Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein (German: Elisabeth Freiin von Wangenheim-Winterstein [eˈliːzabɛt ˈfʁaɪ.ɪn fɔn ˈvaŋənhaɪm ˈvɪntɐʃtaɪn]; 16 January 1912 – 15 March 2010) was the wife of Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and the mother of Prince Michael, the current head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
[1] As a young girl Elisabeth began training as a pianist in Hanover but was forced to end her studies, as the death of their mother left her widowed father later in need of help on the family estate.
[1] Her education left her with a lifetime love of music, particularly Mozart, as well as a fondness for literature, which helped sustain her through difficult times.
[citation needed] Just before giving birth to their first child, the couple fled eastern Germany in the face of the approaching Soviet Red Army.
[1] Though her son remarked that Elisabeth was "a fighter" after she recovered from an accident, the doctors gave her very little chance of survival; she died on 15 March 2010 at the age of 98 in Munich.