Joseph (Joseph Georg Friedrich Ernst Karl; 27 August 1789 – 25 November 1868) was

Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Altenburg () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilometers and a populati ...

from 1834 to 1848.

Biography

Joseph was the second but first surviving son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (of Saxe-Altenburg from 1826) and

Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike; 17 November 1769 – 14 May 1818) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a Duchess of Saxe- ...

. Joseph succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg after his death in 1834. In 1814, Joseph and his brother George fought with the allies against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the

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 ...

. Later, he held the rank of General Major in Saxon services. Joseph implemented several buildings in Altenburg, but his government was considered conservative and resistant to reform; for this, he was forced to abdicate during the civil revolution of 1848.

Marriage and issue

Kirchheim unter Teck Kirchheim unter Teck (, ; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Kircha'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter (Neckar), Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It i ...

on 24 April 1817, Joseph married Amelia of Württemberg, a daughter of

Duke Louis of Württemberg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

. They had six daughters: * Marie (b. Hildburghausen, 14 April 1818 – d. Gmunden, 9 January 1907), married on 18 February 1843 to King

George V of Hanover George V (Georg Friedrich Alexander Karl Ernst August; 27 May 1819 – 12 June 1878) was the last King of Hanover, reigning from 18 November 1851 to 20 September 1866. The only child of King Ernest Augustus and Queen Frederica, he succeeded ...

. * Pauline (b. Kirchheim unter Teck, 24 November 1819 – d. Hildburghausen, 11 January 1825) died in childhood. * Therese (b. Hildburghausen, 9 October 1823 – d. Altenburg, 3 April 1915) died unmarried without issue. * Elisabeth (b. Hildburghausen, 26 March 1826 – d. Oldenburg, 2 February 1896), married on 10 February 1852 to

Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg Peter II () (8 July 1827 – 13 June 1900) was the reigning Grand Duke of Oldenburg from 1853 to 1900. He claimed hereditary parts of Duchy of Holstein after the Second Schleswig War in 1864. After signing a treaty on 23 February 1867 in Kiel, ...

. *

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

(''upon her marriage, she took the name Alexandra Iosifovna in a Russian Orthodox baptism'') (b. Altenburg, 8 July 1830 – d. St. Petersburg, 6 July 1911), married on 11 September 1848 to

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia (; 21 September 1827 – 25 January 1892) was the Emperor's Viceroy of Poland from 1862 to 1863 and a general admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. Early life Konstantin Nikolayevich was born as ...

. * Luise (b. Altenburg, 4 June 1832 – d. Hummelshain, 29 August 1833) died in infancy.

Ancestry

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:''Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg'' (1855), "Genealogie des Herzoglichen Hauses
pp. 3
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 1789 births 1868 deaths House of Saxe-Altenburg Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg People from Hildburghausen German military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Princes of Saxe-Altenburg Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Military personnel from Thuringia Monarchs who abdicated