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Saxe-Coburg (german: Sachsen-Coburg) was a
duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...
held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.


History


Ernestine Line

When Henry IV, Count of Henneberg – Schleusingen, died in 1347, the possessions of the
House of Henneberg The House of Henneberg was a medieval German comital family (''Grafen'') which from the 11th century onwards held large territories in the Duchy of Franconia. Their county was raised to a princely county (''Gefürstete Grafschaft'') in 1310. Up ...
Schleusingen were divided between his widow, Jutta of Brandenburg-Salzwedel, and Henry's younger brother, John, and Jutta was given the so-called “''neues Herrschaft''” ("new lordship"), with Coburg among other properties. The death of Jutta six years later was followed by the division of the new ''Herrschaft'' amongst three of her daughters. The second daughter,
Catherine of Henneberg Catherine of Henneberg (german: Katharina von Henneberg ; c. 1334, in Schleusingen – 15 July 1397, in Meissen) was a Countess of Henneberg by birth and from 1347 by marriage Margravine of Meissen, Landgravine of Thuringia, etc. She was the wi ...
, was awarded the southeastern part of the Coburgish land. After their wedding in 1346, Catherine's husband, Frederick III, the
Margrave of Meissen This article lists the margraves of Meissen, a march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire. History King Henry the Fowler, on his 928-29 campaign against the Slavic Glomacze tribes, had a fortress erected on a ...
from the
House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...
, asked for his wife's dowry, the Coburgish land called the ''Pflege Coburg''; but his father-in-law resisted the devolution, and Frederick III could not touch it until after the death of Jutta in 1353. The Coburgish land was the southernmost part of the Saxon territories. By the Treaty of Leipzig in 1485, the Great Division of the Saxon States (''Großen Sächsischen Landesteilung'') between the Albertine and Ernestine lines, this Coburgish land, together with the greater part of the
Landgraviate of Thuringia The Duchy of Thuringia was an eastern frontier march of the Merovingian kingdom of Austrasia, established about 631 by King Dagobert I after his troops had been defeated by the forces of the Slavic confederation of Samo at the Battle of Wogastis ...
and the possessions in the
Vogtland Vogtland (; cz, Fojtsko) is a region spanning the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and north-western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It overlaps with and is largely contained within Euregio Egrensis. The name alludes to the forme ...
, was allotted to Ernest, Elector of Saxony, and thus to the Ernestine side of the
House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...
.


Duke John Ernest

After losing the
Schmalkaldic War The Schmalkaldic War (german: link=no, Schmalkaldischer Krieg) was the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (simultaneously King Charles I ...
in 1547, the Ernestines had their territorial possessions greatly reduced in
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
. Because the Districts of the Coburger Land were assigned to Duke John Ernest as “equipment” (''Ausstattung''), they remained unaffected by the measures against the outlawed Electors. John Ernest settled in the city of Coburg to build the Ehrenburg as his new residential palace, which was later also used and expanded by various Dukes of Saxe-Coburg. When John Ernest died childless in 1553, the former Elector John Frederick I was now only the Duke of Saxony, just released from prison only to die in 1554.


Joint Rule

The Coburger Land was given to Elector John Frederick II “the Middle” as his share of the inheritance. He reigned from
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the Gotha (district), district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine House of Wet ...
together with his brothers John William, residing in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
, and John Frederick III “the Younger”. After the early death of their youngest brother, there was a preliminary division of the Ernestine properties, in which the surviving brothers agreed to have a “''Mutschierung''”, i. e., a change in government, every three years. John Frederick II reigned in Gotha,
Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
and Coburg. But he failed in his efforts to regain the rank of the Elector for himself and his House, fell into conflict with the Emperor (''Grumbachsche Händel'', or “ Grumbach Feud”), and was eventually outlawed and imprisoned until his death. His rule initially fell to his brother, John William, who had participated in the ''
Reichsexekution In German history, a ''Reichsexekution'' (sometimes "Reich execution" in English) was an imperial or federal intervention against a member state, using military force if necessary. The instrument of the ''Reichsexekution'' was constitutionally a ...
'' on the side of Augustus, Elector of Saxony, but it was returned, in the ''Erfurter Teilung'' (“Erfurter Division”) of 1572, to the sons of John Frederick.


