by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the sister of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians and an aunt to both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Given the names Sophie Friederike Karoline Luise, she was born on August 19, 1778, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. She was the eldest of the nine children and the eldest of the five daughters of Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and second wife Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf.

Sophie had eight younger siblings:

• Antoinette (1779 – 1824), married Alexander of Württemberg, had four sons and one daughter
• Juliane (Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna after marriage) (1781 – 1860), married Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia, no children marriage annulled in 1820; had two illegitimate children
• Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1784 – 1844), married (1) Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, had two sons, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria; married (2) Duchess Marie of Württemberg, daughter of his sister Antoinette, no issue; had three illegitimate children
• Ferdinand (1785 – 1851), married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry, had three sons and one daughter including Ferdinand. King Consort of Portugal and Victoria, Duchess of Nemours; was the grandfather of Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
• Victoria (1786 – 1861), married  (1) Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen, had two children    (2) Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, had one child Queen Victoria
• Marianne Charlotte (1788 – 1794)
• Leopold I, King of the Belgians (1790 – 1865), married (1) Princess Charlotte of Wales, only child of George, Prince of Wales (King George IV), died in childbirth along with her son   (2)  Princess Louise of Orléans, had three sons and one daughter including Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Charlotte, Empress Carlota of Mexico
• Franz Maximilian Ludwig (1792 – 1793)

Princess Sophia of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, circa 1795; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1794, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent Count Andrei Budberg, a Russian diplomat, off to the courts of Europe to search for a potential bride for her grandson, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia. Konstantin was the second son of the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, and younger brother of the future Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. While traveling, Budberg became ill and stopped in Coburg where he was treated by Baron von Stockmar, the Coburg court’s physician. Stockmar learned of the Budberg’s mission and suggested the daughters of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

Once the prospect of a Coburg bride was approved by Catherine the Great, Sophie and her next two sisters Antoinette and Juliane, accompanied by their mother, traveled to Saint Petersburg in August 1795. Sophie had all the prerequisites to be selected. She was the eldest and her mother wrote in the diary of the St. Petersburg trip that Empress Catherine liked Sophie the best. After several weeks, Konstantin chose 14-year-old Juliane, and the two became engaged. However, the marriage did not last long. By 1801, Juliane and Konstantin were living apart and eventually, their marriage was annulled.

Sophie’s sister Antoinette; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie was very close to her sister Antoinette who was just a year younger. They both attended balls at the Schloss Fantaisie in Eckersdorf, Bavaria, a meeting place for French emigrants who had escaped from the French Revolution and the later reign of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. It was there that she met her future husband Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly.  After meeting Emmanuel, Sophie wrote in her diary, “In Fantaisie, the happiness of my life began.”

Emmanuel’s father Albert-Louis, Baron de Pouilly et de Chaffour, Comte de Roussy and his wife Marie Antoinette escaped France during the French Revolution. Their sons Albert and Emmanuel took the name Mensdorff from a small town in the commune of Betzdorf in Luxembourg. In 1793, Emmanuel and his brother Albert joined the Austrian army and fought against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. In 1799, Albert was killed in battle at the age of 24 and Emmanuel received a severe injury to his right hand that caused the hand to remain disabled for the rest of his life.

Sophie and Emmanuel were married in Coburg on February 23, 1804. The couple had six sons who were the first cousins of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert:

• Hugo von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1806 – 1847), unmarried
• Alphons von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1810 – 1894), married (1) Countess Therese von Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie, had two daughters (2) Countess Maria Therese von Lamberg, had one son
• Alfred von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1812 – 1814), died in early childhood
• Alexander von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1813 – 1871), married Countess Alexandrina von Dietrichstein-Nicholsburg, had two sons and one daughter, was Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire
• Leopold von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1815 – 1821), died in childhood
• Arthur von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1817 – 1904), married (1) Magdalene Kremzow, no children (2) Bianca von Wickenburg, no children

Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite his hand injury, Emmanuel remained in the Austrian army and Sophie became a military wife. She was a loyal and loving wife to her husband and accepted Emmanuel’s decision to remain in the army. While Emmanuel was off soldiering for “his master and emperor”, Sophie and her children lived at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace in Coburg and also at the  Mensdorff-Castell which today is a part of Castle Falkenegg (link in German), also in Coburg.

There several times Sophie lived with Emmanuel when he was stationed with the Austrian army.  The first time Sophie lived in Prague, then in Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, from 1820-1824, were happy times. Sophia dined out, visited salons, and had many friends. From 1824 to 1834 Sophie and Emmanuel lived in Mainz (now in Germany), perhaps the happiest time of her life. In Mainz, Emmanuel was the commander of the Fortress of Mainz, part of a chain of strategic fortresses that protected the German Confederation, and also served as Vice Governor of Mainz. While living in Mainz, Sophie had to be more of a leader in society circles, hosting salons, and being fashionable and elegant. During her time in Mainz, Sophie published a romantic collection of fairy tales entitled Märchen und Erzählungen (Fairy Tales and Stories).

Sophie, Countess of Mensdorff-Pouilly in 1834: Credit – Wikipedia

When Sophie and Emmanuel moved back to Prague in 1835, Sophie was quite unhappy living in a place “where people above all want to know if she is a person of stature.” Sophie died in Tuschimitz, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) on July 9, 1835, aged 56. In 1838, after Sophie’s death, Emmanuel purchased the nearby Schloss Preitenstein which remained the property of the Mensdorff-Pouilly family until 1945. He had Sophie buried in the park of Schloss Preitenstein. In 1840, Emmanuel became Vice-President of the Hofkriegsrat (Imperial War Council), the central military administrative authority of the Habsburg Monarchy, the predecessor of the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of War. He remained in the Austrian army until he retired in 1848 with the rank of Lieutenant Field Marshall. Emmanuel survived Sophie by 14 years, dying in Vienna, Austria on June 28, 1852, at the age of 75.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_von_Mensdorff-Pouilly [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].
• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Sophie von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_von_Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_von_Mensdorff-Pouilly [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Sophie_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].
• Mehl, S. (2018). Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/juliane-of-saxe-coburg-saalfeld-grand-duchess-anna-feodorovna-of-russia2/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].
• Slabakova, R. (n.d.). Sophie, Gräfin Mensdorff-Pouilly, geborene Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Academia.edu. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/8613608/Sophie_Gr%C3%A4fin_Mensdorff-Pouilly_geborene_Prinzessin_von_Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 3 Feb. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

The great-grandfather of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was born on March 8, 1724, in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany. Ernst Friedrich was the eldest of the eight children and the eldest of the four sons of Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

Ernst Friedrich had seven siblings:

• Johann Wilhelm (1726 – 1745), unmarried, missing in action during the Battle of Hohenfriedberg
• Anna Sophie (1727 – 1728), died in infancy
• Christian Franz (1730 – 1797), unmarried
• Charlotte Sophie (1731 – 1810), married Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, had one son Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and one daughter Sophie Friederike who married Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark – their son was King Christian VIII of Denmark
• Friederike Magdalene (1733 – 1734), died in infancy
• Friederike Caroline (1735 – 1791), married Margrave Karl Alexander of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Bayreuth, no children
• Friedrich Josias (1737 – 1 815), married morganatically his housekeeper Therese Stroffeck, had one son

Sophia Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 23, 1749, Ernst Friedrich married Sophia Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Ferdinand Albrecht II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his first cousin once removed Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Ernst Friedrich and Sophia Antonia had seven children but only three survived childhood:

• Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1750-1806), married (1) Sophie of Saxe-Hildburghausen, no children (2) Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf, had nine children; parents of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and grandparents of King Consort Ferdinand of Portugal, Leopold II, King of the Belgians, Empress Carlota of Mexico, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Karl (1751-1757), died in childhood
• Friederike Juliane (born and died 1752), died in infancy
• Caroline Ulrike Amalie (1753-1829), a nun at Gandersheim Abbey
• Ludwig Karl Friedrich (1755-1806), unmarried,  had an illegitimate son
• Ferdinand August Heinrich (1756-1758), died in childhood
• Friedrich (born and died 1758), died in infancy

Ernst Friedrich nearly became Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Prince Heinrich XXXV of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a controversial and extravagant ruler who was emotionally distanced from his family, his principality, and his subjects. Since he had a tense relationship with his family, he decided to bequeath his assets to Ernst Friedrich. However, when Heinrich died unmarried in 1758, he was succeeded by his nephew Christian Günther III.

