Person

William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

1876–1923 · 20th century · Also known as Wilhelm Ernst

William Ernest was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, reigning from 1901 until the German Revolution. He was an unpopular, authoritarian ruler, though Weimar's art school and the reformist designer Henry van de Velde flourished under his patronage. He abdicated on 9 November 1918, and in 1920 his former grand duchy became part of the new Land of Thuringia.

William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Image: Otto Hoffmann, Weimar · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Principality of FürstenbergDuchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-ernest-grand-duke-of-saxe-weimar-eisenach
MLA
“William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-ernest-grand-duke-of-saxe-weimar-eisenach. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-ernest-grand-duke-of-saxe-weimar-eisenach.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-ernest-grand-duke-of-saxe-weimar-eisenach (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