Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( German: Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha ; , - , ) - the fourth and last duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , who ruled from July 30, 1900 to November 14, 1918 , the Prussian general of the cavalry (December 24, 1914). Until 1919, he was also the prince of Great Britain and had the title Duke of Albany ( English Prince Leopold Charles Edward George Albert of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany ), but was stripped of all British titles for participating in the First World War on the side of Germany .
| Karl Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | |||||||||
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| Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | |||||||||
 Carl Edward in 1906 | |||||||||
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| Predecessor | Alfred Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | ||||||||
| Successor | liquidation of the monarchy | ||||||||
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| Kind | Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty | ||||||||
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| Children | sons : Johann Leopold , and Friedrich daughters : Sybil and | ||||||||
| The consignment | |||||||||
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Content
Origin
The grandson of the British Queen Victoria , the only son of her fourth, the youngest son of Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Elena Waldeck of Pyrmont. Prince Leopold, suffering from hemophilia , died on March 28, 1884 , almost four months before the birth of Carl (Charles) Eduard. Thus, the title of Duke of Albany, Prince Charles received from birth.
Board
In 1900 , after the death of Victoria's second son, Duke Alfred and the refusal of her third son, Arthur Connautsky, of the rights to the duchy, sixteen-year-old Carl Edward ascended the throne. Over the next five years, he ruled over the regency of the husband of his cousin Alexandra , the Crown Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , and under the strict control of Kaiser Wilhelm II . After reaching the age of majority on July 19, 1905, Carl Edward accepted all the constitutional powers of the head of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha state.
In the First World War, after some hesitation, he supported Germany , and in 1915 his cousin, King of Great Britain George V expelled him from the Knights of the Order of the Garter , of which he had been a knight since 1902 . In 1917, the British Parliament issued an act according to which all who fight against the king and against his allies were deprived of their titles and ranks. In 1919 , in accordance with an act of Parliament, the Privy Council of Great Britain stripped Carl Edward of the titles of Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow. The duke and his descendants also lost title to the prince and princess of Great Britain.
In Nazi Germany
Since 1933 - Imperial Commissioner for Transport Services.
From 1933 to 1945, he was the imperial commissioner of the voluntary medical service and president of the German Red Cross .
As the president of the German Red Cross, he became embroiled in the politics of Adolf Hitler , in particular, he knew about the T-4 euthanasia program , according to which about one hundred thousand people were killed.
In 1935 he joined the Nazi party , joined the ranks of the SA , received the rank of groupfuhrer of this organization, and also became the Obergruppenfuhrer of the NSCK . He was the honorary leader of the SA Thuringia group.
Since 1936 - President of the Association of German Front-line Soldiers.
From 1937 to 1945 - Member of the Reichstag .
He has held high posts in a number of German companies, including a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank .
After the end of World War II, the American military government of Bavaria placed him under house arrest, and later in prison, on charges of having links with the Nazis. In 1946, he was convicted by a court.
For health reasons he was released from prison. In recent years, the former duke spent in solitude. In 1953, he watched the coronation of Elizabeth II at the cinema. The eldest of the two remaining grandchildren of Queen Victoria died in 1954 .
Family
On October 11, 1905, in the castle of Glucksburg, Karl Saxe-Coburg-Gotha married Wilhelm's niece Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (December 31, 1885 - October 3, 1970), the eldest daughter of Duke Friedrich Ferdinand Schleswig-Holstein-Glucksburg of 1934 (18) Matilda of Augustenburg (1860-1932).
The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha had five children:
- Crown Prince Johann Leopold (August 2, 1906 - May 4, 1972 ),
- Princess Sibylla (January 18, 1908 - November 28, 1972 ), mother of the King of Sweden Charles XVI Gustav ,
- (August 24, 1909 - November 26, 1943 )
- (June 22, 1912 - September 5, 1983 ),
- Prince Friedrich (November 29, 1918 - January 23, 1998 ).
Carl Edward was the grandfather of the Swedish King Charles XVI Gustav on the female side.
Genealogy
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 The Peerage
Sources
- Zalessky K. A. Who was who in the Third Reich. - M .: Astrel, 2002 .-- S. 364-365. - 942 s. - ISBN 5-27105091-2 .
- Documentary
- Hitler's Favorite Royal (UK), dir. Tilda Swinton Stud. Monkey Kingdom Limited, 2007, 45 min., Premiere in the UK - June 2, 2008 on Channel 4 private channel. In Russia, it is shown on the cable channel Viasat History .
Links
- Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (German)
- Joachim Oltmann. Seine Königliche Hoheit der Obergruppenführer (German) . - 2001.
- Yvonne's Royalty Home Page: Royal Christenings , Peerage Titles etc. Prince Charles Edward of Great Britain, Duke of Albany (later the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha).