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 ( ; ) is a European royal house of German origin. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and its members later sat on the thrones of Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal ...

and a general of cavalry in the Austrian

Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars The Imperial-Royal or Imperial Austrian Army (, abbreviated ''k.k. Armee'') was the armed force of the Habsburg monarchy under its last monarch, the Habsburg Emperor Francis II, composed of the Emperor's army. When the Holy Roman Empire was di ...

. Initially remaining a Lutheran until 1818, 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#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and her husband

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, as well as Empress Carlota of Mexico and her brother King

Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...

Military career

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

On 10 December 1791 Ferdinand was commissioned as

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

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

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

on 1 March 1796 and to Second-

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

on 18 November 1798.

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

On 1 February 1802 he transferred to the Austrian Army serving in the ''Chevauxleger-Regiment Fürst Rosenberg'' in which he was promoted to major 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 () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) 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, ...

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 I and Napoleon's French Emp ...

On 15 September 1808 Ferdinand became

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

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 I and Napoleon's French Emp ...

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

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

. For his services in 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 of the French, Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian Empire, Austrian arm ...

he was praised by his corps commander Fürst Liechtenstein. On 15 April 1811 he was named Generalmajor.

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

During the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...

, Ferdinand fought at the battles of Kulm and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Concert of Europe The Concert of Europe was a general agreement 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 ...

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 Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

on 30 November 1815, Ferdinand married

Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

, daughter and sole heiress of

Ferenc József, Prince Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya Ferenc () is a given name of Hungarian origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, Francesco, François, Frank and Franz. People with the name include: * Ferenc Batthyány (1497–1566), Hungarian magnate and general * Ferenc Bene (1944–2 ...

, 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 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

, 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 (title), Dom'' Ferdinand II (; 29 October 1816 – 15 December 1885), also known as Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and as "the King-artist" (), was King of Portugal from 16 September 1837 to 15 November 1853 as the husband and co-ruler ...

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

Maria II of Portugal Dona Maria II (Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Habsburgo-Lorena e Bragança; 4 April 1819 – 15 November 1853) also known as "the Educator" () or as ...

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 (; 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 owner of Čábráď and Šti ...

(13 June 1818 – 26 July 1881), married

Princess Clémentine of Orléans Princess Clémentine of Orléans () (3 June 1817 – 16 February 1907), princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and duchess in Saxony, was the sixth child and youngest daughter of Louis-Philippe I, List of French Monarchs, King of the French, and his w ...

on 21 April 1843. They had five children, including king

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was Prince of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1908 and Tsar of Bulgaria from 1908 until his abdication in 1918. Under his rule, Bulgaria entered the First Worl ...

(their youngest child). * Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (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 Childho ...

on 27 April 1840. They had four children. *

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

(31 January 1824 – 20 May 1884), married morganatically Constanze Geiger 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 Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism 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 Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Sons of dukes