Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum of Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Charles Alexander

Beautiful set in almost mint condition from Meiji Era. Awarded to Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Charles Alexander on March 9, 1882.

Collection of Veste Coburg /Coburg Fortress/.

 

On display during 2018 exhibition "Chrysanthemum and Falcon. Carl Alexander and Japan – Weimar ∙ Jena ∙ Tokyo/Chrysantheme und Falke. Carl Alexander und Japan – Weimar ∙ Jena ∙ Tokyo" at the Weimar City Palace/Stadtschloss Weimar.

 

Charles Alexander (Karl Alexander August Johann; 24 June 1818 – 5 January 1901) was born in Weimar, Karl Alexander was the second but eldest surviving son of Karl Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. His mother engaged as tutor for Karl the Swiss scholar Frédéric Soret who became a close acquaintance to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

When he was the Hereditary Grand Duke, Karl Alexander established a strong friendship with Fanny Lewald and Hans Christian Andersen, but this close relationship stopped in 1849 for the war against Denmark over the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein (the First Schleswig War). On 8 July 1853 his father died, and Karl Alexander became Grand Duke; however, he postponed his constitutional accession until Goethe's birthday, on 28 August 1853.

Karl Alexander renovated Wartburg Castle and left his traces in many places in Eisenach. He was the protector of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt, retained the tradition of Weimar's classical period, and gave the old part of Weimar a new and better appearance with the establishment of the Herder monument and the double monument for Goethe and Schiller. In 1860, he founded the Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar (with Arnold Böcklin, Franz von Lenbach, and the plastic artist Reinhold Begas). As Grand Duke he was automatically rector, or president, of the University of Jena, where he supported especially the collections, among them prominently the Oriental Coin Cabinet.

In the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), Karl Alexander participated only in "Samaritan"; he stressed, however, for his entrance into the war in favor of Schleswig in 1849. The Weimar Congress of the Goethe Federation (opposing the Lex Heinze) occurred towards the end of his reign, in November 1900. That congress described his government as the Silver Age of Weimar.

In late December 1900, Karl Alexander reportedly fell ill with influenza. His condition soon worsened, becoming complicated with inflammation of the lungs and a slowing heart rate before the end of the month.[4][5] He died at Weimar on 5 January 1901. Following his death, he was succeeded as Grand Duke by his grandson Wilhelm Ernst, his only son Carl August having predeceased him.​

 

The Grand Duke, with his love of foreign languages and distant countries, had already been very interested in the land of the rising sun, which was probably reinforced by his experiences at the 1873 World Exhibition.

The first contacts with the Japan were made through a high-ranking Japanese delegation that was also present in Vienna. This marked the beginning of a close relationship between the Grand Duke and the Meiji Emperor, which had an impact on the economy, administration and culture of both countries. Carl Alexander enabled Japanese officials to exchange experiences with his Weimar authorities, particularly in the financial, military and educational sectors. As a father of the country, Carl Alexander knew how to use his connections to Japan wisely by acquiring works of art that enriched his collections and exhibitions and sometimes served as models for the craftsmen in the Grand Duchy. Faraway Japan also played a role as a potential new market.

Around 1880, the number of Germans in the land of the rising sun rose sharply, which was also due to young men from Thuringia who began their professional careers in Japan. Since the Grand Duke was particularly concerned with the spread of German culture and Christian values, he took over the protectorate of the General Evangelical Protestant Missionary Society, founded in Weimar in 1884. This made a significant contribution to the establishment of Christian communities in Tokyo. Carl Alexander regularly received reports from the Germans working in Japan, especially from the members of the German communities in Tokyo and Yokohama, which included the German ambassador Theodor von Holleben.

Grand Duke Carl Alexander and the Meiji Emperor never met in person. Contact between the two rulers was mainly established through high-ranking government representatives and travelers. The Grand Duke's nephew, Prince Hermann Bernhard of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, who was in Japan in June 1888 and received at the imperial court, would certainly have given his uncle a vivid account of his experiences. On the Japanese side, it was primarily the envoy Alexander von Siebold, eldest son of the doctor and founder of international research into Japan, Philipp Franz von Siebold, and the Japanese diplomat and politician Shuzo Aoki, who established contacts in East Asia for Carl Alexander.

The fact that the two heads of government held each other in high regard despite their geographical distance is demonstrated by the fact that they awarded each other their highest honours. Carl Alexander received the Imperial Japanese Chrysanthemum Order in the early 1880s, and the Meiji Emperor was awarded the Grand Cross of the Grand Duke's House Order of Vigilance or of the White Falcon in 1882. He thanked the Grand Duke of Saxony with a warm-hearted letter, which he stamped with the Japanese state seal and sealed with his imperial symbol, the chrysanthemum.​

Letter of thanks from the Japanese Emperor Meiji to Carl Alexander (collection of Klassik Stiftung Weimar).