In 1764, Ernst Friedrich succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and transferred the official residence of the duchy from Saalfeld to Coburg. Because the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was heavily in debt, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II appointed a debit commission headed by Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen and then Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, to prevent the bankruptcy of the duchy. The work of the debt commission lasted over thirty years and during that time period, Ernst Friedrich was given a strict annual allowance.

The Morizkirche in Coburg where Ernst Friedrich and his wife are buried; Credit – By PeterBraun74 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6965943

Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld died on September 8, 1800 in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld at the age of 76. He was buried in the ducal crypt at the Morizkirche (or Stadtkirche St. Moriz) in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. His wife Sophia Antonia survived him by almost two years, dying on May 17, 1802, at the age of 78. She was buried with her husband.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index
• Profiles: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Rulers and Consorts
• Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Dates
• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernst Friedrich (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Friedrich_(Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Frederick,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was born September 25, 1697, in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was the youngest of the three sons and the seventh of the eight children of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and his second wife Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen.

Franz Josias had seven siblings:

• Wilhelm Friedrich (1691 – 1720), unmarried
• Karl Ernst (1692 – 1720), unmarried
• Sophia Wilhelmina (1693 – 1727), married Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had one son and two daughters
• Henriette Albertine (1694 – 1695), died in infancy
  Luise Amalia (1695 – 1713), died as a teenager
• Charlotte (born and 1696), died in infancy
• Henriette Albertine (1698 – 1728), unmarried

He also had three half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg, who died in childbirth along with a stillborn son:

• Christiane Sophie (1681 – 1697), died as a teenager
• Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1683 – 1745), married Christiane Fredericka of Koss, no children
• Charlotte Wilhelmine (1685 – 1767), married Philip Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg, no children

Franz Josias’s paternal uncles Albrecht, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Franz Josias’s father Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

Franz Josias had served in the army of the Holy Roman Empire since 1718, had fought in 1719 in the Battle of Francavilla, and participated in the sieges of Palermo and Messina. In 1720, after the deaths of his two elder brothers, he returned to Coburg upon his father’s request. Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld had only two surviving sons, Christian Ernst from his first marriage and Franz Josias from his second marriage. Franz Josias was described as a handsome man although he lost his left eye while playing a match in the then very popular sport, badminton.

Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Josias married Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, on January 2, 1723. Anna Sophie was the daughter of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Franz Josias and Anna Sophie had eight children:

• Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1724 -1800), married Sophie Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, had five sons and two daughters
• Johann Wilhelm (1726 -1745), unmarried, missing in action during the Battle of Hohenfriedberg
• Anna Sophie (1727 – 1728), died in infancy
• Christian Franz (1730 – 1797), unmarried
• Charlotte Sophie (1731 – 1810), married Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, had one son Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and one daughter Sophie Friederike who married Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark – their son was King Christian VIII of Denmark
• Friederike Magdalene (1733 – 1734), died in infancy
• Friederike Caroline (1735 – 1791), married Margrave Karl Alexander of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Bayreuth, no children
• Friedrich Josias (1737 – 1815), married morganatically his housekeeper Therese Stroffeck, had one son

Christian Ernst, Franz Josias’s elder half-brother had fallen in love with Christiane von Koss, the daughter of Saalfeld forestry master. This relationship displeased both his father and his half-brother. Eventually, Christian Ernst’s father consented to the marriage, and the couple was married morganatically on August 18, 1724. A morganatic marriage meant that Christiane and any children from the marriage would not be entitled to her husband’s titles and privileges.

Veste Coburg; Credit – By Presse03 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6251198

As the elder son, Christian Ernst was his father’s heir but because of his unequal marriage, Franz Josias claimed the sole inheritance of the duchy. However, Johann Ernst decided that both his sons should reign jointly, and upon his death in 1729, his will forced the joint reign. After their father’s death, Christian Ernst resided at Schloss Saalfeld (link in German) and Franz Josias lived at Veste Coburg. From 1735, with the support of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Franz Josias effectively ruled over Coburg in his own right.

On September 4, 1745, Christian Ernst died at Schloss Saalfeld at the age of 62. Christian Ernst had died childless and so his half-brother Franz Josias became the sole Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the death of his brother, Franz Josias introduced primogeniture in the duchy so there would be no question about the succession.

From 1750 to 1755, he served as Regent of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, along with Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, for Ernst August II Konstantin, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until he came of age.

Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld died on September 16, 1764, aged 66, at Schloss Rodach in Rodach, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. He was buried in the ducal crypt at the Morizkirche (or Stadtkirche St. Moriz) in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. His wife Anna Sophie survived him by sixteen years, dying on December 11, 1780, at the age of 80. She was buried with her husband at the Morizkirche in Coburg.

Morizkirche where Franz Josias is buried; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index
• Profiles: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Rulers and Consorts
• Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Dates
• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Franz Josias (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josias_(Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) [Accessed 6 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Josias,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 6 Feb. 2019].
• Flantzer, S. (2019). Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-ernst-iv-duke-of-saxe-coburg-saalfeld/ [Accessed 6 Feb. 2019].
• Flantzer, S. (2019). Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ernst-ii-duke-of-saxe-coburg-saalfeld-8-4-19/ [Accessed 6 Feb. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the only son and the second of the three children of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and his first wife, Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg. He was born in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Thuringia, on August 18, 1683.

Christian Ernst had two sisters:

• Christiane Sophie (1681 – 1697), died as a teenager
• Charlotte Wilhelmine (1685 – 1767), married Philip Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg, no children

On August 2, 1686, two weeks short of his first birthday, Christian Ernst’s mother died in childbirth after giving birth to a stillborn son. Four years after his mother’s death, Christian Ernst’s father married Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen on December 2, 1690. Charlotte Johanna was the daughter of daughter of Count Josias II of Waldeck-Wildungen and Wilhelmine Christine of Nassau-Hilchenbach.

Christian Ernst had eight half-siblings from his father’s second marriage:

• Wilhelm Friedrich (1691 – 1720), unmarried
• Karl Ernst (b. Saalfeld (1692 – 1720), unmarried
• Sophia Wilhelmina (1693 – 1727), married Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had one son and two daughters
• Luise Amalia (1695 – 1713), died as a teenager
• Charlotte (born and 1696), died in infancy
• Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1697 – 1764), married Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four sons and four daughters
• Henriette Albertine (1698 – 1728), unmarried

Christian Ernst’s paternal uncles Albrecht, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Christian Ernst’s father Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

Christian Ernst fell in love with Christiane von Koss, the daughter of Saalfeld forestry master. This relationship displeased both his father and his only surviving half-brother Franz Josias. Eventually, Christian Ernst’s father consented to the marriage, and the couple was married morganatically on August 18, 1724. A morganatic marriage meant that Christiane and any children from the marriage would not be entitled to her husband’s titles and privileges.

Schloss Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

As the elder son, Christian Ernst was his father’s heir but because of his unequal marriage, his half-brother Franz Josias claimed the sole inheritance of the duchy. However, Johann Ernst decided that both his sons should reign jointly, and upon his death in 1729, his will forced the joint reign. After their father’s death, Christian Ernst resided at Schloss Saalfeld (link in German) and Franz Josias lived at Veste Coburg. From 1735, with the support of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Franz Josias effectively ruled over Coburg in his own right.

Christian Ernst was an advocate of Pietism, a movement within the Lutheran religion that emphasized individual piety and living a vigorous Christian life.  As a result, he turned Saalfeld into a very pious court. Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, a religious and social reformer, was a frequent visitor to Saalfeld and Christian Ernst had long talks with and regularly corresponded with him.

The interior of the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 4, 1745, Christian Ernst died at Schloss Saalfeld at the age of 62. He was buried in the ducal crypt at the Johanneskirche (link in German) in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany. Christian Ernst died childless and so his half-brother Franz Josias, who was fourteen years younger, became the sole Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index
• Profiles: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Rulers and Consorts
• Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Dates
• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Christian Ernst (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Ernst_(Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Christian Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Ernest_II,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

The founder of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld which was the precursor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the ancestor of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria, Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was born on August 22, 1658, in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was the fifteenth of the eighteen children and the eleventh of the twelve sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg.

