Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen

Princess Charlotte
Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
File:Charlotte Amalie of Saxe-Meiningen.jpg
Born	(1751-09-11)11 September 1751 Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire
Died	Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia
Spouse	Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Issue	Ernest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Augustus Frederick IV Prince Ludwig
Full name German: Marie Charlotte Amalie Ernestine Wilhelmine Philippine
House	Saxe-Meiningen
Father	Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Mother	Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal

Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen (German: Marie Charlotte Amalie Ernestine Wilhelmine Philippine, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Meiningen) (11 September 1751, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire – 25 April 1827, Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia) was a member of the House of Saxe-Meiningen and a Princess of Saxe-Meiningen by birth and a member of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg through her marriage to Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Family

Charlotte was the eldest child and daughter of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his second wife, Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal. Charlotte was an elder sister of Charles William, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Marriage

Charlotte married Ernest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (later Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg), son of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his wife Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen, on 21 March 1769 in Meiningen. Charlotte and Ernest had four children:

1. Ernest, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 27 February 1770 – d. Gotha, 3 December 1779).
2. Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 23 November 1772 – d. Gotha, 27 May 1822)
3. Frederick IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 28 November 1774 – d. Gotha, 11 February 1825).
4. Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (b. Gotha, 21 October 1777 – d. Gotha, 26 October 1777).

Charlotte's husband, Ernest, was regarded as an enlightened monarch and a great patron of art and science, who led his country into a cultural flowering. He was assisted in his cultural undertakings by his wife, Charlotte.

Like her husband, Charlotte was a patron of astronomy. She counted relief panels for the court astronomer Franz Xaver von Zach and she also participated in observations. Charlotte also participated in the First European Astronomy Congress in 1798 at the Seeberg Observatory and independently corresponded with the leading astronomers of her time.

Later life

After her husband's death in 1804, there were difficulties with Charlotte's son, Augustus, upon his succession. Charlotte left Gotha with Zach and spent some time in Eisenberg. Later she traveled with Zach throughout southern Europe and lived several years in Marseilles, and later in Genoa, where she died in 1827.

Titles and styles

• 11 September 1751 – 21 March 1769: Her Serene Highness Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess in Saxony
• 21 March 1769 – 10 March 1772: Her Serene Highness The Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess in Saxony
• 10 March 1772 – 20 April 1804: Her Highness The Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess in Saxony
• 20 April 1804 – 25 April 1827: Her Highness The Dowager Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess in Saxony

Ancestry

Family of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen

16. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar               8. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha                       17. Princess Dorothea Maria of Anhalt               4. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen                             18. John Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg               9. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg                       19. Duchess Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel               2. Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen                                   20. Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               10. Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       21. Princess Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst               5. Duchess Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                             22. Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg               11. Duchess Elizabeth Juliana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg                       23. Princess Eleanore of Anhalt-Zerbst               1. Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen                                         24. William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel               12. Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal                       25. Margravine Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg               6. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal                             26. Carl Otto, Count of Solms-Laubach               13. Countess Catherine of Solms-Laubach                       27. Countess Amöna Elisabeth of Bentheim-Steinfurt               3. Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal                                   28. John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach               14. John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach                       29. Countess Johannetta of Sayn-Wittgenstein               7. Princess Christine of Saxe-Eisenach                             30. Margrave Karl Gustav of Baden-Durlach               15. Margravine Christine Juliane of Baden-Durlach                       31. Duchess Anna Sophie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Literature

• Bärbel Raschke: Charlotte Amalie Herzogin von Sachsen-Meiningen (1730–1801). Leben und Wirken im Kontext westeuropäischer und deutscher Aufklärung. In: Francia 2. Bd. 25, 1999, ISSN 0937-7743, S. 69-103.
• Ingeborg Titz-Matuszak und Peter Brosche (Hrsg.): Das Reisetagebuch 1807 der Herzogin Charlotte Amalie von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg. Thüringisches Staatsarchiv Gotha, Gotha 2003 (=Reihe: Schriften des Thüringischen Staatsarchivs Gotha. Bd.1. ISSN 1612-0582).

External links

• Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen in the German National Library catalogue
• Katalog der Theaterbibliothek Herzogin Charlottes von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg

Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen House of Saxe-Meiningen Cadet branch of the House of Wettin Born: 11 September 1751 Died: 25 April 1827
German nobility
Preceded by Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen	Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 10 March 1772 – 20 April 1804	Succeeded by Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel