artistic forces ...

(opposing the Lex Heinze) occurred towards the end of his reign, in November 1900. That congress described his government as the ''Silver Age of Weimar''. In late December 1900, Karl Alexander reportedly fell ill with

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. His condition soon worsened, becoming complicated with inflammation of the lungs and a slowing heart rate before the end of the month. He died at

on 5 January 1901. Following his death, he was succeeded as Grand Duke by his grandson Wilhelm Ernst, his only son Carl August having predeceased him.

Family and children

Kneuterdijk Palace Kneuterdijk Palace ( ) is a former royal palace of the Netherlands located in The Hague, nowadays the seat of the Council of State (Netherlands), Council of State. Built in 1716 in the Louis XIV style by architect Daniel Marot, it was commissione ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, on 8 October 1842, Karl Alexander married his first cousin,

Princess Sophie of the Netherlands Princess Sophie of the Netherlands (Wilhelmine Marie Sophie Louise; 8 April 1824 – 23 March 1897) was the only daughter and last surviving child of King William II of the Netherlands and of his wife Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia ...

, daughter of William II and

Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia Anna Pavlovna of Russia ( ; ; – 1 March 1865) was List of Dutch royal consorts, Queen of the Netherlands by marriage to King William II of the Netherlands. She was a Russian patriot who upheld a strict royal etiquette in the Netherlands, wh ...

, sister of his mother. They had four children: # Karl August Wilhelm Nicolaus Alexander Michael Bernhard Heinrich Frederick Stefan, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. Weimar, 31 July 1844 – d. Cap Martin, France, 20 November 1894). # Marie Anna Alexandrine Sophie Auguste Helene (b. Weimar, 20 January 1849 – d. Trebschen, 6 May 1922), known as ''Marie''; married on 6 February 1876 to Prince Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz. #Maria Anna Sophia Elisabeth Bernhardine Ida Auguste Helene (b. Weimar, 29 March 1851 – d. Weimar, 26 April 1859), known as ''Anna''. #Elisabeth Sibylle Maria Dorothea Anna Amalie Luise (b. Weimar, 28 February 1854 – d. Wiligrad, 10 July 1908), known as ''Elisabeth''; married on 6 November 1886 to

Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg (; given names ''John Albert Ernest Constantine Frederick Henry''; 8 December 1857 – 16 February 1920) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who served as the regent of two states of the German Empire ...

Honours and awards

He received the following awards:
Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
' (1900), "Genealogie" pp. 1-2Justus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1901
page 84
/ref> ;German honours ;Foreign honours

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Grand Duke 1818 births 1901 deaths People from Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Princes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Hereditary grand dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Nobility from Weimar Grand dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Hans Christian Andersen Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain