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Line of succession to the Saxon throne

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The Kingdom of Saxony was abolished in 1918 when King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony abdicated. The current head of the royal house is Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen; he is married but has no children. The succession law until the abolition of the monarchy was semi-Salic primogeniture and required the successor to be born of an equal marriage.[1] Accordingly, the line of succession to Maria Emanuel at present is:[1]

  1. HRH Prince Albert of Saxony (b. 1934)
  2. HRH Prince Dedo of Saxony (b. 1922)

Contents

[edit] Alternative succession scenarios

[edit] Saxe-Gessaphe

In May 1997 (after several years of contemplations and preparations, following the death of his nephew and designated heir, Prince Johannes of Saxe-Coburg in 1987), the Margrave of Meissen chose the son of yet another sister as his heir, Alexander de Afif (b. 1953),[2][3] son of Princess Anna of Saxony (b. 1929). The margrave adopted him two years later, which gave him the legal name of Prinz von Sachsen, Herzog zu Sachsen,[4] although he had legally assumed the name Prinz von Sachsen-Gessaphe on 25 August 1972.[4] Since Alexander has three sons and a daughter by his 1987 marriage to Princess Gisela of Bavaria (b.1964),[2] his selection as heir offered the likelihood of compliance with the dynasty's marital laws for another generation.

It is not altogether clear whether the Afif-Gessaphe marriage met Saxony's equality requirements. The Afifs descend from a Maronite Christian family of emirs and sheiks in Lebanon.[5][3] Some sources now attribute princely rank to this family, while others ascribe to it a lesser status.[3] In May 1997 the remaining male dynasts of the house, Princes Albert, Dedo and Gero (1925-2003), consented to the margrave's decision.[3]

If the Gessaphes were not of sufficient birth rank for Princess Maria Anna's 1953 marriage to Robert de Afif to be deemed dynastic, the agnates' approval of their son Alexander's status as the dynasty's eventual heir amounted to his de-morganatization, a prerogative that Germany's common law of princes (gemeines Fürstenrecht) allowed agnates to exercise irrevocably when done unanimously, but which would violate the old Saxon constitution's requirement for dynastic birth.[6] In any event, the margrave's brother, Prince Albert, subsequently stated that he no longer accepts the designation of Alexander as dynastic heir, while the Margrave Maria Emanuel continues to defend his choice. The line of succession within the Saxe-Gessaphe line is:

  1. Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe (b. 1954)
  2. Prince Georg Philipp of Saxe-Gessaphe (b. 1988)
  3. Prince Mauricio-Gabriel Roberto of Saxe-Gessaphe (b. 1989)
  4. Prince Paul-Clemens of Saxe-Gessaphe (b. 1993)

[edit] Timo branch

Another potential line of succession emerges if equality requirements are discarded, then Prince Rüdiger, son of Prince Timo of Saxony (1923-1982), and his legitimate descendants would be included in the line of succession. This requires the de-morganatization of Timo's marriage, an act which could be undertaken by unanimous vote of the remaining agnates, as was done for Alexander in 1997 (the last surviving male dynast might do it through a unilateral decision). Thus, its fate depends on who will be the last surviving male dynast, and the extent of his dynastic "authority" under the old monarchical laws.

  1. Prince Albert of Saxony (b. 1934)
  2. Prince Dedo of Saxony (b. 1922)
  3. Prince Rüdiger of Saxony (b. 1953)
  4. Prince Daniel of Saxony (b. 1975)
  5. Prince Arne of Saxony (b. 1977)
  6. Prince Nils of Saxony (b. 1978)
  7. Prince Moritz of Saxony (b. 2009)

[edit] Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern

Yet another potential claimant due to the semi-Salic succession law used in Saxony would be Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern (b 1924). He is the son of Princess Margaret of Saxony (1900-1962), the eldest aunt of the Margrave of Meissen. The succession would fall to Prince Frederick William in case the marriage of Anna, the mother of the Saxe-Gessaphe claimant, and elder sister of the present margrave, is deemed non-dynastic despite the actions of the margrave and agnates to de-morganatize it. It would also require that no family pact (Erbverbrüderung) exists which allocated the kingdom to another dynasty upon extinction of the Wettin royal branch, since Saxony's constitution recognized the validity of such pacts.[6][1] The line of succession after Frederick William, who had also been considered in the line of succession to the defunct throne of Romania, can be found here.

[edit] Ernestine Wettins

Paragraph 6 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Saxony states: "Die Krone ist erblich in dem Mannsstamme des Sächsischen Fürstenhauses nach dem Rechte der Erstgeburt und der agnatischen Linealfolge, vermöge Abstammung aus ebenbürtiger Ehe." ("...hereditary in the male line of the Saxon princely house.."). Since the "Sächsischen Fürstenhauses" included all dynastic members of the various Wettin branches which ruled the Ernestine duchies until 1918, any of these agnates fit this requirement and might, theoretically, claim the royal Saxon throne in accordance with primogeniture.

This rationale might make the titular Grand Duke of Saxony, Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the royal heir by primogeniture after extinction of the Albertine branch (which is the most junior line of the House of Wettin although it alone attained the rank of a kingdom within Germany).

