Henry, Duke of Saxe-Römhild
Duke Henry of Saxony- Römhild ( born November 19, 1650 in Gotha, † May 13 1710 in Römhild ) was the only regent of Saxony- Römhild and imperial general.
Life
Henry was the fourth son of Duke Ernst I the Pious of Saxe- Gotha (1601-1675) and his wife Elizabeth Sophia (1619-1680), daughter of Duke Johann Philipp of Saxe- Altenburg.
On March 1, 1676, he married in Darmstadt Marie Elisabeth of Hesse- Darmstadt ( 1656-1715 ), daughter of the Landgrave Louis VI. of Hesse- Darmstadt. In that year he moved his residence after Römhild. On February 24, 1680 seven sons Ernst the Pious divided the land among themselves and Heinrich received in the division offices and the cities Römhild, Königsberg, Themar, Behrungen and spleen as well as the Real 's fief.
Henry drew on November 18, 1680 with his young wife Marielies in Römhild and resided in the castle, which he called " Glücksburg " and rebuild according to his ideas and let set. Duke Henry unfolded otherwise a very active construction. Under his rule, among other things, the castle church, an office and customs house, four Kavalierhäuser of the Court nobility, a riding school, a racecourse and the orangery originated. The magnificent structures were the cavern house (after his wife, who he loved very much, also called Mary -Elisabeth pleasure) and the Summer Palace in Mertzelbach, built according to plans by the royal sculptor, Lux, who also painted the high altar in the Stiftskirchg. Many of these buildings no longer exist, but are in the self-published work he described in detail " The princely desire to build the Duke Henry of Saxony - Römhild ". The book is considered one of the few still existing, in writing, written testimonials about ephemeral architecture. Henry had also Bürgersee dry up and turn it into a pleasure garden and equipped the city church with a Baroque high altar, a magnificent royal box and a new organ.
The versed in mechanics, architecture and mathematics Heinrich entertained at Schloss Glücksburg a princely library, which he constantly expanded and came to his death at the Duke of Saxe- Gotha. From 1691 to 1693 he had performed with his brother Bernard, for which Duke Frederick II as regent in Saxony- Gotha. Henry was young came into imperial military service and in 1697 became the imperial General Feldzeugmeister, the following year he was awarded the Order of Elephant.
The luxurious court life and the representative royal household of the Duke helped the small country town Römhild to economic prosperity and cultural flowering. The costs exceeded the financial strength of Duke by far. As the popular ruler died unexpectedly in 1710, he left considerable debts. In his last four years he was the senior of the ernestinischinen house. His estate was auctioned.
Duke Henry was buried in the Altar Hall of Römhilder Collegiate. Today there are no inscription and no tomb.
His marriage remained childless and the Ernestine sidelines Römhild extinguished. The principality was founded in Coburg- Gotha Eisenberg Römhilder dispute over inheritance of Ernestine ( completed 1735) divided.