Prince Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen
| Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen | |
|---|---|
 Prince Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen, detail from a painting by Johann Valentin Tischbein | |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
| Father | Ernest Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
| Mother | Caroline of Erbach-Fürstenau |
| Born |
8 October 1730 Hildburghausen |
| Died | Öhringen |
Frederick William Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Eugen von Sachsen-Hildburghausen; born: 8 October 1730 in Hildburghausen; died: 4 December 1795 in Öhringen) was a Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Life
Eugene was the younger son of the Duke Ernest Frederick II of Saxe-Hildburghausen and his wife Countess Caroline of Erbach-Fürstenau (1700–1758 ). His godfather was, in addition to other princes, Prince Eugene of Savoy. At the wedding of his brother Ernest Frederick III Charles with the only daughter of the Danish royal couple, Eugene was awarded the Ordre de l'Union Parfaite. In Danish royal service he attained the rank of lieutenant-general of the infantry and in Hildburghausen, he was commander of the Artillery Corps.
In 1765, Prince Eugene founded the porcelain factory at Kloster Veilsdorf. Eugene's brother, the Duke, gave the factory many privileges. Economic success, however, remained low.
He was the owner of the manor Weitersroda where he founded a new parish and built a new church and a royal villa. In Hildburghausen, he was the tenant of the mint and builder of the so-called Hoheitshaus, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. Eugene was a skilled mechanic and gunner.
In 1769 he and his great-uncle Joseph and Duchess Charlotte Amalie of Saxe-Meiningen were appointed Commissioner for the completely indebted Principality of Saxe-Hildburghausen by Emperor Joseph II. He misappropriated assets, leading to the dispute with Prince Joseph.[1] He then moved in 1770 to his brother in Öhringen.
On 13 March 1778, he married his niece, the Princess Caroline (1761–1790), daughter of the Duke Ernest Frederick III Charles of Saxe-Hildburghausen. They had no children. Prince Eugene then moved in with his sister Amalie at Castle Öhringen, where he died in 1795.
References
- Heinrich Ferdinand Schoeppl: Die Herzoge von Sachsen-Altenburg, Bozen, 1917, reprinted Altenburg, 1992
- Dr. Rudolf Armin Human: Chronik der Stadt Hildburghausen, Hildburghausen, 1886
Footnotes
- ↑ Schöppl: The Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg, Bolzano, 1917, reprint Altenburg, 1992, p. 89