Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz
Encyclopedia
Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz (Caroline Elisabeth Ida; 13 July 1884 – 17 January 1905) was the first wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
, Prince Reuss of Greiz
by his wife Princess Ida
, daughter of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
. Her mother died in 1891, and her father died in 1902. She had only one surviving brother, Prince Heinrich XXIV Reuss of Greiz
, who was incapable of governing because of the physical and mental ailments that resulted from a childhood accident. Power passed to their cousin as a result once their father died. Her younger sister Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz would later marry Emperor Wilhelm II as his second wife.
to proceed with the marriage. Caroline wore a dress of white satin trimmed with lace; her cousins Prince George of Schaumburg-Lippe and Prince Henry XIV of Reuss, as well as William Ernest's mother Dowager Hereditary Grand Duchess Pauline
attended the wedding. His cousin Queen Wilhelmina
and her consort Prince Hendrik also came to the wedding.
Her husband was described as:
Caroline caused a scandal by seeking refuge in Switzerland; her husband followed soon after, as it was made understood that she had not fled the marriage but instead had simply sought to be away from her entourage in Weimar. She was eventually induced to return, but soon lost health and lapsed into melancholia
. She died eighteenth months after their marriage, on 17 January 1905, under mysterious circumstances. The official cause of death was pneumonia following influenza; other sources however have suggested suicide. The couple had no children together. She was the last member of the House of Saxe-Weimar to be buried in the Weimar Fürstengruft, the royal family's crypt. William Ernest later remarried to Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen
.
Early life
Caroline was a daughter of the reigning Heinrich XXIIHeinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz
Prince Heinrich XXII Reuss of Greiz was the reigning sovereign of Reuss, a small principality of the German states, from 1859 to his death in 1902.-Reign:...
, Prince Reuss of Greiz
Reuss Elder Line
The Principality of Reuss Elder Line was a state in Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Greiz, Lower- and Upper Greiz , were elevated to princely status in 1778. Its members bore the title Prince Reuss, Elder Line, or Prince Reuss of Greiz...
by his wife Princess Ida
Princess Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Ida Matilda Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe was the consort of Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz from 1872 until her death...
, daughter of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe was a ruler of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe.-Biography:He was born in Bückeburg to Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont ....
. Her mother died in 1891, and her father died in 1902. She had only one surviving brother, Prince Heinrich XXIV Reuss of Greiz
Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz
Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Greiz from 1902 to 1918. Then he became Head of the House Reuss of Greiz which became extinct at his death in 1927.-Early life:...
, who was incapable of governing because of the physical and mental ailments that resulted from a childhood accident. Power passed to their cousin as a result once their father died. Her younger sister Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz would later marry Emperor Wilhelm II as his second wife.
Marriage
The betrothal of Princess Caroline and Wilhelm Ernst, the reigning Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach since 1901, was announced on 10 December 1902. At Buckeburg Castle (the home of her uncle), they married on 30 April 1903. Caroline was reportedly very against the match; at the last second of the wedding, she attempted to draw back, only to be persuaded most forcibly by Emperor Wilhelm II and Empress Augusta ViktoriaAugusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia. Her full German name was Auguste Victoria Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.She was the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess...
to proceed with the marriage. Caroline wore a dress of white satin trimmed with lace; her cousins Prince George of Schaumburg-Lippe and Prince Henry XIV of Reuss, as well as William Ernest's mother Dowager Hereditary Grand Duchess Pauline
Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the wife of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach....
attended the wedding. His cousin Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
and her consort Prince Hendrik also came to the wedding.
Life at the Weimar court
The marriage was unhappy, as Caroline found the rigid Weimar court etiquette intolerable. The court was generally considered to be one of the most stifling and etiquette-driven in Germany. One source recounted:
"It envelops royalty there in a species of captivity, and while the grand duke lends thereto and is too conservative to admit of any change, it crushes with its trammels the more spirited members of the family".
Her husband was described as:
"One of the wealthiest sovereigns in Europe; stolid, well-behaved, imbued with great pride of race, and a strict sense of what is due to the anointed of the Lord. He is also one of the most severely respected and proper of German rulers...the Grand Duke is very dull, and his court and environment reflect his character in this respect to such a respect that Weimar has become the dreariest capital in Europe".
Caroline caused a scandal by seeking refuge in Switzerland; her husband followed soon after, as it was made understood that she had not fled the marriage but instead had simply sought to be away from her entourage in Weimar. She was eventually induced to return, but soon lost health and lapsed into melancholia
Melancholia
Melancholia , also lugubriousness, from the Latin lugere, to mourn; moroseness, from the Latin morosus, self-willed, fastidious habit; wistfulness, from old English wist: intent, or saturnine, , in contemporary usage, is a mood disorder of non-specific depression,...
. She died eighteenth months after their marriage, on 17 January 1905, under mysterious circumstances. The official cause of death was pneumonia following influenza; other sources however have suggested suicide. The couple had no children together. She was the last member of the House of Saxe-Weimar to be buried in the Weimar Fürstengruft, the royal family's crypt. William Ernest later remarried to 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...
.
Titles and styles
- 13 July 1884 – 30 April 1903: Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz
- 30 April 1903 – 17 January 1905: Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
See also
- List of Saxon consorts