Prince Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (28 March 1785 – 27 August 1851) was a German prince of the

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (; german: Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) is a European royal house. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, its members later sat on the thrones of Belgium, Bu ...

and a general of cavalry in the Austrian

Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars The Imperial-Royal or Imperial Austrian Army (german: Kaiserlich-königliche Armee, abbreviation "K.K. Armee") was strictly speaking, the armed force of the Holy Roman Empire under its last monarch, the Habsburg Emperor Francis II, although in r ...

. Despite remaining a Lutheran, by marriage he established the Catholic branch of the family, which eventually gained the thrones of Portugal (1837) and Bulgaria (1887).

Birth and family

Ferdinand was born at

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...

as ''Prince Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld'', the second son of Francis Frederick Anthony, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and his second wife, Countess Augusta Caroline Sophie Reuss of Ebersdorf. In 1826 his title changed from ''Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld'' to ''Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha'', when his brother Duke Ernst I made a territorial exchange with other members of the family. Ferdinand's nephews and nieces included Queen

Victoria of the United Kingdom Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and her husband Prince Albert, as well as

Empress Carlota of Mexico Charlotte of Belgium (''Marie Charlotte Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine''; 7 June 1840 – 19 January 1927), known by the Spanish version of her name, Carlota, was by birth a Princess of Belgium and member of the House of ...

and her brother King

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

Military career

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

On 10 December 1791 Ferdinand was commissioned as

Unterleutnant Unterleutnant (NPA-original abbreviation ''Ultn.''; en: translation "Under-lieutenant" or "sub-lieutenant") was an officer of the armies of East Germany and other nations. The rank was first introduced in 1662-74 by France and was also adopted b ...

in the Dragoon-Regiment Coburg Nr. 6. He was promoted to

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

on 1 March 1796 and to Second-

Rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

on 18 November 1798.

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

On 1 February 1802 he transferred to the Austrian Army serving in the ''Chevauxleger-Regiment Fürst Rosenberg'' in which he was promoted to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 29 September 1804. On 1 January 1805 he transferred to the ''Husaren-Regiment Graf Blankenstein Nr. 6'' in which he was promoted to

Oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...

on 6 August 1805.

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...

On 15 September 1808 Ferdinand became

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

in the ''Husaren-Regiment Erzherzog Ferdinand d'Este Nr. 3''. It was in this regiment that he served in the

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...

under Field Marshal Prince Hohenzollern. He received the knight's cross of the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

. Before the

Battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...

, he was named General of the Kavallerie Fürst Liechtenstein. On 15 April 1811 he was named Generalmajor.

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

During the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

, Ferdinand fought at the battles of Kulm and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Concert of Europe The Concert of Europe was a general consensus among the Great Powers of 19th-century Europe to maintain the European balance of power, political boundaries, and spheres of influence. Never a perfect unity and subject to disputes and jockeying f ...

On 8 May 1822 Ferdinand became ''Inhaber'' (proprietor) of the '' k.u.k. Ulanenregiment „Fürst zu Schwarzenberg“ Nr. 2'' On 22 November 1828 he became ''Inhaber'' of the . Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of ''General der Kavallerie''.

Marriage and children

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

on 30 November 1815, Ferdinand married

Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

, daughter and heiress of Ferenc József, Fürst Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya, converting to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

in 1818. When Antonia's father died in 1826, she inherited his estates in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, and Ferdinand took the title of ''Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry''.Zeitung für den deutschen Adel, Band 1 (1840), S. 36
Vermählungen; Geburts- und Sterbefälle
/ref> Ferdinand and Antonia had four children, all of whom were raised Catholic: *

Ferdinand II of Portugal ''Dom'' Ferdinand II (Portuguese: ''Fernando II'') (29 October 1816 – 15 December 1885) was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, and King of Portugal '' jure uxoris'' as the husband of Queen Maria II, from the birth of ...

(29 October 1816 – 15 December 1885), married Queen

Maria II of Portugal , image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg , caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835 , succession = Queen of Portugal , reign = , predecessor = Pedro IV , successor = Miguel I , reg-type = Regents , regent ...

on 9 April 1836. They had eleven children. He remarried Elisa Hensler on 10 June 1869. *

Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha August Victor Louis of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: August Viktor Ludwig; 13 June 1818 – 26 July 1881), was a German prince of the Catholic House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. He was a General Major in the Royal Saxon Army and the own ...

(13 June 1818 – 26 July 1881), married

Princess Clémentine of Orléans Princess Clémentine of Orléans (french: Marie Clémentine Léopoldine Caroline Clotilde d'Orléans) (3 June 1817 – 16 February 1907), princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and duchess in Saxony, was the sixth child of ten and youngest daughter of ...

on 21 April 1843. They had five children. *

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Victoria Franziska Antonia Juliane Luise, Victoire Francoise Antoinette Julianne Louise); 14 February 1822 – 10 November 1857) was the daughter of Ferdinand, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Kohá ...

(14 February 1822 – 10 December 1857), married

Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours Prince Louis of Orléans, Duke of Nemours (Louis Charles Philippe Raphaël d'Orléans; 25 October 1814 – 26 June 1896) was the second son of King Louis-Philippe I of France, and his wife Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. Life Childhood ...

on 27 April 1840. They had four children. *

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Leopold Franz Julius of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Vienna, 31 January 1824 – Vienna, 20 May 1884) was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. Born ''Prince Leopold Franz Julius of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duke in Sax ...

(31 January 1824 – 20 May 1884), married morganatically

Constanze Geiger Constanze Therese Adelaide Geiger, Freiherr, Freifrau von Ruttenstein (16 October 1835, Vienna – 24 August 1890, Dieppe) was an Austrian pianist, actor, theatrical actress, composer and singer. Life Geiger, the daughter of the composer and t ...

on 23 April 1861. They had one son.

Death

Ferdinand died at Vienna on 27 August 1851 at the age of 66. He is buried in the ducal mausoleum at ' in Coburg.

Honours and awards

He received the following awards:''Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha'' (1847). "Genealogie des Herzogliche Hauses"
pp. 10-11
/ref>

Ancestry

Bibliography

*
Biographisches Lexikon des Kaisertums Österreich
', II, 392-394.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand Of Saxe-Coburg And Gotha, Prince Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry People from Coburg Austrian people of German descent 1785 births 1851 deaths Austrian Empire commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Burials at the Ducal Family Mausoleum, Glockenburg Cemetery, Coburg German Lutherans Commanders Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree