Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein
Encyclopedia
Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein (16 January 1912 - 15 March 2010) was the wife of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She was the mother of Prince Michael
, the current head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
, Württemberg
to Baron Othmar von Wangenheim-Winterstein and his wife Baroness Maud (née Baroness Maud von Falkenstein). Their family lived at Behringen Castle in Thüringia
; in 1913, Maud died in childbirth, leaving a son, Jobst.
As a young girl, Elisabeth started training as a pianist in Hanover
but was forced to end her studies, as the death of their mother left her widowed father in need of help on the family estate. Her education left her with a lifetime love of music, particularly Mozart, as well as a fondness for literature, which helped sustain her through difficult times.
, Elisabeth married Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was the eldest son and heir to Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
.
They had three children:
Despite the death of his father in 1923, Charles never succeeded as Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, because all titles had been banned in Germany since the German Revolution of 1918–19. Consequently, he and Elisabeth were always known as Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess until their deaths. Charles served as the head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until his death in 1988.
Just before giving birth to their eldest child, the couple were forced to flee from eastern Germany in the face of the approaching Soviet Red Army
. They stayed with Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg at Weikersheim Castle
, but lost most of their extensive property and possessions; all that remained of their former fortune was a small car and a small number of personal possessions. A small part of their fortune (several millions euros) was eventually recovered, as they were allowed to reclaim the property they lost from the Soviet occupancy through family lawyers and the German government; none of the family ever moved back to Thüringia however.
for the last fourteen years of her life to be near her daughter Princess Elisabeth. Unlike her "more glamorous" children, Elisabeth largely stayed out of headlines during her lifetime.
Though her son remarked that Elisabeth was "a fighter" after she recovered from an accident, the doctors gave her very little chance of survival; she died on 15 March 2010 at the age of 98 in Munich. Her remains were interred at Wartburg Castle
, where, according to her son, she had always had a very emotional bond and wanted it to be her final resting place.
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach is a German prince and the current head of the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as senior agnate of the entire House of Wettin....
, the current head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Family and early life
Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein and her twin sister Dorothée were born on 16 January 1912 in TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
to Baron Othmar von Wangenheim-Winterstein and his wife Baroness Maud (née Baroness Maud von Falkenstein). Their family lived at Behringen Castle in Thüringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
; in 1913, Maud died in childbirth, leaving a son, Jobst.
As a young girl, Elisabeth started training as a pianist in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
but was forced to end her studies, as the death of their mother left her widowed father in need of help on the family estate. Her education left her with a lifetime love of music, particularly Mozart, as well as a fondness for literature, which helped sustain her through difficult times.
Marriage and issue
On 5 October 1944 at Wartburg CastleWartburg Castle
The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...
, Elisabeth married Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was the eldest son and heir to Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen (1890-1972)
Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen was the eldest child of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen, a younger son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a daughter of Ernst, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld...
.
They had three children:
- Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duchess of Saxony (b. Burgellern bei Bamberg, 22 July 1945), married in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 10 July 1981 to Mindert Diderik de Kant (b. Leeuwarden, 6 August 1934). They divorced in 1983, without issue. - Prince Michael of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duke of SaxonyMichael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachMichael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach is a German prince and the current head of the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as senior agnate of the entire House of Wettin....
(b. Bamberg, 15 November 1946) - Princess Beatrice-Maria of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Duchess of Saxony (b. Bamberg, 11 March 1948), married in London on 9 December 1977 to Martin Charles Davidson (b. LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 23 September 1940), and had a daughter, Bettina Davison
Despite the death of his father in 1923, Charles never succeeded as Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, because all titles had been banned in Germany since the German Revolution of 1918–19. Consequently, he and Elisabeth were always known as Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess until their deaths. Charles served as the head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until his death in 1988.
Just before giving birth to their eldest child, the couple were forced to flee from eastern Germany in the face of the approaching Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. They stayed with Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg at Weikersheim Castle
Weikersheim Castle
Weikersheim Castle is a castle in Weikersheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was built in the 12th century, but the exact year is not known...
, but lost most of their extensive property and possessions; all that remained of their former fortune was a small car and a small number of personal possessions. A small part of their fortune (several millions euros) was eventually recovered, as they were allowed to reclaim the property they lost from the Soviet occupancy through family lawyers and the German government; none of the family ever moved back to Thüringia however.
Later life
Elisabeth and Charles eventually separated, but were never officially divorced. By this point, their children were all married and living away from home; consequently, Elisabeth was alone much of the time later in her life. She lived quietly in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
for the last fourteen years of her life to be near her daughter Princess Elisabeth. Unlike her "more glamorous" children, Elisabeth largely stayed out of headlines during her lifetime.
Though her son remarked that Elisabeth was "a fighter" after she recovered from an accident, the doctors gave her very little chance of survival; she died on 15 March 2010 at the age of 98 in Munich. Her remains were interred at Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...
, where, according to her son, she had always had a very emotional bond and wanted it to be her final resting place.