Bernhard (Saxony-Jena)
Bernhard von Sachsen-Jena (born February 21, 1638 in Weimar ; † May 3, 1678 in Jena ) was the first duke of the independent duchy of Saxony-Jena .
Life
Bernhard was the son of Duke Wilhelm von Sachsen-Weimar and Eleonore Dorothea , a princess of Anhalt , and was born in Weimar as the seventh of a total of nine children.
He attended the University of Jena from February 1654 to November 1657 . The prince then moved to France for the first time, where, according to his father's plans, he was to marry at the French court in order to strengthen ties between the Ernestines and the Sun King Louis XIV . However, the French king let the young prince feel its insignificance by making him wait a year and a half for an audience.
The stays in France in 1662 finally led to his marriage to Marie Charlotte (1630–1682), daughter of Henri de La Trémoille, duc de Thouars . Bernhard and his splendor-loving wife moved into the royal palace built by the duke in Jena (which was demolished in 1905), brought the Weimar court orchestra there and privileged the first newspaper in Thuringia.
Under the company name The Subsequent , he was accepted as a member of the Literary Fruitful Society .
In 1672 he shared the paternal inheritance with his two brothers, Saxony-Jena was separated from Saxony-Weimar as an independent duchy and handed over to Bernhard.
In 1673 he entered into a secret (second) marriage with Maria Elisabeth von Kospoth for reasons of conscience, but also at the insistence of the von Kospoth family, in order to legitimize the love affair. He had previously tried to divorce his marriage with Marie Charlotte, but encountered resistance from theologians and lawyers at Jena University. The wedding ceremony in Kapellendorf Castle was led by the consistorial councilor and former Jesuit Andreas Wigand ; Witnesses were the Chancellor and Konsistorialpräsident John Bush and the Office Schösser Christian Hillgund. Maria Elisabeth received the title Countess von Allstädt from the Emperor in 1676 .
Bernhard died on May 3, 1678 after a severe fever after he had drawn up a will. His body was buried on June 20, 1678 in a tin coffin in the grave he laid under the Jena town church .
Marie Charlotte followed him on August 24, 1682.
progeny
The duke's marriage was marked by happiness but not by childlessness.
Bernhard had the following children from his marriage:
- Wilhelm (1664–1666)
- Bernhard (1667–1668)
- Charlotte Marie (1669–1703)
- ⚭ 1683 Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (1662–1728)
- Johann Wilhelm (1675–1690), Duke of Saxony-Jena
In addition, Bernhard had a daughter born out of wedlock with Marie Elisabeth von Kospoth :
- Emilie Eleonore (1674–1709), "Countess of Allstädt" 1676
- ⚭ 1692 Otto Wilhelm von Tümpling (* 1660; † June 28, 1730)
literature
- Friedrich Bülau : Secret stories and enigmatic people, collection of hidden or forgotten curiosities , p. 317ff., Digitized Die Gräfin von Allstädt
- Paul Eckold: The Duchy of Saxony-Jena (1672–1690) , in: Walter Lehmann: Jena. Thuringia's university city in the past and present . Vol. 5. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1940
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stefanie Walther: The Duke's relationship with Maria Elisabeth von Kospoth - a bigamistic escapade . In: The (dis) order of marriage. Norms and Practice of Ernestine Princes in the Early Modern Age . Munich 2011, pp. 92-100
- ↑ Jonathan Carl Zenker : Historical-topographical pocket book of Jena and its surroundings, especially in natural science and medical relationship . Frommann, Jena 1836, p. 16. ( digitized version )
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm IV of Saxe-Weimar |
Duke of Saxony-Jena 1672 - 1678 |
Johann Wilhelm |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bernhard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bernhard of Saxony-Jena |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duke of the Duchy of Saxony-Jena |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 21, 1638 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Weimar |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 3, 1678 |
| Place of death | Jena |