by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

The Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery was built between 1839 and 1841 by order of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. It is believed that the remains of his father, Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, were the first to be interred there. The Mausoleum served as a burial site for the ducal family for more than 60 years. The last to be buried there – in 1907 – was Prince Moritz, the son of Duke Georg and the father of Duke Ernst II. In 1974, having fallen into disrepair, the tombs were all removed from the mausoleum. The coffins were sold, and the remains were buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

In 1818, the last Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen – Charlotte Georgine, wife of Duke Friedrich – died. At the time, it would be another 8 years before her husband would become Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. While the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen was the castle church at Hildburghausen Castle, Charlotte Georgine instead wanted to be buried in the new City Cemetery. Per her wishes, a large tomb and monument were built in the center of the new cemetery, and her remains were interred there upon its completion.

Many years later, in 1925, a crypt was built beneath Charlotte Georgine’s tomb, and all of the remains from the castle church were re-interred there. These include the previous Dukes and Duchesses of Saxe-Hildburghausen as well as several of their children.
Wikipedia: City Cemetery in Hildburghausen (link in German)
Wikipedia: Schloss Hildburghausen (link in German)

In 1903, on what would have been his 50th wedding anniversary, Duke Ernst I announced the construction of a church in honor of his late wife, Agnes, who had died in 1897. Construction began in 1904 and the new Duchess Agnes Memorial Church in Altenburg was dedicated in 1906. At that time, Agnes’s remains were moved from the Ducal Mausoleum to the crypt beneath the new church. The remains of their son Georg, who had died in 1856, were also moved. After his death two years later, Ernst I was also interred in the crypt, alongside his wife and son.
Wikipedia: Duchess Agnes Memorial Church (link in German)

The Ducal Cemetery in Trockenborn-Wolfersdorf is the burial site of the last Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Ernst II, and his second wife, Maria Triebel. His sister Luise Charlotte, the former wife of the future Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, is also buried there.

Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg

• Friedrich – reigned November 12, 1826 – September 29, 1834
• Joseph – reigned September 29, 1834 – November 30, 1848 (abdicated)
• Georg – reigned November 30, 1848 – August 3, 1853
• Ernst I – reigned August 3, 1853 – February 7, 1908
• Ernst II -reigned February 7, 1908 – November 13, 1918

Unofficial Royalty: Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg Index

Friedrich
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
(reigned November 12, 1826 – September 29, 1834)

Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Friedrich was born April 29, 1763, to Ernst Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Princess Ernestine of Saxe-Weimar. He succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1780. In 1785, he married Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and had 12 children, including 2 future Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg. In 1826, the various Ernestine duchies were rearranged following the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Friedrich became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, after ceding Hildburghausen to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He reigned until his death in September 1834. He was buried in the Ducal Cemetery in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when the remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Charlotte Georgine was born November 17, 1769, to Carl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt. She married Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1785 and had 12 children. The Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen died on May 14, 1818. She was initially buried in the Princely Crypt at the castle church in Hildburghausen while a tomb was erected for her – per her wishes – in the Hildburghausen City Cemetery. Her remains were moved there in 1819.

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Children of Friedrich and Charlotte Georgine

Prince Joseph Georg
June 12, 1786 – July 30, 1786
Prince Joseph Georg died at just seven weeks of age and was buried in the Princely Crypt at the Castle Church in Hildburghausen. In 1925, his remains were moved to the Hildburghausen City Cemetery.

Princess Charlotte
June 17, 1787 – December 12, 1847
Wikipedia: Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Charlotte married Prince Paul of Württemberg in September 1805 and had five children. She separated from her husband after the birth of their youngest child, but her father-in-law refused to allow a divorce. Charlotte returned to Hildburghausen where she lived much of the rest of her life. She died at the New Residence Palace in Bamberg and was buried in the chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace, alongside her estranged husband and his family.

Princess Caroline Auguste
July 29, 1788 – July 29, 1788
Princess Caroline Auguste died at birth and was buried in the Princely Crypt at the Castle Church in Hildburghausen. In 1925, her remains were moved to the Hildburghausen City Cemetery.

Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (below)

Princess Friederike
January 18, 1791 – March 25, 1791
Princess Friederike died two months after her birth and was buried in the Princely Crypt at the Castle Church in Hildburghausen. In 1925, her remains were moved to the Hildburghausen City Cemetery.

Princess Therese
July 8, 1792 – October 26, 1854
Unofficial Royalty: Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Queen of Bavaria
Princess Therese married the future King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1810 after having been proposed as a potential bride for the French Emperor Napoleon the previous year. She and Ludwig had 9 children, including King Maximilian II of Bavaria and King Otto of Greece. Queen Therese died of cholera in 1854 and was buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich. Several years later, her remains were moved to St. Boniface’s Abbey in Munich.