Duke John Casimir

With the Erfurter Division Treaty of 1572 the remaining lands were eventually and forcibly divided between the sons of the defeated John Frederick II. The younger son was John William of Saxe-Weimar, who received, among other properties, the cities of
Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...
,
Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
and Saalfeld. Because the elder son, John Frederick II “the Middle” was still in prison for life in Austria, his sons, John Casimir and John Ernest, were given the new Principality of Saxe-Coburg, with Coburg chosen as their residence and “Duke” as their titles. The Principality consisted of the southern and western parts of Thuringia, including the cities of
Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
, Gotha and Hildburghausen. One of the guardians for the sons was the enemy of their father, Augustus, Elector of Saxony, who supervised their education and who, for his own reasons, began in Coburg a corrupt Regency with Saxon officials from his Electorate. Only after the death of Elector Augustus of Saxony in 1586 were Duke John Casimir and his brother John Ernest able to take over the government of their Principality. In 1596, the Principality was cut in half to give John Ernest his own Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach and John Casimir remained in Coburg to reign alone. His remaining territories were the Districts of Coburg, with the jurisdictions of
Lauter Lauter may refer to: People * Lauter (surname) Places *Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany * Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Rivers * Lauter (Baunach), tributary to th ...
, Rodach and Gestungshausen; Heldburg with the jurisdictions of Hildburghausen,
Römhild Römhild () is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km west of Hildburghausen, and 21 km southeast of Meiningen. On 31 December 2012, it merged with the former municipalities Gleichambe ...
, Eisfeld, Schalkau, Sonneberg,
Neustadt bei Coburg Neustadt bei Coburg (also written ''Neustadt b. Coburg'') is a town in the district of Coburg in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 15 km northeast of Coburg, as its name indicates. Local subdivisions Neustadt bei Coburg is subdivid ...
,
Neuhaus am Rennweg Neuhaus am Rennweg is a town in the district of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 17 km north of Sonneberg, and 22 km southwest of Saalfeld Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Ge ...
, and Mönchröden; and
Sonnefeld Sonnefeld is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany. Geographical Location Sonnefeld lies on Bundesstraße 303 between Coburg and Kronach and also between the Thuringian Forest and the Lichtenfels Forest. Municipal Di ...
. Under the reign of John Casimir, there was a building boom in Coburg. Above all, he established as the nucleus of Coburger government an administrative apparatus that would survive for a long time after his death and through many wars and political upheavals. Casimir, the founder of the Coburger State, died in 1633. His Principality then fell to his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Eisenach, John Ernest, who was also childless. During this time, the Coburger Land was hit hard by the
Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
as the staging area for numerous armies. The population fell from 55,000 to 22,000.


