Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
Encyclopedia
Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen (Feodora Victoria Auguste Marie Marianne) (19 May 1879 – 26 August 1945) was born at Potsdam
, was the only child of Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife Charlotte of Prussia
(the eldest daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor
and Victoria, Princess Royal
). She was also the first great-grandchild of Queen Victoria
.
(1864–1939) was announced.
At Breslau on 26 September 1898 Feodora married Prince Heinrich. They had no children, a source of great distress for her.
inherited from her maternal great-great-great-grandfather George III of the United Kingdom
, after recent medical tests were carried out on her remains and those of her mother.
, near Hirschberg, Silesia
; the hospital being close to the home she had made with her husband at nearby Schloss Neuhoff List of castles and palaces in Jelenia Góra valley. Tiring of years of illness and dubious treatment - and possibly also as a result of the Potsdam Conference
ceding SW Silesia to Poland - she committed suicide at aged 66 on 26 August 1945.
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, was the only child of Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Charlotte of Prussia , Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen was the second child born to Prince Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Victoria...
(the eldest daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service...
and Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
). She was also the first great-grandchild of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
Upbringing
She was regularly neglected by her mother, Charlotte, and often looked after by her grandmother, Empress Frederick. When Charlotte was present, she often referred to her young daughter as "stupid"; something that greatly upset her grandmother, the Dowager Empress. The latter once wrote to her own mother, Queen Victoria, expressing her concern for Feodora's upbringing.Marriage
In early October 1897, Feodora's betrothal with Prince Heinrich XXX Reuss of KöstritzReuss Junior Line
The Principality of Reuss Younger Line formed a state in Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Gera, of Schleiz, of Lobenstein, of Köstritz and of Ebersdorf, each became princes in 1806, and they and their reigning successors bore the title Prince Reuss, Younger Line...
(1864–1939) was announced.
At Breslau on 26 September 1898 Feodora married Prince Heinrich. They had no children, a source of great distress for her.
Health
Feodora suffered from a lifetime of ill-health, believed to be porphyriaPorphyria
Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain enzymes in the heme bio-synthetic pathway . They are broadly classified as acute porphyrias and cutaneous porphyrias, based on the site of the overproduction and accumulation of the porphyrins...
inherited from her maternal great-great-great-grandfather George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, after recent medical tests were carried out on her remains and those of her mother.
Last years
Feodora of Reuss spent her last years at the Sanatorium Buchwald-Hohenwiese, KowaryKowary
Kowary is a town in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.It lies approximately south-east of Jelenia Góra, and south-west of the regional capital Wrocław.-History:...
, near Hirschberg, Silesia
Jelenia Góra
----Jelenia Góra is a city in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The name of the city means "deer mountain" in Polish, Czech and German. It is close to the Krkonoše mountain range running along the Polish-Czech border – ski resorts such as Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba can be found...
; the hospital being close to the home she had made with her husband at nearby Schloss Neuhoff List of castles and palaces in Jelenia Góra valley. Tiring of years of illness and dubious treatment - and possibly also as a result of the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
ceding SW Silesia to Poland - she committed suicide at aged 66 on 26 August 1945.