Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1888–1913)
| Princess Sophie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | |||||
| Born |
25 July 1888 Düsseldorf |
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| Died | 18 September 1913 (aged 25) Heidelberg |
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| Burial | Weimar Royal Vault, Weimar, Germany | ||||
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| House | House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||||
| Father | Prince William of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||||
| Mother | Princess Gerta of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach | ||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| German: Sophie Augustine Ida Karoline Pauline Agnes Elisabeth Ernestine |
Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (25 July 1888 – 18 September 1913) was a great-granddaughter of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who was a younger brother of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Her life ended in scandal after she committed suicide in apparent reaction to her family's refusal to allow her to marry Hans von Bleichröder, the son of a local banker. Reports speculating about their relationship and her later death were widespread in German and foreign newspapers. Sophie is believed to be the first European royal woman cremated.
Sophie was born in Düsseldorf as the only daughter of Prince William of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Princess Gerta of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach. She was a great great granddaughter of Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as a great granddaughter of William I of Württemberg. On her mother's side, Sophie was a great granddaughter of Frederick William, Elector of Hesse's morganatic marriage to Gertrude Falkenstein, Princess of Hanau.
Due to her parents' lack of wealth, Sophie was brought up at Heidelberg, where they had settled for economy's sake; their family was mainly supported by gifts from the Weimar court. There she led the existence of a private lady of rank, and was able to travel with much more freedom than would have been possible at the Weimar court. Sophie was very popular in the city, especially among aristocratic students from the local university. She used to frequent the houses of notable people in the town; it was there that she met Hans von Bleichroeder, a rising lawyer and the son of a powerful banker. In addition, she and her parents were much beloved in Heidelberg for the interest they took in the poor and the general public welfare, in spite of their lack of wealth.
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