Princess Elizabeth Adelaide of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

"*Elisabeth Adelaide, Grand Duchess of Schmidt-Reisdorf", "Grand Duchess Paul Wilhelm" and "Elisabeth Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach" redirects here, for the spouse of Grand Duke Paul Wilhelm II of Schmidt-Reisdorf, her grandaunt and grandmother-in-law, see Elisabeth Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.*

## Elisabeth Augusta / Elisabeth Adelaide

After meeting with future husband; aged late 10s then early 20s.

### Born

Elisabeth Maria Louise Olga Wilhelm Augusta Adelaide
October 17, 1880
Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

### Died

June 12, 1963 (aged 82)
Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.

### Occupation

Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Duchess of Saxony (until marriage)
Grand Duchess of Schmidt-Reisdorf (by marriage)

**Princess Elizabeth Adelaide of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Grand Duchess of Schmidt-Reisdorf** (also known as **Princess Elizabeth Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach**; *Elisabeth Maria Louise Olga Wilhelm Augusta Adelaide;* born October 17, 1880 - died June 12, 1963) was the youngest child and only daughter of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (second cousins by birth; husband and wife by marriage), She was the younger sister of William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and related to the Dutch royal family. She was the mother of Bernhard I, Grand Duke of Schmidt-Reisdorf and Princess Louise Josephine of Schmidt-Reisdorf and married into the Bavarian branch of the house of Schmidt as the wife and consort of Grand Duke Paul William IV of Schmidt-Reisdorf (married since 1911) and lived in Reisdorf, neighboring Munich and Reisdorf (a different Reisdorf in Groloos; the others with that name being in Luxembourg and present-day Thuringia) until her death in 1963; at the age of 82. She is the great-grandmother of Bernhard III, Grand Duke of Schmidt-Reisdorf (born 1973), the current Grand Duke and the great-great-grandmother of Bernhard III's heir, Bernhard Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Schmidt-Reisdorf (born 1996; whose heir apparent is Prince Paul Wilhelm of Schmidt-Reisdorf).

## Early life

#### Childhood years

Princess Elisabeth Adelaide was born as the only daughter and youngest of three children to Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife, Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on October 17, 1880 in Weimar; At the time of her birth. Her father was the heir apparent to her grandfather's grand ducal throne and the grandson of William II of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Limburg towards his mother Sophie, making her a paternal great-granddaughter; her mother Pauline was the granddaughter of William I of Würrtemberg towards her mother Princess Augusta, making her a maternal great-granddaughter of the first King of Würrtemberg also. Her full name was *Elisabeth Maria Louise Olga Wilhelm Augusta Adelaide ,* Maria Louise after Maria Louise, Duchess of Parma (widow of Napoleon), Olga after Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, Queen of the Hellenes (the consort of King George I of the Hellenes), Wilhelm after Emperor William I of Germany, Augusta after Emperor William I's consort, Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and her maternal grandmother, Adelaide after the wife and consort of William IV of the United Kingdom and Hanover, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, She is in the line of succession to the Dutch throne with her paternal grandmother, father and her two elder brothers.

## Suitor to Grand Duke Paul William IV

From teens, Hereditary Grand Duke Paul William is seen as the ideal husband to the young Princess Elizabeth Adelaide, Despite not related to the grand ducal family of Schmidt-Reisdorf; He brought her as his future consort when he ascended the throne as Grand Duke. As his father Paul William III (1852 - 1917) was a proponent of the match as he chose a bride for his heir apparent; Although an engagement is reported to be close occasions on the young Princess is a fan of the match, describing the Hereditary Grand Duke as "loyal" and "focused". She was married to the future Grand Duke Paul William IV in April 16, 1911 (*aged 30*) and gave birth to Prince Bernhard (Grand Duke Bernhard I) in 1912 and Princess Louise Josephine in 1913, Her husband ascended the grand ducal throne in 1917 following her father-in-law's death and became *Grand Duchess consort* after ascending the throne.

## Marriage and Life as Hereditary Grand Duchess

In 1911, She and her fiancé Paul William while wearing a German Imperial military uniform, Thought the Hereditary grand duke (Paul William) called her a stunning young women. As he wanted to marry a German Saxon princess (Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach/Grand Duchy of Saxony). He than decided to marry her in the duchy; Her father-in-law corfirmed that his heir apparent will marry the sister of Grand Duke William Ernest and described his new daughter-in-law (Elisabeth Adelaide) as a "faithful" woman as he was impressed by her uniform. The wedding took place on April 16, 1911, in a private chapel, in the Kingdom of Saxony (originally planned in the grand duchy). Elizabeth Adelaide wore a white, rich silk dress and a veil covering her face; She wore her own grand ducal tiara (the Prinzessin Elisabeth Adelaide von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach tiara; the reproduction of the old, beautiful Bavarian Schmidt tiara) and A matching diamond earrings. Her mother-in-law covered her some and called her a "charming" As the princess made a bride for Paul William III's eldest son (the future Grand Duke Paul William IV); Her sister-in-law (Princess Charlotte Henrietta) written that described the Saxon princess "She's alright, and just a slim and came from a Saxon grand duchy; We already have our heir apparent (Paul William IV) to have married her, He deserved it.", Charlotte Henrietta's husband, Russian count Peter is also invited to the Saxon royal court and their children. Peter also wrote about her on his diary on his house in Tula; Her brother William Ernest is also seen; At the end of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth Adelaide of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Hereditary Grand Duke Paul William (Paul William IV). She became Hereditary Grand Duchess as the spouse of a heir apparent. Her parents-in-law gave her a house in Munich, in the former Kingdom of Bavaria as a wedding present to reside in the Bavarian kingdom, The grand ducal couple were honeymooned in Madrid (the Spanish capital), and returned happily; She got pregnant in her Munich house A few months she honeymooned and welcomed their first child, a son named Prince Bernhard (born April 16, 1912) next year in the same house in Munich, Both were satisfied since they were matched to be a couple. The same year she got pregnant After three months, She hoped the baby would be a girl; Her husband agreed, She gave birth to Princess Louise Josephine (born April 18, 1913; her only daughter). The couple lasted from April 16, 1911 until Paul William IV's death in 1960.

## Ascending the throne

Following the death of her father-in-law in 1917 at the age of 65, Her husband ascended the Grand Ducal throne in May 17, 1917 during World War I. She became Grand Duchess as a consort of the monarch; Her only son, Bernhard became the Hereditary Grand Duke and heir apparent to the throne. Paul William IV wrote "I've ascended the throne today after we're saddened about the death of my father, the Grand Duke. I could begin to rule my grand duchy and I inherited my father's titles, Good, My coronation date is August 28, 1917." As planned. Their coronation date is revealed to be August 28, 1917 this year, Her crown is Princess Elizabeth Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Grand ducal consort crown (replacing the tiara she wore on her wedding as Hereditary grand duchess). On August 28, A bishop crowned her with her own crown (Princess Elizabeth Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Grand ducal consort crown) with her husband was crown Grand Ducal Crown of Schmidt-Reisdorf. She was elected Grand Master of the Order of Paul William III by Paul William IV (her husband) until her death in 1963 and also a recipient of few orders along with her elder brother the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

## Death

She died on June 12, 1963 in her house in Munich, West Germany, aged 82. After three years of her husband's death; Her eldest child and only son Bernhard I and his eldest son and her grandson the then-Hereditary Grand Duke Bernhard (the then-Grand Duke Bernhard II) attended her funeral, As her daughter Princess Louise Josephine didn't attend. She attended after one year of her funeral; Today, She would have been at the age of 141 in 2021.