Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Encyclopedia
Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (14 February 1886 – 6 June 1964) was a member of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. After his disinheritance occurred in 1909, Hermann was commonly referred to with the style, Count Ostheim.
. He was educated by a tutor until deemed old enough to enter the German army. He joined the Cuirassiers of the Guard
in Berlin
, where as he was separated from the guidance of his family and tutor, and began to build up a reputation as a spendthrift
like his father. He was given $10,000 a year to spend, and he and those he bought items from realized that any debts contracted would eventually be paid by his family, thus increasing the amount Hermann could spendt. By the end the year, Hermann was a quarter of a million dollars in debt, which his family duly paid; he was sent to a small town as a disciplinary measure. He persuaded his family that he was ill, and was able to travel to Paris
, racking up more debts along the way; one rumor said he sold his mother's jewels en route to France.
remained childless for much of his early life, fueling speculation of the succession to his duchy. As a descendant of Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach through a younger son, firstly Hermann and secondly his brother were heir presumptive
s until the birth of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1912.
, Prince Hermann was heir presumptive
to the duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
until his disinheritance on 2 August 1909. The ducal family forced him to renounce his rights of succession to the Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach throne, as well as his royal status, title and prerogatives, granting him a lesser, noble title, Count Ostheim, along with a small allowance on the grounds that he stay out of the duchy. Herman was not the only member of his family to have a bad reputation; his father Prince William as well as their cousin Prince Bernhard were all viewed with displeasure, so much so, that the still-living Prince William had been overlooked concerning the duchy's succession. Hermann had a younger brother, Prince Albert, who took up his position as next-in-line to the duchy. Hermann was also driven out of the German army "for all sorts of unsavory scraps", as he was wanted in both England
and Austria
for debts, and for being a "common swindler". His Austrian arrest warrant was issued soon after his younger sister Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
was denied permission to enter into a morganatic marriage
; she committed suicide
soon after, on 18 September 1913.
In 1921 Count Hermann claimed in a lawsuit with Grand Duke William Ernest that he and his mother were induced by a ruse and told that he would be forcibly expelled from Paris unless he agreed to travel from there to Germany; instead Hermann was confined in an insane asylum. He was only freed after signing documents renouncing all claims to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and assuming the style Count Ostheim. Hermann went on to claim that the Grand Duke was guilty of usury
, as he was lent certain sums of money to pay off his debts in exchange for renouncing 48,000 marks
appanage
in favor of William Ernest. During that time, the German government had been completing negotiations for a settlement on the former royal family (their titles had been abolished in 1918); thus had Hermann not been disinherited, he would have stood to inherit quite a large bit of money.
, a great heiress; he might have succeeded but for his unsavory reputation. Though there was a chance he would succeed to the ducal throne, Marie's father disliked Hermann for possessing an "evil" reputation, and consequently allowed her instead to marry Prince George of Greece and Denmark
. Before her refusal however, Hermann was able to obtain a great deal of money, as it was assumed he would soon have a great deal of wealth to spend; when it became clear there was to be no marriage, a "crash" came. It was these money troubles, along with other problems, that led to his disinheritance.
Despite being disinherited, Hermann openly boasted he would travel to the United States
in search of a wealthy wife, and then return to Germany and pay off his debts within a year; all this was said while staying in Zurich
awaiting funds from his family. Instead, Hermann, now Count Ostheim, morganatically married Wanda Paola Lottero, an Italian
stage actress, on 5 September 1909 in London
. They visited the United States
on several occasions. They were divorced two years later, on 22 June 1911 after Wanda grew tired of supporting him with her earnings and divorced him on the grounds of financial "non-support", "cruelty", and "infidelity". Wanda later gained notoriety for having a short-lived affair with Constantine I of Greece
in 1912.
On 4 August 1918, Hermann married secondly to Suzanne Aagot Midling at Heidelberg
. They had one surviving child before her death on 16 October 1931:
On 16 November 1932, Hermann's engagement with Isabel Neilson, daughter of former British MP
and prominent actor and author Francis Neilson
, was announced. Hermann and Isabel were married civilly and religiously in Paris
on 28 November 1932. A small family luncheon accompanied the wedding; afterwards, the couple honeymoon
ed to Spain and North Africa. They had no children.
Hermann died in London
on 6 June 1964 at the age of 78.
Early life
Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was born on 14 February 1886 in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. He was educated by a tutor until deemed old enough to enter the German army. He joined the Cuirassiers of the Guard
Guards Cuirassiers
The Guards Cuirassiers were a heavy cavalry regiment of the Royal Prussian Army. Formed in 1815 as a Uhlans regiment, it was reorganized as a cuirassiers unit in 1821. The regiment was part of the Guards Cavalry Division and fought in the Second Schleswig War, the Austro-Prussian War, the...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where as he was separated from the guidance of his family and tutor, and began to build up a reputation as a spendthrift
Spendthrift
A spendthrift is someone who spends money prodigiously and who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond his or her means...
like his father. He was given $10,000 a year to spend, and he and those he bought items from realized that any debts contracted would eventually be paid by his family, thus increasing the amount Hermann could spendt. By the end the year, Hermann was a quarter of a million dollars in debt, which his family duly paid; he was sent to a small town as a disciplinary measure. He persuaded his family that he was ill, and was able to travel to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, racking up more debts along the way; one rumor said he sold his mother's jewels en route to France.
