Reign 1803–1866 Name Bernhard Duke Regent The Dowager Duchess | Successor Georg II Predecessor Georg I | |
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Born 17 December 1800Meiningen ( 1800-12-17 ) Issue Georg IIAugusta, Princess Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg Died December 3, 1882, Meiningen, Germany Children Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Ellen Franz, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen Parents Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Similar People Georg II - Duke of Saxe‑Meiningen, Ellen Franz, Adelaide of Saxe‑Meiningen, William II - Elector of Hesse | ||
Bernhard II Erich Freund, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (17 December 1800, in Meiningen – 3 December 1882, in Meiningen) was a Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
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Family
He was the only son of Georg I Frederick Karl, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Bernhard was a younger brother of Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom and Ida, Princess Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Bernhard succeeded his father when he was only three years old (1803); because of this, his mother, the Dowager Duchess Luise Eleonore, acted as regent on behalf of her son until he reached adulthood, in 1821.
Marriage
In Kassel on 23 March 1825, Bernhard II married Princess Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). They had two children:
On 12 November 1826, after the redistribution of all the family territories after the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Bernhard II received Hildburghausen and Saalfeld.
A very kind family man and proud of his House, Bernhard was a thoughtful husband and father, as long as they obeyed him. In the Austro-Prussian War, he made a decision to side with the Habsburgs. When the Habsburgs lost the War, it cost Bernhard the Duchy. On 20 September 1866, Bernhard was forced to abdicate all his territories to his only son, Georg. He spent the rest of his days as a private citizen.