Prince Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen


Frederick William Eugene of Saxe-Hildburghausen 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. 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.
Following his disgrace for misappropriation of money, Eugene needed a place to stay. His sister Amalie and her husband Prince Louis of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Oehringen invited him to live with them at Castle Öhringen. He accepted their offer and moved in 1770 to Öhringen. A few years later, on 13 March 1778, Eugene married his niece, the Princess Caroline, daughter of his brother Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. They had no children. Eugene and his wife resided at Öhringen, in the principality ruled by his brother-in-law Louis, and on a modest property belonging to him, until their respective deaths. Eugene's wife Caroline wife died in 1790 and Eugene died in 1795.

Ancestry

Footnotes