Saxe-Coburg
Duchy of Saxe-Coburg Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1596–1633 1680–1735 | |||||||||||||
State of the Holy Roman Empire | |||||||||||||
Capital | Coburg | ||||||||||||
Government | Principality | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Early modern Europe | ||||||||||||
1572 | |||||||||||||
1596 | |||||||||||||
• Fell to S-Eisenach | 1633 | ||||||||||||
1680 | |||||||||||||
1699–1735 | |||||||||||||
1735 | |||||||||||||
|
Saxe-Coburg (German: Sachsen-Coburg) was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany.
History
Ernestine Line
When Henry IV, Count of Henneberg – Schleusingen, died in 1347, the possessions of the
The second daughter,
The Coburgish land was the southernmost part of the Saxon territories. By the
Duke John Ernest
After losing the Schmalkaldic War in 1547, the Ernestines had their territorial possessions greatly reduced in Thuringia. 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.[1] 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
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, Altenburg 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, 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
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,
Because the trial of the common administration of the territories failed at the
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
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) 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 Duchy became fully and truly independent.[2] In 1826, with the extensive rearrangement of the Ernestine duchies, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld changed its name to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 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 and Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitzas 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 1826–1918
- 1826–1844 Ernest I
- 1844–1893 Ernest II, son of the previous Duke
- 1893–1900 Alfred, nephew of the previous Duke and son of Queen Victoria
- 1900–1905 Prince Ernest von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Regent
- 1905–1918 Charles Edward, nephew of Duke Alfred, abdicated in 1918
See also
References
- ^ (in German) Harald Bachmann, “Schloß Ehrenburg in Coburg”, in: Roswitha Jacobsen, ed., Die Residenz-Schlösser der Ernestiner [The Residential Palaces of the Ernestines] (Bucha bei Jena: Quartus-Verlag, 2009), p. 44.
- ISBN 3-86652-082-4, p. 181
Biography
- (in German) Carl-Christian Dressel, Die Entwicklung von Verfassung und Verwaltung in Sachsen-Coburg 1800 - 1826 im Vergleich [The Development and Comparison of the Constitution and Administration of Saxe-Coburg 1880 – 1826] (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2007), ISBN 978-3-428-12003-1.
- (in German) Thomas Nicklas, Das Haus Sachsen-Coburg – Europas späte Dynastie [The House of Saxe-Coburg — Europe's Last Dynasty] (Stuttgart: Verlag W[ilhelm]. ISBN 3-17-017243-3.
- (in German) 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