Inheritance

In 1638, the Ernestine line of Saxe-Eisenach died out and its territories were divided between the Duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Altenburg. By drawing lots, the Coburger Land fell in 1640, with the Districts of Coburg,
Sonnefeld Sonnefeld is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany. Geographical Location Sonnefeld lies on Bundesstraße 303 between Coburg and Kronach and also between the Thuringian Forest and the Lichtenfels Forest. Municipal Di ...
, Sonneberg, Neuhaus am Rennweg, Neustadt bei Coburg, Hildburghausen and
Römhild Römhild () is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km west of Hildburghausen, and 21 km southeast of Meiningen. On 31 December 2012, it merged with the former municipalities Gleichambe ...
to Frederick William II of Saxe-Altenburg . The principalities of Altenburg and Coburg were ruled in personal union by the Duke but they maintained their own state authorities. Duke Frederick William II died in 1669, followed three years later by his only son, Hereditary Prince Frederick William III, bringing the line of Saxe-Altenburg to extinction. Three quarters of the Altenburger area, including the Coburger Land, were secured, with the Gotha Division Treaty (''Gothaer Teilungsvertrag'') of 1672, for the new sovereign, Ernest I “the Pious”, of Saxe-Gotha, who died in 1675. The administration of Saxe-Gotha was undertaken by his eldest son, Frederick I, at the request of his father, together with his six other brothers. Because the trial of the common administration of the territories failed at the '' Schloss Friedenstein'' in Gotha, the inheritance had to be distributed on 24 February 1680 among the seven brothers. The second eldest son of Ernst I “the Pious” of Saxe-Gotha, Albrecht, received the Principality of Saxe-Coburg. Like Saxe-Gotha under Duke Frederick and Saxe-Meiningen under Duke Bernhard I, the third oldest son, the Principality received full sovereignty in the Imperial Confederation. However, the Districts of Coburg, Neustadt bei Coburg, Sonneberg, Mönchröden, Sonnefeld and Neuhaus am Rennweg were considerably smaller than they were before, because Römhild and Hildburghausen were separated to supply the younger brother, the sixth oldest son, who became Ernest II, the first Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.


Duke Albert

Under Duke Albert, the expansion of his baroque residence in Coburg began. He based his life on the customs of his royal and princely contemporaries and tried to imitate their households on a smaller scale in Coburg. His court library consisted of 4,757 volumes. His plans to raise the '' Gymnasium'' Casimirianum to the rank of university failed because of the tight finances. The reconstruction of the ''Schloss'' Ehrenburg, burned in 1690, in the Baroque style eventually led to the ruin of the finances of the Principality, which could not be prevented by the minting of inferior coins. The Baroque Prince, Duke Albert, died in 1699 without any surviving descendants. This was followed by the usual inheritance disputes. Saxe-Hildburghausen got the District of
Sonnefeld Sonnefeld is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany. Geographical Location Sonnefeld lies on Bundesstraße 303 between Coburg and Kronach and also between the Thuringian Forest and the Lichtenfels Forest. Municipal Di ...
in 1707. Between Bernhard I of Saxe-Meiningen and his youngest brother John Ernest IV of Saxe-Saalfeld, strife lasted for thirty-five years, ending only in 1735 with several interventions from the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. Saxe-Meiningen received the District of
Neuhaus am Rennweg Neuhaus am Rennweg is a town in the district of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 17 km north of Sonneberg, and 22 km southwest of Saalfeld Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Ge ...
and the jurisdiction of Sonneberg while Saxe-Saalfeld was united with the remaining territories of Saxe-Coburg to become Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. In 1753, it grew with the one-third of the Duchy of Saxe-Römhild, which had expired with the death of its only Duke, the childless
Henry, Duke of Saxe-Römhild Henry of Saxe-Römhild (19 November 1650 – 13 May 1710) was a duke of Saxe-Römhild. Life He was born in Gotha, as the seventh but fourth surviving son of Ernest I ''the Pious'' of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. A ...
.


Duke Francis Josias

Duke Johann Ernest of Saxe-Saalfeld died in 1729. Afterwards, his sons Christian Ernest II and Francis Josias ruled the country together but in different residences. Christian Ernest remained in Saalfeld while Francis Josias chose Coburg as his residence and his decision would stand until the end of the monarchy in 1918. In 1745, Francis Josias inherited parts of Saxe-Coburg from his brother. In 1747, he was able to anchor his birthright (
primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
) in the Line of Succession Laws and confer it on his rapidly growing family for the long-term survival of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. In 1806, with the fall of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, the Duchy became fully and truly independent. Harald Bachmann: “… all diese kleinen Fürsten werde ich davonjagen!” . . . all these little princes I will throw them out! in: Stefan Nöth, ed., ''Coburg 1056 – 2006, Ein Streifzug durch 950 Jahre Geschichte von Stadt und Land'' oburg 1056 – 2006, a Ramble through 950 Years of History of the City and Land(Stegaurach: Wikomm-Verlag, 2006), , p. 181 In 1826, with the extensive rearrangement of the Ernestine duchies, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld changed its name to
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present ...
with the personal union of two different duchies, Coburg and Gotha.