Johan Ernst had seventeen siblings. The birth of his siblings spanned 25 years. Three siblings of his siblings died in December 1657 from smallpox and six died in infancy.

• Johann Ernst (born and died 1638), died in infancy
• Elisabeth Dorothea  (1640 – 1709), married Ludwig VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, had six sons and two daughters
• Johann Ernst (1641 – 1657), died as a teenager from smallpox
• Christian (born and died 1642), died in infancy
• Sophie (1643 – 1657), died as a teenager from smallpox
• Johanna (1645 – 1657), died in childhood from smallpox
• Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1646 – 1691), married (1) Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels, had two sons and six daughters (2) Christine of Baden-Durlach no children
• Albrecht, Duke of Saxe-Coburg (1648 – 1699), married (1) Marie Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, had one son who died in infancy (2) Susanne Elisabeth Kempinsky, no children
• Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1649 – 1706), married (1) Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, had six sons and one daughter (2) Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, had two sons and three daughters
• Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Römhild (1650 – 1710), married Marie Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt, no children
• Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg (1653 – 1707). married (1) Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg, had one daughter  (2) Sophie Marie of Hesse-Darmstadt, no children
• Dorothea Maria (1654 – 1682), unmarried
• Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1655 – 1715), married Sophie of Waldeck, had three sons and two daughters
• Johann Philip (born and died 1657), died in infancy
• Johanna Elisabeth (born and died in 1660)
• Johann Philip (1661 – 1662), died in infancy
• Sophie Elisabeth (born and died in 1663), died in infancy

Johann Ernst was the youngest of his father’s seven surviving sons. All seven surviving sons were raised and educated as future rulers because Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha disliked primogeniture in which the eldest son is the sole heir. In 1672, the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha and the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg were united under Ernst I when Friedrich Wilhelm III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, the cousin of Ernst’s wife Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg, died childless. Ernst I was now the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, father of Johann Ernst; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 26, 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, all seven brothers governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. On February 24, 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke.

• Friedrich I became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
• Albrecht became Duke of Saxe-Coburg
• Bernhard I became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
• Heinrich became Duke of Saxe-Römhild
• Christian became Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg
• Ernst became Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
• Johann Ernst IV became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld

The map below shows the combined territory of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg from 1672 before it was again divided in 1680.

Credit – Wikipedia

Joann Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became extinct and the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was split. Saxe-Gotha passed to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who in turn gave Saalfeld to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. The Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen received Saxe-Altenburg and gave the district of Hildburghausen to Saxe-Meiningen.

As a result:

• Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Ernst I had two sons: his heir, the future Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria.
• The Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen ceased to exist. Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen became Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg.
• Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meinigen remained Duke of Saxe-Meiningen but had the additional land that encompassed Hildburghausen and also Saalfeld.
• The Duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Altenburg, and Saxe-Meiningen continued to remain the same until the abolition of the German monarchies after World War I.

On February 18, 1680, Johann Ernst married Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg, daughter of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg and Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.  Three years earlier, Sophie Hedwig’s sister Christiane married Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg, Johann Ernst’s brother. Sophie Hedwig, aged 25, died in childbirth on August 2, 1686, after giving birth to a stillborn son. She was buried in the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany.

Johann Ernst and Sophie Hedwig had three children:

• Christiane Sophie (1681 – 1697), died as a teenager
• Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1683 – 1745), married Christiane Fredericka of Koss, no children
• Charlotte Wilhelmine (1685 – 1767), married Philip Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg, no children

Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen, Johann Ernst’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years after his first wife’s death, Johann Ernst married Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen on December 2, 1690. Charlotte Johanna was the daughter of Count Josias II of Waldeck-Wildungen and Countess Wilhelmine Christine of Nassau-Siegen. Charlotte Johanna died on February 1, 1699, at the age of 34 and was buried in the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany. Johann Ernst did not marry again.

