Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Encyclopedia
Karl Alexander August Johann, Grand Duke of Saxony; 24 June 1818 – 5 January 1901) was the ruler of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
from 1853 until his death.
, he 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
who became a close acquaintance to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
.
When he was the Hereditary Grand Duke, Karl Alexander established a strong friendship with Fanny Lewald
and Hans Christian Andersen
, but this close relationship stopped in 1849 for the war against Denmark over the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein
(the First German-Danish War). On 8 July 1853 his father died, and Karl Alexander became Grand Duke; but he stopped his constitutional accession until the Goethe's birthday, on 28 August 1853.
The Danish
author and poet Hans Christian Andersen
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".
Karl Alexander renovated Wartburg Castle
, and left his traces in many places in Eisenach. He was the protector of Richard Wagner
and Franz Liszt
, 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 Herders monuments, how/as country, and the double monument for Goethe and Schiller. In 1860, he founded the Art School of Weimar (with Arnold Böcklin
, Franz of Lenbach and the plastic artist Reinhold Begas
. As Grand Duke he was automatically Rektor, president of Jena University where he supported especially the collections among them prominently the Oriental Coin Cabinet
.
In the Franco-Prussian War
(1870–1871), Karl Alexander participated only in "Samaritan"; stressed, however, for his war entrance in favor of Schleswig in 1849.
Near the end of his reign was the Weimar Congress of the Goethe Federation (also called Lex Heinze) in November 1900. This event described his government as the Silver Age of Weimar.
He was the 1,045th Knight
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
in Spain
, and was created the 71st Grand Cross
of the Order of the Tower and Sword
in 1854.
He died at Weimar
in 1901. Following his death, he was succeeded as Grand Duke by his grandson Wilhelm Ernst, his only son Carl August having predeceased him.
, on 8 October 1842, Karl Alexander married with his first cousin, Princess Sophie of the Netherlands
, daughter of William II
and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, sister of his mother. They had four children:
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was created in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach. It was raised to a Grand duchy in 1815 by resolution of the Vienna Congress. In 1877, it officially changed its name to the Grand Duchy of Saxony , but this name was...
from 1853 until his death.
Biography
Born in WeimarWeimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, he was the second but eldest surviving son of Karl Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Charles Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.-Biography:Born in Weimar, he was the eldest son of Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Luise Auguste of Hesse-Darmstadt.Charles Frederick succeeded his famous father as Grand Duke...
and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
Maria Pavlovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the third daughter of Paul I of Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She was the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by her marriage to Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.-Life:...
. His mother engaged as tutor for Karl the Swiss scholar Frédéric Soret
Frédéric Soret
Frédéric Soret, , Swiss private scholar in physics and Oriental numismatics.- Biography :...
who became a close acquaintance to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
.
When he was the Hereditary Grand Duke, Karl Alexander established a strong friendship with Fanny Lewald
Fanny Lewald
Fanny Lewald was a German Jewish author-Biography:She was born at Königsberg in East Prussia. When seventeen years of age she accepted Christianity. She traveled in the German Confederation, France and Italy...
and Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, but this close relationship stopped in 1849 for the war against Denmark over the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
(the First German-Danish War). On 8 July 1853 his father died, and Karl Alexander became Grand Duke; but he stopped his constitutional accession until the Goethe's birthday, on 28 August 1853.
The Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
author and poet Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
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".
Karl Alexander renovated Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...
, and left his traces in many places in Eisenach. He was the protector of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, 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 Herders monuments, how/as country, and the double monument for Goethe and Schiller. In 1860, he founded the Art School of Weimar (with Arnold Böcklin
Arnold Böcklin
Arnold Böcklin was a Swiss symbolist painter.-Life and art:He was born at Basel. His father, Christian Frederick Böcklin , was descended from an old family of Schaffhausen, and engaged in the silk trade. His mother, Ursula Lippe, was a native of the same city...
, Franz of Lenbach and the plastic artist Reinhold Begas
Reinhold Begas
Reinhold Begas was a German sculptor.Begas was born in Berlin, son of the painter Karl Begas. He received his early education studying under Christian Daniel Rauch and Ludwig Wilhelm Wichmann...
. As Grand Duke he was automatically Rektor, president of Jena University where he supported especially the collections among them prominently the Oriental Coin Cabinet
Oriental Coin Cabinet Jena
Oriental Coin Cabinet Jena is a collection of oriental coins at Jena University, in Jena, Germany, founded in 1840.- History :In 1840, Johann Gustav Stickel, Professor for Oriental languages at Jena University, succeeded in convincing the Grandduke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach to acquire a collection...
.
In the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
(1870–1871), Karl Alexander participated only in "Samaritan"; stressed, however, for his war entrance in favor of Schleswig in 1849.
Near the end of his reign was the Weimar Congress of the Goethe Federation (also called Lex Heinze) in November 1900. This event described his government as the Silver Age of Weimar.
He was the 1,045th Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and was created the 71st Grand Cross
Grand Cross
The phrase Grand Cross is used to denote the highest grade in many orders of knighthood. Sometimes the holders of the highest grade are referred to "knights grand cross" or just "grand crosses"; in other cases the actual insignia itself is called "the grand cross".Alternatively, in some other...
of the Order of the Tower and Sword
Order of the Tower and Sword
The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is a Portuguese order of knighthood and the pinnacle of the Portuguese honours system. It was created by King Afonso V in 1459....
in 1854.
He died at Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
in 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
At Kneuterdijk Palace in The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, on 8 October 1842, Karl Alexander married with his first cousin, Princess Sophie of the Netherlands
Princess Sophie of the Netherlands
Princess Sophie of the Netherlands was the only daughter of King William II of the Netherlands and of his wife Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia...
, daughter of William II
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, 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. TrebschenTrzebiechów, Zielona Góra CountyTrzebiechów is a village in Zielona Góra County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Trzebiechów. It lies approximately north-east of Zielona Góra...
, 6 May 1922), known as Marie; married on 6 February 1876 to Prince Heinrich VII Reuss. - 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 LuisePrincess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachPrincess Elisabeth Sybille of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the first wife of Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg, Regent of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of the Duchy of Brunswick.She was the daughter of Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of...
(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.