Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen

Marie Elisabeth
Princess of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Marie Elisabeth, c. 1875
Born	(1853-09-23)23 September 1853 Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	22 February 1923(1923-02-22) (aged 69) Obersendling, Free State of Bavaria, Weimar Republic
Full name German: Maria Elisabeth von Sachsen-Meiningen
House	Saxe-Meiningen
Father	Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Mother	Princess Charlotte of Prussia

Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen (23 September 1853 – 22 February 1923) was the only daughter of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen by his first wife Princess Charlotte of Prussia. She was notable as a musician and composer. One of her most famous works is Romanze in F major for clarinet and piano.

Princess Marie Elisabeth was born on 23 September 1853 in Potsdam. She was the third child and only daughter of Georg, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen by his first wife Princess Charlotte of Prussia, and had only one surviving brother, Hereditary Prince Bernhard. Her parent's marriage was very happy, as it was the rare instance of a love match rather than a marriage of state. In 1855, tragedy struck with the death of their younger infant brother; Charlotte died three months later in childbirth. Georg was inconsolable, but remarried several years later to Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in order to provide a mother for his remaining young children. Marie Elisabeth's father succeeded as Duke Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen in 1866. His second marriage was unhappy; it produced three younger brothers (Ernst, Friedrich, and Viktor) for Marie Elisabeth before Feodora's death in 1872.

Marie Elisabeth's father participated in the Franco-Prussian War, where he fought in nearly every battle. After the war, Georg II devoted himself to the stage, and his court became famous for its brilliance and culture. A year after Feodora's death, Georg II married for a third and last time to Ellen Franz, a stage actress. A happy marriage, together they founded the Meiningen Ensemble, which became the centre for dramatic art in Germany.