Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

For other people named Karl Alexander, see Karl Alexander (disambiguation).

Karl Alexander
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
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Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Reign	8 July 1853 – 5 January 1901
Predecessor	Charles Frederick
Successor	William Ernest
Born	(1818-06-24)24 June 1818 Weimar
Died	Weimar
Spouse	Sophie of the Netherlands
Issue	Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Marie, Princess Heinrich VII Reuss Princess Anna Sophia Elisabeth, Duchess Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg
Full name Charles Alexander Augustus John German: Karl Alexander August Johann Großherzog von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
House	Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Father	Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Mother	Maria Pavlovna of Russia
Religion	Lutheranism

Karl Alexander August Johann, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (24 June 1818 – 5 January 1901) was the ruler of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from 1853 until his death.

Biography

Born in Weimar, 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 Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School (with Arnold Böcklin, Franz von Lenbach and the plastic artist Reinhold Begas. As Grand Duke he was automatically rector, 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. The Weimar Congress of the Goethe Federation (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.

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.

Family and children

At Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague, 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:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. Maria Anna Sophia Elisabeth Bernhardine Ida Auguste Helene (b. Weimar, 29 March 1851 – d. Weimar, 26 April 1859), known as Anna.
4. 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.

Ancestry

Family of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

16. Ernest August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar               8. Ernest August II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar                       17. Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg-Bayreuth               4. Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach                             18. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               9. Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       19. Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia               2. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach                                   20. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt               10. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt                       21. Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg and Münzenberg               5. Luise Auguste of Hesse-Darmstadt                             22. Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken               11. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken                       23. Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken               1. Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach                                         24. Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp               12. Peter III of Russia                       25. Anna Petrovna of Russia               6. Paul I of Russia                             26. Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst               13. Catherine II of Russia                       27. Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp               3. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia                                   28. Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg               14. Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg                       29. Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis               7. Sophie Dorothea of Württemburg                             30. Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt               15. Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt                       31. Sophie Dorothea Marie, Princess of Prussia

External links

German royalty
Preceded by Karl Frederick	Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1853–1901	Succeeded by Wilhelm Ernst