Henry, Duke of Saxe-Römhild
| Duke Henry of Saxe-Römhild | |
|---|---|
Duke Henry of Saxe-Römhild as a general in armor with a baton and wig, engraving by Peter Schenk the Elder, today in the Kupferstichkabinett, State Art Collections Dresden, Dresden
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| Duke of Saxe-Römhild | |
| Reign | 1675–1710 |
| Successor | John Ernest IV |
| Born |
19 November 1650 Gotha |
| Died | 13 May 1710 (aged 59) Römhild |
| Burial | Römhild |
| Spouse | Marie Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt |
| House | House of Wettin |
| Father | Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg |
| Mother | Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg |
Henry of Saxe-Römhild (19 November 1650 – 13 May 1710) was a duke of Saxe-Römhild.
He was born in Gotha, as the seventh but fourth surviving son of Ernest I the Pious of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. After the death of their father, in 1675, Henry and his brothers co-ruled the duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. On 24 February 1680, after the treaty of division of the family lands with his brothers, he received Saxe-Römhild, which consisted of the cities of Römhild, Königsberg (now in Bavaria), Themar, Behrungen and Milz and the fiefdom of Echter.
In Darmstadt on 1 March 1676, Henry married Marie Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt. They had no children.
From 18 November 1680 Henry and his young wife Marielies lived in what they called Glücksburg castle in Römhild. Duke Henry unfolded brisk construction activity. He had his castle remodeled and rebuilt according to his wishes. During his rule the castle church was built, and a customs house, and four houses for the court nobility, plus a riding school, a race track and the Orangerie. Among the more magnificent structures were a cave house named Marie Elizabeth Delight, named after his wife, whom he loved very much, and a pleasure palace in Mertzelbach, designed by the court sculptor Lux, who also created the high altar in the Abbey Church. Many of these buildings no longer exist, but Henry described them in detail in his book The Princely desire to build of Duke Henry of Saxe-Römhild, which he published himself. This book is considered one of the few remaining contemporary testimonies on ephemeral architecture. Henry also had lake Bürgersee drained and converted it into a pleasure garden. He equipped the city church with a Baroque high altar, an ornate royal box and a new organ.
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Wikipedia