Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena
| Bernhard II | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duke of Saxe-Jena | |
| Reign | 1672–1678 |
| Predecessor | New Creation |
| Successor | Johann Wilhelm |
| Born |
14 October 1638 Weimar |
| Died | 3 May 1678 (aged 39) Jena |
| Spouse | Marie Charlotte de la Trémoille |
| Issue |
Charlotte Marie, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Jena |
| House | House of Wettin |
| Father | Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar |
| Mother | Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena (Weimar, 14 October 1638 – Jena, 3 May 1678), was duke of Saxe-Jena.
He was the seventh child but fourth surviving son of Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau.
Bernhard attended the University of Jena from February 1654 until November 1657. Subsequently, he was pulled into political affairs when his father sent him to Paris in order to strengthen the relations of Ernestine line with the King Louis XIV, hopefully through a marriage. The French king, however, made him wait eighteen months for an audience. The stay in France finally led to his marriage to Marie Charlotte de la Trémoille, daughter of Henri de La Trémoille and Marie de La Tour d'Auvergne. Her family were residents of the French court where they bore the rank of princes étrangers. The wedding took place in Paris on 10 June 1662. Shortly after, the couple moved to Jena, where their five children were born:
In 1662 Bernhard and his brothers divided the paternal inheritance, and he received Jena.
The marriage of Bernhard and Marie Charlotte was totally unhappy, and, were they seemingly irreconcilable, the duke had decided to marry one of the ladies of his court, Marie Elisabeth of . He solemnly promised that he would divorce his wife and marry her, and she ceded to his advances. They had one daughter:
Meanwhile, Bernhard's efforts to have his marriage annulled were unsuccessful, as no theologian or jurist could give him grounds for divorce; and he appeared to reconcile himself with Marie Charlotte.
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