Heir to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-EisenachWilliam Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.-Biography:...
remained childless for much of his early life, fueling speculation of the succession to his duchy. As a descendant of Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach through a younger son, firstly Hermann and secondly his brother were heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
s until the birth of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1912.
Loss of inheritance
A lifelong spendthriftSpendthrift
A spendthrift is someone who spends money prodigiously and who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond his or her means...
, Prince Hermann was heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was created in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach. It was raised to a Grand duchy in 1815 by resolution of the Vienna Congress. In 1877, it officially changed its name to the Grand Duchy of Saxony , but this name was...
until his disinheritance on 2 August 1909. The ducal family forced him to renounce his rights of succession to the Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach throne, as well as his royal status, title and prerogatives, granting him a lesser, noble title, Count Ostheim, along with a small allowance on the grounds that he stay out of the duchy. Herman was not the only member of his family to have a bad reputation; his father Prince William as well as their cousin Prince Bernhard were all viewed with displeasure, so much so, that the still-living Prince William had been overlooked concerning the duchy's succession. Hermann had a younger brother, Prince Albert, who took up his position as next-in-line to the duchy. Hermann was also driven out of the German army "for all sorts of unsavory scraps", as he was wanted in both England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
for debts, and for being a "common swindler". His Austrian arrest warrant was issued soon after his younger sister Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1888-1913)
Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was a great-granddaughter of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who was a younger brother of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach....
was denied permission to enter into a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
; she committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
soon after, on 18 September 1913.
In 1921 Count Hermann claimed in a lawsuit with Grand Duke William Ernest that he and his mother were induced by a ruse and told that he would be forcibly expelled from Paris unless he agreed to travel from there to Germany; instead Hermann was confined in an insane asylum. He was only freed after signing documents renouncing all claims to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and assuming the style Count Ostheim. Hermann went on to claim that the Grand Duke was guilty of usury
Usury
Usury Originally, when the charging of interest was still banned by Christian churches, usury simply meant the charging of interest at any rate . In countries where the charging of interest became acceptable, the term came to be used for interest above the rate allowed by law...
, as he was lent certain sums of money to pay off his debts in exchange for renouncing 48,000 marks
Marks
Marks , also spelled Marx, named after Karl Marx, is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Saratov. Population: It was founded in 1767 as a Volga German community called Baronsk . It was soon renamed Yekaterinenshtadt , after Catherine the Great. In 1918, it was granted town...
appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
in favor of William Ernest. During that time, the German government had been completing negotiations for a settlement on the former royal family (their titles had been abolished in 1918); thus had Hermann not been disinherited, he would have stood to inherit quite a large bit of money.
Marriage
Before he became disinherited, Prince Hermann desired to marry Princess Marie BonapartePrincess Marie Bonaparte
Princess Marie Bonaparte was a French author and psychoanalyst, closely linked with Sigmund Freud. Her wealth contributed to the popularity of psychoanalysis, and enabled Freud's escape from Nazi Germany....
, a great heiress; he might have succeeded but for his unsavory reputation. Though there was a chance he would succeed to the ducal throne, Marie's father disliked Hermann for possessing an "evil" reputation, and consequently allowed her instead to marry Prince George of Greece and Denmark
Prince George of Greece and Denmark
align=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II...
. Before her refusal however, Hermann was able to obtain a great deal of money, as it was assumed he would soon have a great deal of wealth to spend; when it became clear there was to be no marriage, a "crash" came. It was these money troubles, along with other problems, that led to his disinheritance.
Despite being disinherited, Hermann openly boasted he would travel to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in search of a wealthy wife, and then return to Germany and pay off his debts within a year; all this was said while staying in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
awaiting funds from his family. Instead, Hermann, now Count Ostheim, morganatically married Wanda Paola Lottero, an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
stage actress, on 5 September 1909 in London
London
London 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...
. They visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on several occasions. They were divorced two years later, on 22 June 1911 after Wanda grew tired of supporting him with her earnings and divorced him on the grounds of financial "non-support", "cruelty", and "infidelity". Wanda later gained notoriety for having a short-lived affair with Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
in 1912.
On 4 August 1918, Hermann married secondly to Suzanne Aagot Midling at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. They had one surviving child before her death on 16 October 1931:
- Count Alexander Kyrill von Ostheim (born 7 August 1922); he died unmarried in StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on 28 March 1943
On 16 November 1932, Hermann's engagement with Isabel Neilson, daughter of former British MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and prominent actor and author Francis Neilson
Francis Neilson
Francis Neilson , was an accomplished actor, playwright, stage director, political figure avid lecturer, and author of more than 60 books, plays and opera librettos and a leader in the Georgist movement.-Early:Born as Francis Butters, the eldest of nine siblings, in the Claugton Road,...
, was announced. Hermann and Isabel were married civilly and religiously in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 28 November 1932. A small family luncheon accompanied the wedding; afterwards, the couple honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
ed to Spain and North Africa. They had no children.
Hermann died in London
London
London 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...
on 6 June 1964 at the age of 78.