Princess Luise
January 28, 1794 – April 6, 1825
Wikipedia: Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Luise married Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau on June 24, 1814, and had eight children, including their son Adolphe who later became Grand Duke Luxembourg. She died in 1825 shortly after giving birth to her youngest child. Luise is buried in the Princely Crypt at the Castle Church in Weilburg.

Prince Franz
April 13, 1795 – May 28, 1800
Prince Franz died shortly after his fifth birthday and was buried in the Princely Crypt at the Castle Church in Hildburghausen.

Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (below)

Prince Friedrich
October 4, 1801 – July 1, 1870
Prince Friedrich never married. In 1834, he became engaged to Lady Mary Talbot, daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, but the marriage never took place. Upon his death in 1870, he was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in Altenburg Cemetery. In 1974, his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

Prince Maximilian
February 19, 1803 – March 29, 1803
Prince Maximilian died just over a month after his birth. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

Prince Eduard
July 3, 1804 – May 16, 1852
Wikipedia: Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg
Prince Eduard married Princess Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1835 and had four children. Following her death, he married Princess Luise Caroline Reuss of Greiz and had two more children. Eduard died in Munich and was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery. In 1974, his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Joseph
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
(reigned September 29, 1834 – November 30, 1848)

Unofficial Royalty: Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg was born August 27, 1789, the eldest surviving son of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1817, he married Duchess Amalie of Württemberg in April 1817 and had six daughters. Joseph succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1834 and ruled until being forced to abdicate in 1848. He spent his remaining years at Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft in Wolfersdorf and died in Altenburg on November 25, 1868. Joseph was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

Amalie of Württemberg
Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

Unofficial Royalty: Amalie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg
Amalie was born in Wallisfurth, Prussia (now Poland) on June 28, 1799, to Duke Ludwig of Württemberg and Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg. She married the future Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1817 and had six daughters. The Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg died on November 28, 1848, just two days before her husband abdicated his throne. She was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when her remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Children of Joseph and Amalie

Princess Marie
April 14, 1818 – January 9, 1907
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover
Princess Marie married the future King Georg V of Hanover in 1843 and had three children. After being widowed in 1878, she moved to a villa in Gmunden where she died in 1907. Queen Marie is buried in a Mausoleum on the grounds of Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden.

Princess Pauline
November 24, 1819 – January 11, 1825
Princess Pauline died shortly after her fifth birthday. She is buried in the Hildburghausen City Cemetery.

Princess Therese
October 9, 1823 – April 3, 1915
Princess Therese never married and served as a companion to her mother. Following her parents’ deaths, she spent her remaining years at the family’s hunting lodge in Wolfersdorf. Her burial site is unknown, but it is possible that she is buried in the Hildburghausen City Cemetery.

Princess Elisabeth
March 26, 1826 – February 2, 1896
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg
Princess Elisabeth married her second cousin, the future Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, in 1852 and had two children. She became Grand Duchess of Oldenburg upon her husband’s accession in 1853. Grand Duchess Elisabeth is buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg.

Princess Alexandra
July 8, 1830 – July 6, 1911
Wikipedia: Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg
Princess Alexandra married Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia, a son of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia in September 1848. Having previously converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, she took the name Alexandra Iosifovna. Alexandra and Konstantin had six children, including the future Queen Olga of the Hellenes. Surviving her husband by 19 years, Grand Duchess Alexandra died in St. Petersburg in 1911. She is buried alongside her husband in the Grand Ducal Burial Vault in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Princess Luise
June 4, 1832 – August 29, 1833
Princess Luise died a few months after her first birthday and was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery. In 1974, her remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Georg
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
(reigned November 30, 1848 – August 3, 1853)

Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg was born July 24, 1796, a younger son of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He married Duchess Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on October 7, 1825, and had three sons. Georg succeeded his elder brother Joseph as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1848 and reigned until his death on August 3, 1853. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

Unofficial Royalty: Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg
Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born at Ludwigslust Palace on March 31, 1803, the daughter of Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia. She married the future Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1825 and had three sons. The Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg survived her husband by nine years, dying at the Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen on October 26, 1862. She was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery until 1974 when her remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Children of Georg and Marie Luise

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (below)

Prince Albrecht
October 31, 1827 – May 28, 1835
Prince Albrecht died several months before his eighth birthday. He is buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum at Ludwigslust Palace in Mecklenburg.

Prince Moritz
October 24, 1829 – May 13, 1907
Wikipedia: Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg
Prince Moritz married Princess Auguste of Saxe-Meiningen in 1862 and had five children, including the future Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Like his elder brother, Ernst I had no living male heir, Moritz was the heir-presumptive to the throne until his death. He died in Arco, Italy in May 1907, and is buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery. In 1974, his remains were moved to an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

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Ernst I
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
(reigned August 3, 1853 – February 7, 1908)

Unofficial Royalty: Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg was born September 16, 1826, to Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In April 1853, he married Princess Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau and had two children. Four months after his marriage, he succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and reigned until his death on February 7, 1908. He is buried in the crypt at the Duchess Agnes Memorial Church in Altenburg.

Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau
Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

Unofficial Royalty: Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg
Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau was born on June 24, 1824, to Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Friederike of Prussia. She married the future Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1853 and had two children. The Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg died at Schloss Hummelshain on October 23, 1897, and was initially buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery. In 1906, her remains were moved to the crypt of the newly built Duchess Agnes Memorial Church in Altenburg along with those of her infant son, Georg, who had died in 1856.

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Children of Ernst I and Agnes

Princess Marie
August 2, 1854 – October 8, 1898
Wikipedia: Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg
Princess Marie married Prince Albert of Prussia, a grandson of King Friedrich Wilhelm III, in April 1873 and had three children. She died at Kamenz Castle in Silesia and was buried in a mausoleum on the grounds of the castle. After the mausoleum was plundered after World War II, her remains were moved to a grave elsewhere on the grounds.

Prince Georg
February 1, 1856 – February 29, 1856
Prince Georg lived for just one month and was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery. In 1906, his remains were moved, along with his mother’s, to the crypt of the newly built Duchess Agnes Memorial Church in Altenburg.

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Ernst II
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
(reigned February 7, 1908 – November 13, 1918)

Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Ernst II was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was born on August 31, 1871 to Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg and Princess Auguste of Saxe-Meiningen. He was a grandson of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He married Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe in February 1898 and had four children. Ernst II succeeded his uncle Ernst I in 1908 and reigned until the monarchy was abolished and he was forced to abdicate on November 13, 1918. He and his wife divorced in 1920, and he moved to Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft in Wolfersdorf and took the title Baron of Reiseneck. In 1934, he married Maria Triebel, his longtime companion. Ernst II became the only former German ruling prince to become a citizen of the German Democratic Republic after World War II. He died in Wolfersdorf on March 22, 1955, and was buried in the Ducal Cemetery in Trockenborn-Wolfersdorf along with his second wife. Ernst II was the last living former German ruler.

Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe
Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg
1st wife of Ernst II

Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg
Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe was the last Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg. She was born on September 22, 1875, the daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau. She married Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1898 and had four children. Her husband was forced to abdicate in 1918, and the couple divorced in 1920. She died January 27, 1971, and is buried in the Mausoleum Garden at Schloss Bückeburg, one of the ancestral homes of the Princes of Schaumburg-Lippe.

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Children of Ernst II and Adelheid

Charlotte
March 4, 1899 – February 16, 1989
Wikipedia: Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg
Princess Charlotte married Prince Sigismund of Prussia on July 11, 1919, and had two children. They spent much of their married life living in Costa Rica. After surviving her husband for over ten years, Charlotte died at Schloss Hemmelmark in Schleswig-Holstein in 1989. She is buried along with her husband in the cemetery in Esparza, Costa Rica.

Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg
May 13, 1900 – February 13, 1991
Wikipedia: Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg
Hereditary Prince Georg Moritz never married. He was a student of anthroposophy throughout his entire life and conducted research in the field for much of his life. Following his father’s death, he became the head of the House of Saxe-Altenburg and pretender to the former ducal throne. As his younger brother died before him, the House of Saxe-Altenburg went extinct. He died in Rendsburg in 1991

Elisabeth
April 6, 1903 – January 30, 1991
Princess Elisabeth never married. She died in January 1991.

Friedrich
May 15, 1905 – February 23, 1985
Prince Friedrich was the last child born to a reigning Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Never married, Friedrich Ernst became a noted historian and archaeologist, conducting excavations around the world. He joined his brother, Georg Moritz, in his studies of anthroposophy and later taught history and English. He died in Rosenheim in 1985 at the age of 79. He is buried in the cemetery in Schönach, Mötzing in Regensburg, Bavaria.

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Maria Triebel
2nd wife of Ernst II

Maria Triebel was the second wife of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. She was born in Waltershausen in October 1893 and married the former Duke on July 15, 1934. As the marriage was morganatic, she took the title Baroness of Reiseneck. They had no children. Maria died in Wolfersdorf in 1955 and is buried in the Ducal Cemetery in Trockenborn-Wolfersdorf alongside her husband.

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