Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen


Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen was a German nobleman. He is an ancestor of various European royals, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece. After his death, his widow, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, married a son of George III of the United Kingdom and became the mother of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom.

Biography

Background

Emich Carl was born at Dürckheim, the fourth child and only son of Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg by his wife Countess Christiane Wilhelmine Luise of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim. On 3 July 1779, his father was made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Emich Carl became Hereditary Prince of Leiningen. On 9 January 1807, he succeeded his father as second Prince of Leiningen.

Marriages and issue

Emich Carl was married firstly, on 4 July 1787, to Henriette, youngest daughter of Heinrich XXIV, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf, by his wife, Countess Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg. Henriette died on 3 September 1801. By this marriage, Emich Carl had issue one son, who died young and within the lifetime of his mother, being:
On 21 December 1803, two years after the death of his first wife, Emich married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, fourth daughter of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by his wife, Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. His second wife was a niece of his late wife. She bore him two further children:
Emich Carl died at Amorbach on 4 July 1814, and was succeeded by his only surviving son, Carl Friedrich.

Post-mortem connections

Four years after his death, his widow was married to Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. By him, she had a single daughter, Princess Victoria of Kent, who would later become Queen regnant of the United Kingdom.

Ancestry