.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (September 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the German article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 9,094 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Michael-Benedikt von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|de|Michael-Benedikt von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Michael
Head of the House of
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Tenure14 October 1988 – present
PredecessorHereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus
Heir presumptivePrince Wilhelm Ernst
Born (1946-11-15) 15 November 1946 (age 77)
Bamberg, Germany
SpousesRenate Henkel (div.)
Dagmar Hennings
IssueLeonie Mercedes Augusta Silva Elisabeth Margarethe
Names
Michael Benedikt Georg Jobst Carl Alexander Bernhard Claus Friedrich
HouseSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach
FatherCharles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
MotherBaroness Elisabeth von Wangenheim-Winterstein
ReligionLutheranism

Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach[1] (German: Michael Prinz von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach; born 15 November 1946) is the current head of the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as the most senior agnate of the entire House of Wettin.[2]

Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Prince Michael was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, the only son of Hereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Baroness Elisabeth von Wangenheim-Winterstein (1912–2010).[3] Among his godparents were Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia imposter, Anna Anderson, who was living with his aunt Princess Luise of Saxe-Meiningen.[4]

When his father died on 14 October 1988, Prince Michael succeeded him as Head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. On 13 February 1991, he inherited the leadership in the House of Saxe-Altenburg,[citation needed] as that line became extinct, and since 23 July 2012 he regards the Albertine royal Saxon line to be extinct.[5] However, Prince Michael has also stated that he "[does not] believe in historical carnival" and that "Germany should have done it like Austria long ago and abolished all titles."[6]

In 2004, he withdrew his claim for restitution of numerous properties, archives (partly including those of Schiller and Goethe) as well as priceless artwork in a settlement with the Free State of Thuringia and acquired some forest estates in exchange.[7]

Since Prince Michael has no sons, the current heir to the headship of the grand ducal house is his elder (by age) first cousin, Prince Wilhelm Ernst (b. 10 August 1946), whose only son Prince Georg-Constantin (13 April 1977 – 9 June 2018), a banker who was married but without issue, was killed in a horse riding accident on 9 June 2018 while riding with Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten.[8] Therefore, the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach will most likely become extinct in the male line.

Marriages

Prince Michael married Renate Henkel (b. Heidelberg, 17 September 1947), daughter of industrialist Konrad Henkel and wife Jutta von Hülsen and sister of Christoph Henkel, in a civil ceremony on 9 June 1970 at Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, and religiously on 4 July 1970 at Linnep bei Breitscheid.[3] The marriage was childless and dissolved by divorce at Düsseldorf on 9 March 1974.

He was married secondly to Dagmar Hennings (b. Niederpöcking, 24 June 1948), daughter of Henrich Hennings and wife Margarethe Schacht, in London on 15 November 1980. They have one daughter:

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained. Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Willis, Daniel A., The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain, Clearfield Company, 2002, pp. 457-458.
  3. ^ a b Montgomery-Massinberd, Hugh (1972). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family. London: Burke's Peerage, Ltd. p. 266. ISBN 0-220-66222-3.
  4. ^ Mundy, Carlos & Stravlo, Marie. The Lost Romanov Icon and the Enigma of Anastasia. Page XXII.
  5. ^ Erbfolgestreit bei den Wettinern
  6. ^ Locke, Stefan (9 April 2014). "Das war's mit dem Adel!". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  7. ^ McLean, Scott; Schmidt, Nadine (30 December 2022). "Germany's ex-royals want their riches back, but past ties to Hitler stand in the way". CNN. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Baron tells how he tried to save life of German prince who died in freak horse riding accident". Telegraph. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach House of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachCadet branch of the House of WettinBorn: 15 November 1946 Titles in pretence Preceded byCharles Augustus — TITULAR — Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 14 October 1988 – presentReason for succession failure:Grand Duchy abolished in 1918 IncumbentHeir:Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Head of the House of Wettin 14 October 1988 – present
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