Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen
Encyclopedia
Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen, Duke of Saxony (Full given names: Friedrich Johann Bernhard Hermann Heinrich Moritz; 12 October 1861 - 23 August 1914) was a German soldier and member of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen
.
the second son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
and his second wife Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, a descendant of Diego Velázquez
.
Prince Friedrich attended the University of Bonn
where unusually for a royal prince he refused to accept an adjutant
or maintain a horse and carriage. At university due to his royal status he was a member of the exclusive "Borussia" student dueling corps. Although the future William II, German Emperor
was a prominent member, Prince Friedrich was not active in the group, rarely attending meetings, instead preferring to shun social life in favour of concentrating on his studies. He narrowly escaped serious injury at Bonn when a retort
blew up near him during a chemical experiment.
With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Prince Friedrich, despite suffering a broken arm a short while before hand, returned to active service. Prince Friedrich met his death fighting in Namur
during the invasion of Belgium
. His son Prince Georg travelled to meet his fathers regiment to discover his father's fate. He discovered his father had been struck by shrapnel or machine gun bullets when he left a house he was using as an observation post.
His body was returned to Meiningen for burial.
(later Princess of Lippe), daughter of Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld
, in Neudorf
on 24 April 1889. The dynastic status of the marriage of Friedrich and Adelaide was questioned during the Lippe succession dispute when it was argued if Adelaide's brother Leopold
was excluded from the Lippe succession on the grounds that their great grandmother Modeste von Unruh was not of equal birth, then the children of Friedrich and Adelaide should be excluded from the Saxe-Meiningen succession on the same grounds.
Prince Friedrich and Princess Adelaide had six children who were full members of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen.
Saxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia....
.
Birth and university
Prince Friedrich was born in MeiningenMeiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
the second son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen , was the penultimate Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1866 to 1914.-Family and early life:...
and his second wife Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Feodora Victoria Adelaide of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen. By her marriage to Georg of Saxe-Meiningen, she would become Duchess consort of Saxe-Meiningen upon his succession in 1866.-Family:Feodora was the...
, a descendant of Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
.
Prince Friedrich attended the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
where unusually for a royal prince he refused to accept an adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
or maintain a horse and carriage. At university due to his royal status he was a member of the exclusive "Borussia" student dueling corps. Although the future William II, German Emperor
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
was a prominent member, Prince Friedrich was not active in the group, rarely attending meetings, instead preferring to shun social life in favour of concentrating on his studies. He narrowly escaped serious injury at Bonn when a retort
Retort
In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a glassware device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated...
blew up near him during a chemical experiment.
Army and death
After finishing his studies Prince Friedrich entered into the army. Just as he had at university while a Lieutenant in Strassbourg he was not an active member of society focusing on the study of artillery. He was promoted to Colonel in 1902, Brigadier General in 1907 and Major General in 1910 before retiring from the army in 1913.With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Prince Friedrich, despite suffering a broken arm a short while before hand, returned to active service. Prince Friedrich met his death fighting in Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
during the invasion of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. His son Prince Georg travelled to meet his fathers regiment to discover his father's fate. He discovered his father had been struck by shrapnel or machine gun bullets when he left a house he was using as an observation post.
His body was returned to Meiningen for burial.
Marriage and issue
Prince Friedrich married Countess Adelaide of Lippe-BiesterfeldCountess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld was the eldest child of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Countess Karoline of Wartensleben.-Family and early life:...
(later Princess of Lippe), daughter of Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Ernst II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld was the head of the Lippe-Biesterfeld line of the House of Lippe...
, in Neudorf
Neudorf
There are communes and places that have the name Neudorf :-In Austria:*Neudorf bei Staatz, in the district of Mistelbach, Lower Austria*Wiener Neudorf, in the district of Mödling, Lower Austria*Neudorf bei Parndorf, in Burgenland...
on 24 April 1889. The dynastic status of the marriage of Friedrich and Adelaide was questioned during the Lippe succession dispute when it was argued if Adelaide's brother Leopold
Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe
Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe was the final sovereign of the Principality of Lippe...
was excluded from the Lippe succession on the grounds that their great grandmother Modeste von Unruh was not of equal birth, then the children of Friedrich and Adelaide should be excluded from the Saxe-Meiningen succession on the same grounds.
Prince Friedrich and Princess Adelaide had six children who were full members of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen.
- Princess Feodora of Saxe-MeiningenPrincess 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...
(1890–1972) - Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen (1891–1971)
- Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1892–1946)
- Prince Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen (1895–1914) killed in action, near MaubeugeMaubeugeMaubeuge is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated on both banks of the Sambre , east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border.-History:...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Princess Luise of Saxe-Meiningen (1899–1985) married Baron Götz von Wangenheim
- Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984)