Johann Ernst and Charlotte Johanna had eight children:

• Wilhelm Friedrich (1691 – 1720), unmarried
• Karl Ernst (1692 – 1720), unmarried
• Sophia Wilhelmina (1693 – 1727), married Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had one son and two daughters
• Henriette Albertine (1694 – 1695), died in infancy
  Luise Amalia (1695 – 1713), died as a teenager
• Charlotte (born and 1696), died in infancy
• Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1697 – 1764), married Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four sons and four daughters
• Henriette Albertine (1698 – 1728), unmarried

Schloss Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1677, Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht and Bernhard started the construction of a castle on the site of a former Benedictine monastery in Saalfeld. When Johann Ernst became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld in 1680, he took over the construction of the unfinished castle. He moved in the castle, Schloss Saalfeld, in 1691 and it was his residence for the remainder of his life. Today the castle serves as the administrative seat of the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and the castle gardens are a public park.

Johanneskirche, the burial site of Johann Ernst and his two wives; Von Michael Sander – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3775005

Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld died at Schloss Saalfeld on February 17, 1729, at the age of 70. He was buried with his two wives in the crypt at the Johanneskirche (link in German) in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index
• Profiles: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Rulers and Consorts
• Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Dates
• Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Johann Ernst (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Ernst_(Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Schloss Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Saalfeld [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ernest_IV,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Saxe-Gotha. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Gotha [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Credit – Wikipedia

The mother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Luise Pauline Charlotte Friederike Auguste) was born on December 21, 1800, at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany. Louise was the only child of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his first wife Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Louise’s mother never recovered from childbirth and died eleven days later at the age of 21.

Louise’s father Augustus married again in 1802 to Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel.  The marriage was childless, but Karoline Amalie was a devoted stepmother to Louise. Karoline Amalie and Augustus became estranged after a few years of marriage and Karoline Amalie withdrew from court life.

On December 20, 1816, the engagement of Louise and the then Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) was announced. The couple married on July 3, 1817, at Louise’s birthplace Schloss Friedenstein. The bride was 16 and the groom was 33. There is some indication that Louise had heard about Ernst’s womanizing before her marriage and his several illegitimate children, but by all accounts, she was optimistic about a happy life with him.

The couple had two sons:

• Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1818 – 1893), married Princess Alexandrine of Baden, no children
• Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819 – 1861), married Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, had nine children

Albert (left) and Ernst (right) with their mother Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the marriage was initially happy, the couple soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. In 1823, Louise had an affair with Gottfried von Bülow, the court chamberlain, and in 1824, she had an affair with Alexander von Hanstein, one of her husband’s equerries. At midnight on September 2, 1824, Louise was forced to go into exile and permanently cut off from her children. She was given a home in St. Wendel in the Principality of Lichtenberg, now in the German state of Saarland, which Ernst had received as a reward for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars. Louise suffered greatly due to her separation from her two sons. Images of her sons and visitation rights were denied to her. Ernst and Louise were divorced on March 31, 1826.

Louise’s lover, Freiherr (Baron) Alexander von Hanstein followed her to St. Wendel, and the couple planned to marry. In preparation for the marriage, Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg created Alexander Graf (Count) von Pölzig and Beiersdorf on July 19, 1826. On October 18, 1826, Alexander and Louise were married in St. Wendel. They resided in the Schlösschen (Little Palace) there and spent some happy years, but the marriage was childless. Louise had a great interest in the social life of the Principality of Lichtenberg and was revered as its Landesmutter (mother of the country).

Bronze statue of Louise at the St. Wendel town hall; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On February 16, 1831, Louise traveled with her husband to see doctors in Paris, France because of the deterioration of her health. Unfortunately, incurable cervical cancer was diagnosed. Louise died on August 30, 1831, in Paris at the age of 30. Louise’s embalmed body had been kept at the Schlösschen (Little Palace) in St. Wendel, but then, as a result of intrigues within the House of Saxe-Coburg, it somehow disappeared. First, the coffin found its way to a legal assistant’s house, and then in 1833 to the church in the village of Pfeffelbach in the Principality of Lichtenberg, where it lay in a simple crypt under the pulpit and was almost forgotten. On June 9, 1846, Louise’s coffin was taken to Coburg, where it stayed at the Church of St. Moritz, before being moved to the Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery in 1860.

Louise’s widower Alexander remarried and had three children. In 1845, Alexander contacted his stepson Prince Albert, who in the meantime had married Queen Victoria, and Albert granted him a pension.

The Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery. photo: by Störfix – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4010189

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.