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Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen

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Georg
Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen
Tenure29 December 1941 – 6 January 1946
PredecessorPrince Ernst
SuccessorPrince Bernhard
Born(1892-10-11)11 October 1892
Kassel
Died6 January 1946(1946-01-06) (aged 53)
Cherepovets, USSR
SpouseCountess Klara Marie von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock
IssuePrince Anton Ulrich
Prince Frederick Alfred
Princess Marie Elisabeth
Regina, Crown Princess of Austria
HouseSaxe-Meiningen
FatherFrederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen
MotherAdelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld

Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (11 October 1892 – 6 January 1946) was the head of the house of Saxe-Meiningen from 1941 until his death.

Biography

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A Medal with the depiction of Prince George, issued in 1978 (obverse)

He was born in Kassel the eldest son of Prince Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen (1861-1914) and Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1870–1948). His father was a son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his mother a daughter of Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Georg studied law at the Universities of Munich and Jena.[1]

Georg suspended his studies to serve in World War I and saw action as a Captain in a cavalry regiment. His uncle Bernhard III abdicated on 10 November 1918 following the German Revolution as the German monarchies were abolished. After the war he resumed his law studies and for a time served as a substitute judge for the town of Hildburghausen in the Free State of Thuringia.[1] On 1 May 1933 he joined the Nazis,[2] becoming NSDAP member (# 2.594.794).

After the death of his uncle Ernst on 29 December 1941, Georg succeeded to the headship of the house of Saxe-Meiningen and assumed the title of Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and style Georg III.

Georg and his family were expropriated without compensation in 1945. Georg, who served as a major in the Wehrmacht died in the Russian prisoner of war camp near Cherepovets (Tscherepowetz in German) in Northern Russia. His heir was his second and only surviving son Prince Frederick Alfred who renounced the succession, being a monk in 1953, allowing it to pass to his uncle Bernhard.

Marriage and children

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He was married in Freiburg im Breisgau on 22 February 1919 to Countess Klara Marie von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock (Darmstadt, 31 May 1895 – Högerhof bei Türnitz, Lower Austria, 10 February 1992), daughter of Count Alfred von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock and Baroness Helene von Hilgers. They had four children:

Name Birth Death Notes
Prince Anton Ulrich of Saxe-Meiningen 23 December 1919 20 May 1940(1940-05-20) (aged 20) Killed in Action at Albert-sur-Somme during World War II
Prince Frederick Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen 5 April 1921 18 September 1997(1997-09-18) (aged 76) Renounced the succession allowing it to pass to his uncle. A Carthusian monk since 1953.
Princess Marie Elisabeth 18 December 1922 31 March 1923 (3 months 13 days)
Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen 6 January 1925 3 February 2010(2010-02-03) (aged 85) She married Otto von Habsburg on 10 May 1951 and had issue.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Kaiser's Nephew a Petty Judge". New York Times. 1922-10-29. p. 103.
  2. ^ Archduchess Regina von Habsburg, Royalty Obituaries, The Telegraph, 4 Feb 2010.
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 11 October 1892 Died: 6 January 1946
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
29 December 1941 – 6 January 1946
Reason for succession failure:
Duchy abolished in 1918 		Succeeded by
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