Princess Marie Alexandrine | |||||
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Princess Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz | |||||
Princess Marie, c. 1900.
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Born |
Weimar |
20 January 1849||||
Died | 6 May 1922 Trebschen |
(aged 73)||||
Spouse | Prince Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz | ||||
Issue |
Prince Heinrich XXXII Reuss of Köstritz Prince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss of Köstritz Princess Johanna Reuss of Köstritz Princess Sophie Renate Reuss of Köstritz Prince Heinrich XXXV Reuss of Köstritz |
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House |
House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (by birth) House of Reuss (by marriage) |
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Father | Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||||
Mother | Princess Sophie of the Netherlands |
Full name | |
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Marie Alexandrine Anne Sophie Auguste Helene Prinzessin von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach |
Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Marie Alexandrine Anne Sophie Auguste Helene; 20 January 1849 – 6 May 1922) was the eldest daughter and second child of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Princess Sophie of the Netherlands.
Through her mother, Marie was second-in-line to the Dutch throne after her nephew William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from 1900 to the birth of Princess Juliana in 1909. As her nephew was expected to abdicate his right to the throne in favor of retaining his title, Marie was expected to directly inherit the Dutch Crown upon the possible death of her still childless cousin Wilhelmina. The birth of Juliana subsequently changed the succession.
The young princess studied painting and made a portrait of the popular teacher August Allebé in 1886, which indicates that she probably attended a few of his open studio lessons for ladies in Amsterdam, but also indicated that she had not given up painting after her marriage.
As a young girl, Marie and her cousin Princess Pauline were considered as possible brides for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom). Nothing came of this however, as his mother Queen Victoria believed Marie's teeth to be "almost black"; both girls were considered nice, but "delicate and not pretty". The prince later married Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
On 6 February 1876 in Weimar, Marie married Prince Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz. They had the following children:
The death of William III of the Netherlands meant his underage daughter Wilhelmina became Queen at the age of ten. Wilhelmina married Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1901, but the marriage remained childless until the birth of Princess Juliana in 1909. Thus between 1890 and 1909 the heirs to the Dutch throne were first, Marie's mother Princess Sophie of the Netherlands and with her death in 1897 her grandson William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. The succession issue became particularly important after Queen Wilhelmina suffered from an attack of typhoid in the early 1900s.