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{{Short description|German general of 30 year's war, serving Sweden and France}}
{{Distinguish|Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1792–1862)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Bernard
| image        = Bernard van Saksen-Weimar (1604-1639), by Michiel van Mierevelt.jpg
| image_size   = 
| caption      =
| spouse       =
| issue        =
| house        = [[House of Wettin]]
| father       = [[John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar]]
| mother       = [[Dorothea Maria of Anhalt]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1604|8|16|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Weimar]], [[Duchy of Saxe-Weimar]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1639|7|18|1604|8|16|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Neuenburg am Rhein]]
| burial_place = [[Breisach]], later [[Weimar]]
| signature    = Signatur Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar.PNG
}}
'''Bernard of Saxe-Weimar''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar}}; 16 August 1604{{snd}}18 July 1639) was a German prince and general in the [[Thirty Years' War]].
[[File:Dankaerts-Historis-9361.tif|thumb|Bernard of Saxe-Weimar]]

==Biography==
Born in [[Weimar]] in the Duchy of [[Saxe-Weimar]], Bernard was the eleventh son of [[Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar]], and [[Dorothea Maria of Anhalt]].

Bernard received an unusually good education and studied briefly at the [[University of Jena]], but soon went to the court of [[John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg|Duke John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg]] to engage in knightly exercises. At the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War he took the field on the [[Protestant]] side, and served under [[Ernst von Mansfeld|Mansfeld]] at [[Battle of Mingolsheim|Wiesloch]] (1622), under the [[Margrave]] of [[Baden]] at [[Battle of Wimpfen|Wimpfen]] (1622), and with his brother William at [[Battle of Stadtlohn|Stadtlohn]] (1623). Undismayed by these defeats, he took part in the campaigns of King [[Christian IV of Denmark]]. After a severe defeat in [[Holstein]] in 1627, Bernhard left Danish service and went to the [[Dutch Republic]]. There he was present at the famous [[Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch]] in 1629.{{sfn|Menzel|1875}}

When King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]] landed in Germany Bernard quickly joined him, and for a short time he was [[colonel]] of the Swedish life horse guard. After the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)]], he accompanied Gustavus in his march to the [[Rhine]] and, between this event and the [[Battle of the Alte Veste]], Bernard commanded numerous expeditions in almost every district from the [[Moselle]] to [[State of Tyrol|Tyrol]]. At the Alte Veste he displayed great courage, and at the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)]], when Gustavus was killed, Bernard assumed the command, killed a colonel who refused to lead his men to the charge, and finally by his furious energy won the victory at sundown.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

[[Image:BernhardSachsen.jpg|thumb|left|Bernard of Saxe-Weimar.]]
At first as a subordinate to his brother William, who as a Swedish lieutenant-general succeeded to the command, but later as an independent commander, Bernard continued to push his forays over southern Germany; and with the Swedish General [[Gustav Horn, Count of Pori|Gustav Horn]] he made in 1633 a successful invasion into [[Bavaria]], which was defended by the [[Holy Roman Empire|imperialist]] general [[Johann von Aldringen|Count Aldringer]]. In this year he was granted the former Bishoprics of [[Bishopric of Würzburg|Würzburg]] and [[Bishopric of Bamberg|Bamberg]], being granted the title of Duke of [[Franconia]].{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}  He installed one of his many brothers as [[Statthalter]], and returned to the wars. A stern Protestant, he exacted heavy contributions from the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] cities which he took, and his repeated victories caused him to be regarded by German Protestants as the saviour of their religion. But in 1634 Bernard suffered a great defeat at [[Battle of Nördlingen (1634)|Nördlingen]], losing the best of the Swedish army.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

In 1635 Bernard entered the service of France, which had by then intervened in the war.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} He held a difficult dual position; in the following campaigns, ably and resolutely conducted as they were, Bernard sometimes pursued a purely French policy, whilst at other times he used French [[mercenary|mercenaries]] to forward his own cause.{{sfn|Menzel|1875}} From a military point of view his most notable achievements were on the common ground of the upper Rhine, in the [[Breisgau]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

In his great campaign of 1638, Bernard won the battles of [[Battle of Rheinfelden|Rheinfelden]], [[Battle of Wittenweiher|Wittenweiher]], and [[Battle of Thann (1638)|Thann]], and captured successively [[Rheinfelden (Aargau)|Rheinfelden]], [[Freiburg]], and [[Breisach]], the last reputed one of the strongest fortresses in Europe. Bernard had in the first instance received definite assurances from France that he should be given [[Alsace]] and [[Haguenau]], Würzburg having been lost in the debacle of 1634; he now hoped to make Breisach the capital of his new [[duchy]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Bernard's health, however, was deteriorating. He died at [[Neuenburg am Rhein]] at the beginning of the campaign. The governor of Breisach [[Jean Louis d'Erlach]] was bribed to transfer the fortress to France. Bernard was temporarily buried at Breisach, his remains were not carried to Weimar until 16 years later.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{sfn|Menzel|1875}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar |volume=3|page=801}} This cites:
** J. A. C. Hellfeld, ''Geschichte Bernhards des Grossen, Herzogs v. Saxe-Weimar'' (Jena, 1747)
** B. Röse, ''Herzog Bernhard d. Grosse von Saxe-Weimar'' (Weimar, 1828–1829)
** [[Johann Gustav Droysen|Droysen]], ''Bernhard v. Weimar'' (Leipzig, 1885).
*{{Cite ADB|2|439|450|Bernhard, Herzog zu Sachsen-Weimar|Karl Menzel|ADB:Bernhard (Herzog von Sachsen-Weimar)|ref=CITEREFMenzel1875}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation |last=Cust |first=Sir Edward|author-link=Sir Edward Cust, 1st Baronet |year=1865 |chapter=Bernard, Duke of Saxe Weimar |title=Lives of the warriors of the thirty years' war |series=Warriors of the 17th century|volume=part II |location=London |publisher=J. Murray |pages=307–342 |url=https://archive.org/details/livesofwarriorspt2custuoft |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/livesofwarriorspt2custuoft#page/n8/mode/1up|ref=none}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernhard Of Saxe-Weimar}}
[[Category:Nobility from Weimar]]
[[Category:German generals]]
[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Weimar]]
[[Category:1604 births]]
[[Category:1639 deaths]]
[[Category:German military personnel of the Thirty Years' War]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Weimar]]
[[Category:Sons of dukes]]