Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Portrait by Sir William Beechey, c.1831
Queen consort of the United Kingdom
and Hanover
Tenure26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837
Coronation8 September 1831
Born(1792-08-13)13 August 1792
Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
Died2 December 1849(1849-12-02) (aged 57)
Bentley Priory, Middlesex, England
Burial13 December 1849
Spouse
William IV of the United Kingdom
(m. 1818; died 1837)
Issue
Full name
Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline
German: Adelheid Amalie Luise Therese Caroline
HouseSaxe-Meiningen
FatherGeorg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
MotherLouise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
SignatureAdelaide of Saxe-Meiningen's signature

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (13 August 1792 – 2 December 1849) was the wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom. She was the daughter of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Life

Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany. She was the first child of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Luise Eleonore. At her baptism, she had twenty-one godparents, including:

  • her mother
  • Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the Holy Roman Empress
  • Maria Carolina of Austria, the Queen of Naples and Sicily
  • Maria Theresa of Austria, the Crown Princess of Saxony
  • Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
  • Princess Sophie Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg
  • Landgravine Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (1757–1830), Duchess of Saxe-Weimar
  • Karl Ludwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Adolph, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld[1]

On 11 July 1818, Adelaide married Prince William, Duke of Clarence. It was a double wedding with William's younger brother, Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. When they married, William was second in line to become king. He became first in line when his brother, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, died in 1827. William and Adelaide became King and Queen of the United Kingdom when William's older brother, king George IV died in 1830.

William and Adelaide were King and Queen until William died in 1837. Adelaide died on 2 December 1849, aged 57.

Things named after Adelaide

The following are some of the things named after Adelaide:

Settlements

Other things

  • Adelaide Hospital in Dublin
  • Adelaide River, in the Northern Territory of Australia
  • Fort Adelaide, in Port Louis, Mauritius
  • Queen Adelaide Archipelago in Chile
  • Adelaide Island, in Antarctica
  • 525 Adelaide, an asteroid

Children

Name Birth Death Notes
Princess Charlotte of Clarence 27 March 1819 Died a few hours after being baptised, in Hanover.[3]
Stillborn child 5 September 1819 Born dead at Calais[4] or Dunkirk.[3]
Princess Elizabeth of Clarence 10 December 1820 4 March 1821 Born and died at St James's Palace.[3]
Stillborn twin boys 8 April 1822 Born dead at Bushy Park.[5]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
8. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen[6]
4. Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen[6]
9. Princess Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel[6]
2. Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
10. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal[6]
5. Princess Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Philippsthal[6]
11. Princess Caroline Christine of Saxe-Eisenach[6]
1. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
12. Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
6. Christian Albrecht, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
13. Countess Eleonore of Nassau-Saarbrücken
3. Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
14. Frederick Charles, Prince of Stolberg-Gedern
7. Princess Caroline of Stolberg-Gedern
15. Countess Louise of Nassau-Saarbrücken

References

  1. Sandars, p.17
  2. Rodney Cockburn, South Australia What's in a Name? Adelaide: Axiom Publishing. 3rd Edition. Reprinted 2002 Pg 3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Weir, pp. 303–304.
  4. Ziegler, p. 126
  5. Ziegler, pp. 126–127.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 104.

Sources

Other websites

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 13 August 1792 Died: 2 December 1849
British royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Caroline of Brunswick
Queen consort of the United Kingdom
1830–1837
Vacant
Title next held by
Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
as Prince consort
Queen consort of Hanover
1830–1837
Succeeded by
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz