House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha(/sakskobrndo/; German: Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) is a German dynasty, the line of theSaxon House of Wettin that ruled the Ernestine duchiesincluding the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.Founded by Ernest Anton, the sixth duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, it is the royal house of several Eu-ropean monarchies, and branches currently reign inBelgium through the descendants of Leopold I, and inthe Commonwealth realms through the descendants ofPrince Albert. Due to anti-German sentiment in theUnited Kingdom during World War I, George V of theUnited Kingdom changed the name of his branch fromSaxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor in 1917. The samehappened in Belgium where it was changed to "van Bel-gi" (Dutch) or "de Belgique" (French).

1 HistoryThe rst duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was ErnestI, who reigned from 1826 until his death in 1844. Hehad previously been Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (asErnest III) from 1806 until the duchy was reorganizedin 1826. Ernsts younger brother Leopold became Kingof the Belgians in 1831, and his descendants continue toserve as Belgian head of state. Lopolds only daugh-ter, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, was the consort ofMaximilian I of Mexico, known as the Empress Carlotaof Mexico, in the 1860s. Ernsts nephew Ferdinand mar-ried QueenMaria II of Portugal, and his descendants con-tinued to rule Portugal until that country became a repub-lic in 1910.Ernst Is second son, Prince Albert (18191861), marriedQueen Victoria in 1840, and thus is the progenitor of theUnited Kingdoms current royal family, called Windsorsince 1917. In 1826, a cadet branch of the house inher-ited the Hungarian princely estate of Kohry, and con-verted to Roman Catholicism. Its members managed tomarry an imperial princess of Brazil, an archduchess ofAustria, a royal princess of the French, a royal princessof Belgium and a royal princess of Saxony. A scion ofthis branch, also named Ferdinand, became Prince, andthen Tsar, of Bulgaria, and his descendants continued torule there until 1946. The current head of the House ofBulgaria, the former Tsar Simeon II who was deposedand exiled duringWorldWar II, goes by the name SimeonSakskoburggotski and served as Bulgarias prime ministerfrom 2001 to 2005.

The ducal house consisted of all male-line descendentsof John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld legiti-mately born of an equal marriage, males and females (thelatter until their marriage), their wives in equal and autho-rised marriages, and their widows until remarriage. Ac-cording to the House law of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburgand Gotha the full title of the Duke was:

Wir, Ernst, Herzog zu Sachsen-Coburg und Go-tha, Jlich, Cleve und Berg, auch Engern undWestphalen, Landgraf in Thringen, Markgrafzu Meien, gefrsteter Graf zu Henneberg, Grafzu der Mark und Ravensberg, Herr zu Raven-stein und Tonna usw.

We, Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,Jlich, Cleves and Berg, also Angria andWestphalia, Landgrave in Thuringia, Margraveof Meissen, Princely Count of Henneberg,Count of the Mark and Ravensberg, Lord ofRavenstein and Tonna, et cetera.

There were two ocial residences, in Gotha and Coburg.Therefore, the whole ducal court, including the CourtTheater, had to move twice a year: from Gotha toCoburg for the summer and from Coburg to Gotha forthe winter.[1] For the Court Theater, two almost identicalbuildings had to built in 1840 in Gotha (destroyed in theSecond World War) and Coburg (now the Coburg StateTheater) and thereafter maintained at the same time. Inaddition to the residential castles, Friedenstein in Gothaand Ehrenburg in Coburg, the Ducal family also used theSchloss Reinhardsbrunn in Gotha as well as the Rosenauand Callenberg Castles in Coburg and the hunting lodgeGreinburg Castle, Grein, Austria.

2 Branches

2.1 Ducal branch2.1.1 Dukes, 18261918

Ernest I 18261844 Ernest II 18441893 Alfred 18931900 Charles Edward 19001918

1

2 2 BRANCHES

Coat of arms of Saxony

2.1.2 Heads of the house since 1918

Charles Edward 19181954 Friedrich Josias 19541998 Andreas 1998present

Although the ducal branch is eponymous with the dy-nasty, its head is not the genealogically or agnatically se-nior member of the family. In 1893, the reigning dukedied childless, whereupon the throne would have de-volved, by male primogeniture, upon the British branchdescended from Prince Albert. However, as heirs to theBritish throne, Alberts descendants consented and thelaw of the duchy ratied that the ducal throne wouldnot be inherited by the British monarch or heir apparent.Therefore, the German duchy became a secundogeniture,hereditary among the younger princes of the British royalfamily who belonged to the House of Wettin, and theirmale-line descendants.Instead of the future Edward VII of the United King-dom inheriting the duchy, it was diverted to his nextbrother, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and, uponthe latters death without surviving sons, to the youngestgrandson of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, PrinceCharles Edward, Duke of Albany (bypassing his unclePrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and his male line who,although senior by birth, preferred to remain on Britishsoil).The current head of the ducal branch is Andreas, Princeof Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Coat of arms of the duchy of Saxe-Coburg andGotha

Heraldic shield of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Personal arms of the family since the reign of

Charles Edward [1]

Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b.1943), head of the ducal branch

Veste Coburg, ancestral seat of the House of Saxe-Coburg

Ehrenburg Palace, Coburg (summer residence) Friedenstein Castle, Gotha (winter residence) Reinhardsbrunn Castle, Gotha Rosenau Castle, Coburg Callenberg Castle, Coburg Greinburg Castle, Grein, Austria

1. ^ Ocial family website

Coat of Arms of the Kings of the Belgians of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

2.2 Kings of the Belgians Leopold I (18311865) Leopold II (18651909) Albert I (19091934) Leopold III (19341951) Baudouin (19511993) Albert II (19932013) Philippe (2013present)

2.4 Kingdom of Bulgaria 3

2.2.1 Belgian royal house

Because of the First World War, the family name waschanged in 1921 to van Belgi, de Belgique or von Bel-gien (of Belgium) in the countrys three ocial lan-guages (Dutch, French and German) this family nameis used on the identity cards and in all ocial documents.The armorial bearings of Saxony were removed from theBelgian royal coat of arms (see here). Other Coburgersfrom the many-branched Saxe-Coburg family have alsochanged their name. For example, Britains King GeorgeV adopted the family name of Windsor, after the RoyalFamilys place of residence.[2]

King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde ofBelgium

Royal Palace of Brussels Royal Palace of Laeken

Coat of Arms of Ferdinand II of Portugal of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

2.3 Kingdom of PortugalSee also: House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

In Portugal the former royal house is usually not distin-guished from the House of Braganza.

Pedro V (18531861) Lus I (18611889) Carlos I (18891908)

Manuel II (r. 19081910, d.1932)

Manuel II died childless in 1932. He recognised as hissuccessor his distant cousin Duarte Nuno, Duke of Bra-ganza, who is not a descendant of Ferdinand II, or thehouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Duarte Nuno and hissuccessors are members of the House of Braganza.

King Manuel II (r. 19081910, d.1932)

Coat of Arms of the Kings of Bulgaria of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

2.4 Kingdom of Bulgaria Ferdinand I (18871918) Boris III (19181943) Simeon II (19431946) In 2001, elected[3] Prime

Minister of Bulgaria as Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gothaalso known as Simeon Sakskoburggotski().[4][5][6]

King Simeon II of Bulgaria (r. 19431946)

2.5 United Kingdom Edward VII (19011910) George V (19101936, until 1917 when the name

was changed and the royal house and family becameknown as Windsor).

Edward VIII (1936)

4 5 EXTERNAL LINKS

Coat of Arms of Edward of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince ofWales, the rst Coburgian to become King of the United King-dom and Ireland as Edward VII in 1901

George VI (19361952) Elizabeth II (1952)

Queen Elizabeth II

From King Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910,until 1917 when King George V replaced the German-sounding title with the name of Windsor during the FirstWorld War, British monarchs belonged to the House ofSaxe-Coburg & Gotha. The name Saxe-Coburg-Gothasurvived the Belgian royal family until 1920 and in theBulgarian royal family.[7]

3 GenealogyPatrilineality, descent as reckoned from father to son,has historically been the principle determining member-ship in reigning families, thus the dynasty to which themonarchs of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha belongedgenealogically through the 20th century is the House ofWettin, despite the ocial use of varying names by dif-ferent branches of the patriline.

4 References[1] Janet Robinson and Joe Robinson, Handbook of Imperial

Germany (Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2009),page 87

[2] Balfoort, Brigitte et al. journalist (PDF). The BelgianMonarchy. Olivier Alsteens, Director-General of the FPSChancellery of the Prime Minister, Wetstraat 16, 1000Brussels. Retrieved 18 July 2012.

Saxe-Coburg Dynasty Family Tree since the end of the 18th Cen-tury, showing their inheritance of the thrones of Great Britain,Belgium, Portugal, and Bulgaria.

[3] Bulgaria: Timeline, BBC News Online, 27 June 2007. Re-trieved on 28 July 2007.

[4] Former king marks rst year as Bulgarian PrimeMinister,Radio Free Europe, 26 July 2002. Retrieved on 28 July2007.

[5] Bulgarian (or Spanish) Prime Minister?, Bulgaria Devel-opment Gateway, 24 July 2003. Retrieved on 28 July2007.

[6] Lord Alderdice speaking in the House of Lords on 19May2005, Hansard. Retrieved on 28 July 2007.

[7] Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on the ocial website of the Britishmonarchy

5 External links OcialWebsite of the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg

and Gotha Callenberg Castle website

56 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses6.1 Text

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha?oldid=670551238 Con-tributors: Kaihsu, Dale Arnett, DocWatson42, Huntington, OwenBlacker, Pc13, Hurricane111, Yuyu, Patsw, Lockley, Cassowary, Cap-tainCanada, Pevernagie, Chobot, Wavelength, Hairy Dude, Anders.Warga, Danbarnesdavies, Neutron, Arrigo, DWC LR, Sadistik, Bar-ryob, Sotakeit, Stephennarmstrong, West Virginian, SmackBot, JFHJr, Keegan, JoshNarins, Hebel, GoodDay, Ohconfucius, Meld, Normmit, Domh, Richard75, Thomas81, CmdrObot, Pseudo-Richard, Jac16888, TicketMan, DumbBOT, Nick Number, ThomasPusch, JAnD-bot, Ericoides, Indisciplined, Alexander Domanda, Hiplibrarianship, Tdadamemd, Maproom, C.Kent87, Maethordaer, Pubdog, Vnnen,MrKIA11, Robveget, Pichpich, Dthomsen8, Sir Sputnik, Lepton6, Surtsicna, FactStraight, Addbot, Lemonade100, Yobot, Poko, The Em-perors New Spy, AnomieBOT, Rubinbot, Materialscientist, Through Blue, Koektrommel, Anonymous from the 21st century, Miesianiacal,UweBayern, Nocrowx, Skol r, Nashassum, Arbraxan, Nora lives, Bensvader, Idunius, Xanderliptak, Alph Bot, EmausBot, John of Lan-caster, Sundostund, InternetGO, Kidkidpie2, Cristiano Toms, , Coolidays, Reigen, KLL Joe, Joefromrandb, MerlIwBot, Equord,Andrew Gwilliam, JMvanDijk, Edoardo Cavaleri, Kndimov, Tinynanorobots, Hipposcrashed, Drow69, Blairall, Marcelo Armando, Sue-beque, KasparBot and Anonymous: 70

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svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Bragancihno File:Bulgaria_royal_family.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Bulgaria_royal_family.jpg License:

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6.3 Content license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

HistoryBranchesDucal branchDukes, 18261918Heads of the house since 1918

Kings of the BelgiansBelgian royal house

Kingdom of PortugalKingdom of BulgariaUnited Kingdom

GenealogyReferences External linksText and image sources, contributors, and licensesTextImagesContent license