George I (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Georg Friedrich Karl; 4 February 1761 – 24 December 1803), was

Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen ( ; ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, located in the southwest of the present-day Germany, German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ern ...

from 21 July 1782 until his death in 1803. He was known as a reformer and considered a model prince by many of his peers.

Family

George was born on 4 February 1761 in Frankfurt as the fourth but second surviving son of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal. His father was 73 years old at the time and died two years later in 1763.

Reign

George succeeded his older and childless brother, Karl Wilhelm in the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen in 1782. He ruled based on the principles of "

enlightened absolutism Enlightened absolutism, also called enlightened despotism, refers to the conduct and policies of European absolute monarchs during the 18th and early 19th centuries who were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, espousing them to enhanc ...

" emphasizing in particular the importance of education. He initiated the building of the Gymnasium later named ''Bernhardinum'' after his son. George I also opened the ducal library to the public, reformed the (Protestant) church practices in his princedom and initiated new social policies. Under a

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, he published philosophical treatises. As a result, many of his fellow princes considered him a model ruler and his duchy as the German state where enlightened absolutism reached its apogee.

Marriage and heir

In Langenburg on 27 November 1782, George married Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. After ten years they began to have children, finally having four: # Adelaide Luise Therese Karoline Amalie (b. Meiningen, 13 August 1792 – d. Bentley Priory, Middlesex, 2 December 1849), married on 11 July 1818 to the Duke of Clarence, later King

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

. # Ida (b. Meiningen, 25 June 1794 – d. Weimar, 4 April 1852), married on 30 May 1816 to Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. #stillborn daughter (Meiningen, 16 October 1796). # Bernhard II Erich Freund, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (b. Meiningen, 17 December 1800 – d. Meiningen, 3 December 1882).

Death

George I died of a fever on 24 December 1803 at Meiningen.

Ancestry

References