Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen

Emich Carl
Prince of Leiningen
Born	27 September 1763 Dürckheim
Died	4 July 1814 (aged 50) Amorbach
Spouse	Princess Henriette of Reuss-Ebersdorf (m. 1787–1801; her death) Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (m. 1803–14; his death)
Issue	with Princess Henriette: Prince Friedrich with Princess Victoria: Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
House	Leiningen
Father	Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, 1st Prince of Leiningen
Mother	Countess Christiane Wilhelmine Luise of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim

Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen (27 September 1763 – 4 July 1814) was a German nobleman. He is an ancestor of various European royals, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece. After his death, his widow, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, married a son of George III of Great Britain and became the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Biography

Background

Emich Carl was born at Dürckheim, the fourth child and only son of Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg by his wife Countess Christiane Wilhelmine Luise of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim. On 3 July 1779, his father was made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Emich Carl became Hereditary Prince of Leiningen. On 9 January 1807, he succeeded his father as second Prince of Leiningen.

Marriages and issue

Emich Carl was married firstly, on 4 July 1787, to Henriette, youngest daughter of Heinrich XXIV, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf, by his wife, Countess Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg. Henriette died on 3 September 1801. By this marriage, Emich Carl had issue one son, who died young and within the lifetime of his mother, being:

• Prince Friedrich Karl Heinrich Ludwig of Leiningen (1 March 1793 - 22 February 1800)

On 21 December 1803, two years after the death of his first wife, Emich married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, fourth daughter of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by his wife, Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. His second wife was a niece of his late wife. She bore him two further children:

• Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Emich (12 September 1804 - 13 November 1856); succeeded his father as third prince; married on 13 February 1829, Countess Maria Klebelsberg, and had issue.
• Princess Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine of Leiningen (7 December 1807 - 23 September 1872); married in 1828, Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and had issue. She is an ancestor of various European royals, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece.

Death and succession

Emich Carl died at Amorbach on the 4 July 1814 and was succeeded by his only surviving son, Carl Friedrich.

Post-mortem connections

Four years after his death, his widow was married to Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. By him, she had a single daughter, Princess Victoria of Kent, who would later become Queen regnant of the United Kingdom.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen

16. Friedrich Emich, Count of Leiningen-Hartenburg               8. Johann Friedrich, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenbur                       17. Countess Sybille of Waldeck-Wildungen               4. Friedrich Magnus, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg                             18. Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach               9. Margravine Katharina of Baden-Durlach                       19. Duchess Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp               2. Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, 1st Prince of Leiningen                                   20. Count Johann Eustachius of Wurmbrand-Stuppach               10. Johann Wilhelm, Count of Wurmbrand-Stuppach                       21. Baroness Maria Elisabeth Speild von Vatersdorf               5. Countess Anna Christine Eleonore von Wurmbrand-Stuppach                             22. Wolfgang Ehrenreich, Baron von Prösing               11. Baroness Susanna Josefa of Prösing-Stein                       23. Baroness Susanne Eleonore von Polheim               1. Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen                                         24. Johann August, Count of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim               12. Ludwig Heinrich, Count of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim                       25. Eleonore Cratz of Scharffenstein               6. Wilhelm Carl Ludwig, Count of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim                             26. Count Wilhelm Heinrich of Limpurg-Gaildorf               13. Countess Wilhelmine Christiane of Limpurg-Gaildorf                       27. Countess Elisabeth Dorothea of Limpurg-Gaildorf               3. Countess Christiane Wilhelmine Luise of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim                                   28. Count Johann Eustachius of Wurmbrand-Stuppach (= 20)               14. Johann Wilhelm, Count of Wurmbrand-Stuppach (= 10)                       29. Baroness Maria Elisabeth Speild von Vatersdorf (= 21)               7. Countess Maria Margareta Leopolda of Wurmbrand-Stuppach                             30. Count Wilhelm Heinrich of Limpurg-Gaildorf (= 26)               15. Countess Juliana Dorothea of Limpurg-Gaildorf                       31. Countess Elisabeth Dorothea of Limpurg-Gaildorf (=27)

Sources

• Thomas Gehrlein: Das Haus Leiningen. 900 Jahre Gesamtgeschichte mit Stammfolgen. Deutsche Fürstenhäuser. Heft 32. Börde Verlag, Werl 2011, ISBN 978-3-9811993-9-0, S. 25
• Marek, Miroslav. "leiningen/leiningen6.html#EC". Genealogy.EU.