Sovereigns of Saxe-Coburg

Saxe-Coburg 1572–1638 * 1572–1586 Augustus, Elector of Saxony, Regent on behalf of John Casimir and John Ernest, the sons of Elector John Frederick II “the Middle” * 1586–1596 Duke John Casimir, jointly with his brother John Ernest * 1596–1633 Johann Casimir (1564–1633), alone * 1633–1638 John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach, brother of the previous Duke * 1639–1669 Frederick William II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg * 1669–1672 Frederick William III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, son of the previous Duke, with
John George II, Elector of Saxony Johann George II (31 May 1613 – 22 August 1680) was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680. He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin. Biography He was the third (fourth in order of birth) but eldest surviving son of the Elector ...
and Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz as his Regents * 1672–1674 Ernest I “the Pious”, Duke of Saxe-Gotha * 1674–1680 Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, 1st son of the previous Duke * Saxe-Coburg 1681–1735 * 1681–1699 Albert V, 2nd son of Ernest I “the Pious” * 1699–1729 Johann Ernest IV, also Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld, 7th and youngest son of Ernest I “the Pious”, Duke of Saxe-Gotha * 1729–1735 Christian Ernest II, also Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld, son of the previous Duke, jointly with his brother, Franz Josias Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 1735–1826 * 1735–1745 Christian Ernst, jointly with his brother, Francis Josias * 1745–1764 Francis Josias, brother of the previous Duke * 1764–1800 Ernest Frederick, son of the previous Duke * 1800–1806 Francis Frederick Anton, son of the previous Duke * 1806–1826 Ernest III, son of the previous Duke *
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present ...
1826–1918 * 1826–1844 Ernest I * 1844–1893 Ernest II, son of the previous Duke * 1893–1900
Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *'' Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interl ...
, nephew of the previous Duke and son of
Queen Victoria 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 previ ...
* 1900–1905 Prince Ernest von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Regent * 1905–1918 Charles Edward, nephew of Duke Alfred, abdicated in 1918 *


See also

* Ernestine duchies * The Duchy of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present ...

The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha


References


Biography

* Carl-Christian Dressel, ''Die Entwicklung von Verfassung und Verwaltung in Sachsen-Coburg 1800 - 1826 im Vergleich'' he Development and Comparison of the Constitution and Administration of Saxe-Coburg 1880 – 1826(Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2007), . * Thomas Nicklas, ''Das Haus Sachsen-Coburg – Europas späte Dynastie'' he House of Saxe-Coburg — Europe's Last Dynasty(Stuttgart: Verlag W lhelm Kohlhammer Verlag, 2003), . * Johann Hübner, ''Drey hundert drey und dreyßig Genealogische Tabellen: nebst denen darzu gehörigen genealogischen Fragen zur Erläuterung der politischen Historie, mit sonderbahrem Fleiße zusammen getragen, und vom Anfange der Welt biß auff diesen Tag continuiret; Nebst darzu dienlichen Registern'' [Three Hundred and Thirty Three Genealogical Tables: Together with those Related Questions of Genealogy to Explain the Political History, Compiled with Great Diligence, and Continuing from the Beginning of the World to This Day; Added Herein with Relevant Records] (Leipzig: Johann Friedrich Gleditsch, 1708) Table No. 164 {{coord missing, Bavaria States and territories established in 1680 Ernestine duchies, Coburg House of Wettin Former states and territories of Bavaria Coburg 1596 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1633 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1680 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1735 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire Early Modern history of Germany