Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

Bernhard II Erich Freund, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (17 December 1800, in Meiningen – 3 December 1882, in Meiningen) was a Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Bernhard II
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Portrait of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in the ceremonial robes of the Order of the Garter, painted by Samuel Friedrich Diez.
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Reign24 December 1803–20 September 1866
PredecessorGeorg I
SuccessorGeorg II
RegentThe Dowager Duchess
Born(1800-12-17)17 December 1800
Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy Roman Empire
Died3 December 1882(1882-12-03) (aged 81)
Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, German Empire
SpouseMarie Fredericka of Hesse-Kassel
IssueGeorg II
Augusta, Princess Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg
Full name
Bernhard II Erich Freund
HouseSaxe-Meiningen
FatherGeorg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
MotherLuise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
ReligionLutheranism

Family

He was the only son of Georg I Frederick Karl, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Bernhard was a younger brother of Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom and Ida, Princess Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.[1]

Bernhard succeeded his father when he was only three years old (1803); because of this, his mother, the Dowager Duchess Luise Eleonore, acted as regent on behalf of her son until he reached adulthood, in 1821.[1]

Marriage

In Kassel on 23 March 1825, Bernhard II married Princess Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). They had two children:

NameBirthDeathNotes
Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen2 April 182625 June 1914married (1) Princess Charlotte of Prussia; had issue (2) Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; had issue (3) Ellen Franz; no issue
Augusta Luise Adelaide Karoline Ida6 August 184311 November 1919married Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg; had issue

On 12 November 1826, after the redistribution of all the family territories after the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Bernhard II received Hildburghausen and Saalfeld.

A very kind family man and proud of his House, Bernhard was a thoughtful husband and father, as long as they obeyed him. In the Austro-Prussian War, he made a decision to side with the Habsburgs. When the Habsburgs lost the War, it cost Bernhard the Duchy. On 20 September 1866, Bernhard was forced to abdicate all his territories to his only son, Georg. He spent the rest of his days as a private citizen.

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. "Biografie Georg I (German)". Meininger Museen. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 17 December 1800 Died: 3 December 1882
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Georg I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
1803–1866
Succeeded by
Georg II


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