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Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen

Prince Friedrich
Prince Frederick John of Saxe-Meiningen.jpg
Born (1861-10-12)12 October 1861
Meiningen
Died 23 August 1914(1914-08-23) (aged 52)
Tarcienne (Walcourt)
Spouse Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Issue Feodora, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Adelaide, Princess Adalbert of Prussia
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Prince Ernst Leopold
Princess Luise Marie
Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen
Full name
Friedrich Johann Bernhard Hermann Heinrich Moritz
House Saxe-Meiningen
Father Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Mother Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Full name
Friedrich Johann Bernhard Hermann Heinrich Moritz

Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen, Duke of Saxony (Full given names: Friedrich Johann Bernhard Hermann Heinrich Moritz; 12 October 1861 - 23 August 1914) was a German soldier and member of the Ducal House of Saxe-Meiningen.

Prince Friedrich was born in Meiningen the second son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his second wife Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a descendant of Diego Velázquez.

Prince Friedrich attended the University of Bonn where unusually for a royal prince he refused to accept an adjutant or maintain a horse and carriage. At university due to his royal status he was a member of the exclusive "Borussia" student dueling corps. Although the future William II, German Emperor was a prominent member, Prince Friedrich was not active in the group, rarely attending meetings, instead preferring to shun social life in favour of concentrating on his studies. He narrowly escaped serious injury at Bonn when a retort blew up near him during a chemical experiment.

After finishing his studies Prince Friedrich entered into the army. Just as he had at university while a lieutenant in Strassbourg he was not an active member of society focusing on the study of artillery. He was promoted to colonel in 1902, brigadier general in 1907 and major general in 1910 before retiring from the army in 1913.

With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Prince Friedrich, despite suffering a broken arm a short while before hand, returned to active service. Prince Friedrich met his death fighting in Tarcienne during the invasion of Belgium. His son Prince Georg travelled to meet his father's regiment to discover his father's fate. He discovered his father had been struck by shrapnel or machine gun bullets when he left a house he was using as an observation post.


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