However, in the house laws of the Kingdom of Saxony the term Albertinischer Linie refers exclusively to Wettin dynasts of the royal branch, male and female, eligible to inherit Saxony's throne,[1] and may constitute exclusion of the Ernestine agnates in their favor.

One or more of the Ernestine Wettins may also have claims superior to descendants of both female and de-morganatized Albertine dynasts if an Erbverbrüderung had been signed between the Albertine and any of the Ernestine branches of the dynasty. There are a number of extant lines of the House of Wettin (Weimar, Meiningen and Coburg; and the most junior of them, Coburg, includes the sub-branches of Windsor, Coburg proper, Kohary, Bulgaria and Belgium) who ruled the various Ernestine duchies. It should, again, be borne in mind that Saxony's royal constitution required that any successor to the throne be born of an equal marriage, therefore Wettins who may qualify as dynastic princes under other house laws, might not be eligible under royal Saxon law:

[edit] Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Head: HRH Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

  1. HH Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. 1946)
  2. HH Prince Georg-Constantin of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. 1977)

[edit] Saxe-Meiningen

Head: HH Konrad, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (born 1952)

(unclear: Prince Frederick Constantin of Saxe-Meiningen (b. 1980), nephew of Konrad the above-mentioned, son of his elder half-brother, who was originally deemed morganatic.)

[edit] Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

In 1863 Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and Arthur, Duke of Connaught deferred their rights for themselves and their descendants to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in favor of their younger brother. By those deferments the present Gloucester and Kent members of the British Royal family would have succession rights to the duchy only after the line of Leopold, Duke of Albany.

In 1932 Hereditary Prince Johann Leopold (son of Duke Charles Edward) made a non-dynastic marriage and under the then house laws his descendants lost any rights to the succession of the ducal throne. Neither are they entitled to the style and title "His/Her Highness Prince/Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha", however they may use the title in German for their surname - Prinz/Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha.[7] His descendants do have the right to petition for the restoration of the Dukedom of Albany and other British peerages. The current heir to that title is his grandson, Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 1961).

The present Head of the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is HH Prince Andreas, titular Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b.1943), grandson of Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

  1. HH Hubertus, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1975)
  2. HH Prince Alexander of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1977)
  3. HH Prince Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1955)
  4. Simon Coburg (b. 1985), who claims the style and title HH Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.[7]
  5. Daniel Coburg (b. 1988), who claims the style and title HH Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.[7]
  6. HH Prince John Henry of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1931), father of the late young Prince Johannes, who was nephew of Margrave Maria Emanuel (above)
  7. (originally morganatic) HH Prince Philipp August Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1944)
  8. (originally morganatic) HH Prince Maximilian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1972)
  9. (originally morganatic) HH Prince Alexander Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1978)
  10. HM Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria (b. 1937)
  11. HRH Prince Kardam of Bulgaria, Prince of Turnovo (b. 1962)
  12. HRH Prince Boris of Bulgaria (b. 1997)
  13. HRH Prince Beltran of Bulgaria (b. 1999)
  14. HRH Prince Kyrill of Bulgaria, Prince of Preslav (b. 1964)
  15. HRH Prince Tassilo of Bulgaria, Prince of Preslav (b. 2002)
  16. HRH Prince Kubrat of Bulgaria, Prince of Panagiurishte (b. 1965)
  17. HRH Prince Mirko of Bulgaria, Prince of Panagiurishte (b. 1995)
  18. HRH Prince Lukás of Bulgaria, Prince of Panagiurishte (b. 1997)
  19. HRH Prince Tirso of Bulgaria, Prince of Panagiurishte (b. 2002)
  20. HRH Prince Konstantin-Assen of Bulgaria, Prince of Vidin (b. 1967)
  21. HRH Prince Umberto of Bulgaria, Prince of Vidin (b. 1999)
  22. HM King Albert II of Belgium (b. 1934)
  23. HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (b. 1960)
  24. HRH Prince Gabriel of Belgium (b. 2003)
  25. HRH Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (b. 2005)
  26. HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium (b. 1963)
  27. HRH Prince Nicolas of Belgium (b. 2005)
  28. HRH Prince Aymeric of Belgium (b. 2005)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Velde, François. "House Laws of the Kingdom of Saxony". Heraldica.org. http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/HGSachsen-K.htm#1900. Retrieved on 2009-06-16. 
  2. ^ a b McIntosh, David (1999 07). "Archduchess Luise of Tuscany and the Saxon Royal Family". European Royal History Journal (Arturo E. Beeche): 39. 
  3. ^ a b c d Willis, Daniel (1999). The Descendants of Louis XIII. Baltimore: Clearfield. pp. 765-766. ISBN 0-8063-4942-5. 
  4. ^ a b (in German) Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels Fürstliche Häuser Band XVIII. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke. 2007. p. 11. ISBN 978-3-7980-0841-0. 
  5. ^ Cannuyer, Christian (1989). "Saxe" (in French). Les maisons royales et souveraines d'Europe. Tournhout, Belgium: Editions Brepols. pp. page 207. ISBN 2-503-50017-X. 
  6. ^ a b Velde, François. "Reading Notes on Family Law in German Ruling Families of the 19th c.". Heraldica.org. http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/Zoepfl.htm#Practice. Retrieved on 2009-06-16. 
  7. ^ a b c Descendants of Prince Leopold of Great Britain, Duke of Albany

[edit] External links

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