| Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | |
| Karl August | |
| Full Name: | German: Karl August Wilhelm Nicolaus Alexander Michael Bernhard Heinrich Frederick Stefan English: Charles Augustus William Nicholas Alexander Michael Bernhard Henry Frederick Stephen |
| Spouse: | Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Issue: | Grand Duke William Ernest Prince Bernhard Karl |
| House: | House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Father: | Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Mother: | Sophie of the Netherlands |
| Birth Date: | 31 July 1844 |
| Birth Place: | Weimar |
| Death Place: | Cap Martin, France |
| Burial Place: | Weimar royal crypt, Germany |
Karl August, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (31 July 1844 – 20 November 1894) was a German prince and Hereditary Grand Duke (Erbgroßherzog) of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Born in Weimar, Karl was the only son of Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Princess Sophie of the Netherlands. He would serve in the army of the Grand Duchy of Saxony (Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach) and he was present when Wilhelm I was crowned as German emperor.[1] [2]
Because his mother was a daughter of King William II of the Netherlands and his older uncles, except King William III, died childless, Karl August was second in line in the succession to the throne of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1894. He was preceded only by his mother. This was the reason for him learning to write and speak fluent Dutch, due to the possibility of Karl August becoming king if his cousin Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands died without issue.
In leisure, Karl dedicated himself to his copperplate collection and coin cabinet. He was also interested in the Grand Ducal Library and the newly built archive, where he often studied historical documents on the history of the house.[3] His popularity and his uncomplicated outreach to the residents of the Grand Duchy made him a beloved leader of the duchy.
Karl August died at Cap Martin, France, six years before his father; because of this, his eldest son Wilhelm Ernst succeeded his grandfather as Grand Duke. Karl August is buried in the Weimar royal crypt.
In Friedrichshafen on 26 August 1873 Karl August married Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They were second cousins, as she was the paternal granddaughter of Prince Bernhard, who had been in the service of the king of the Netherlands and was a younger brother of the Grand Duke Karl Frederick of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the grandfather of Karl August. Her maternal grandparents were William I of Württemberg and his third wife Pauline Therese.
Karl August and Pauline had two sons:
He received the following awards:[4]