Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (in German: Johann Leopold William Albert Ferdinand Victor; 2 August 1906 – 4 May 1972) was the eldest son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
| Johann Leopold | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |||||
 Johann Leopold aged 9 or 10 | |||||
| Born | 2 August 1906 Callenberg Castle, Coburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Germany | ||||
| Died | 4 May 1972 (aged 65) Grein, Austria | ||||
| Spouse | Feodora von der Horst (m. 1932; div. 1962) Maria Theresia Reindl (m. 1963; his death 1972) | ||||
| Issue | Princess Caroline Mathilde Prince Ernst Leopold Prince Peter Albert | ||||
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| House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Father | Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||
| Mother | Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg | ||||
Early life
editJohann Leopold was born 2 August 1906 at Callenberg Castle in Coburg as the eldest son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
He was heir-apparent, from his birth, until the forced abdication of his father on 18 November 1918, to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The abdication was a result of the German Revolution.
As a youth in Germany's politically unsettled post-World-War-I period Johann Leopold was involved in right wing paramilitary activity supported by his father.[1]
Marriage
editCharles Edward hoped to arrange a marriage between Prince Johann Leopold and Princess Juliana, heir presumptive to his first cousin Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. The match never materialized, with Charles Edward blaming his "useless" son.[1]
Johann Leopold's first wife was Baroness Feodora Marie Alma Margarete von der Horst (1905–1991), who divorced Wolf Sigismund, Baron Pergler von Perglas, in 1931. They married morganatically on 9 March 1932. The prince was forced to cede his own succession rights at the time of the marriage. The couple had three children and were divorced on 27 February 1962. His second wife was Maria Theresa Elizabeth Reindl (1908–1996), whom he married morganatically on 3 May 1963. They had no children.
Issue
edit| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Baroness Feodora von der Horst | |||
| Caroline Mathilde Adelheid Sibylla Marianne Erika Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 5 April 1933; Hirschberg, Thuringia | ||
| Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 14 January 1935; Hirschberg, Thuringia | 27 June 1996; Bad Wiessee | |
| Peter Albert Friedrich Josias Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 12 June 1939; Dresden | ||
Ancestry
edit| Ancestors of Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
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References
edit- ^ a b Urbach, Karina (2015). Go-Betweens for Hitler. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 155, 178. ISBN 978-0191008672.