Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen

Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
(m. 1769; died 1804)
IssueErnest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Augustus
Frederick IV
Prince Ludwig
Names
German: Marie Charlotte Amalie Ernestine Wilhelmine Philippine
HouseSaxe-MeiningenFatherAnton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-MeiningenMotherLandgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal

Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen (German: Marie Charlotte Amalie Ernestine Wilhelmine Philippine, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Meiningen) (11 September 1751, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire – 25 April 1827, Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia) was a member of the House of Saxe-Meiningen and a Princess of Saxe-Meiningen by birth and a member of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg through her marriage to Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Early life and family

Princess Charlotte was born on 11 September 1751. She was the eldest child and daughter of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his second wife, Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal. Charlotte was an elder sister of Charles William, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Marriage

Charlotte married Ernest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (later Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg), son of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his wife Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen, on 21 March 1769 in Meiningen. Charlotte and Ernest had four children:

  1. Ernest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 27 February 1770 – d. Gotha, 3 December 1779).
  2. Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 23 November 1772 – d. Gotha, 27 May 1822)
  3. Frederick IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 28 November 1774 – d. Gotha, 11 February 1825).
  4. Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 21 October 1777 – d. Gotha, 26 October 1777).

Charlotte's husband, Ernest, was regarded as an enlightened monarch and a great patron of art and science, who led his country into a cultural flowering. He was assisted in his cultural undertakings by his wife, Charlotte.

Like her husband, Charlotte was a patron of astronomy. She counted relief panels for the court astronomer Franz Xaver von Zach and she also participated in observations. Charlotte also participated in the First European Astronomy Congress in 1798 at the Seeberg Observatory and independently corresponded with the leading astronomers of her time.

Later life

After her husband's death in 1804, there were difficulties with Charlotte's son, Augustus, upon his succession. Charlotte left Gotha with Zach and spent some time in Eisenberg. Later she traveled with Zach throughout southern Europe and lived several years in Marseilles, and later in Genoa, where she died in 1827.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen[1]
8. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha
4. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
9. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg
2. Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
10. Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
5. Duchess Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
11. Duchess Elizabeth Juliana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg
1. Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen
12. Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal
6. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal
13. Countess Catherine of Solms-Laubach
3. Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal
14. John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
7. Princess Christine of Saxe-Eisenach
15. Christine Juliane of Baden-Durlach

References

  1. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 104.
  • Bärbel Raschke: Charlotte Amalie Herzogin von Sachsen-Meiningen (1730–1801). Leben und Wirken im Kontext westeuropäischer und deutscher Aufklärung. In: Francia 2. Bd. 25, 1999, ISSN 0937-7743, S. 69-103.
  • Ingeborg Titz-Matuszak und Peter Brosche (Hrsg.): Das Reisetagebuch 1807 der Herzogin Charlotte Amalie von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg. Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Gotha, Gotha 2003 (=Reihe: Schriften des Thüringischen Staatsarchivs Gotha. Bd.1. ISSN 1612-0582).

External links

  • Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen in the German National Library catalogue
  • Katalog der Theaterbibliothek Herzogin Charlottes von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg
Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 11 September 1751 Died: 25 April 1827
German nobility
Preceded by Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
10 March 1772 – 20 April 1804
Succeeded by
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Generations indicate descent from Bernhard I, the first Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and founder of the Saxe-Meiningen line.
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