Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg: The Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg was created in 1826 when Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. After Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

As World War I ended, the last Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Ernst II, was one of the first German sovereigns to realize that major changes were coming and quickly arrived at an amicable settlement with his subjects. He abdicated on November 13, 1918. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg is located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg was born in Hildburghausen, Duchy of  Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany, as The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen on April 29, 1763, the only son of Ernst Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and his third wife, Princess Ernestine of Saxe-Weimar. He had two sisters:

Friedrich also had two half-sisters from his father’s first two marriages, both of whom had died in infancy.

Friedrich was educated privately at home and later spent some time at the court in Gotha learning about the workings of government. He was presented to the Austrian court in 1779 and served in the Austrian military. At just 17 years old, he became Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen upon his father’s death in 1780. Because of his youth, a Regency was established, led by his great-grand-uncle Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The Regency continued even after he reached his majority, ending only with Joseph’s death in 1787.

Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. source: Wikipedia

On September 3, 1785, Friedrich married Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt. The marriage was happy at first, but soon Friedrich realized that his wife was far more intelligent than he was, and began to ignore her. Despite this, the couple had 12 children:

Upon taking control of his government in 1787, he quickly established a trade agreement with Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. He improved the education system and established several schools in Hildburghausen. He also worked to improve the duchy’s financial situation. Due to his father’s poor fiscal policies, the Duchy was under the official administration of the Imperial Debit Commission and horribly in debt. Joining the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 saw a marked positive change in the duchy’s financial state. This was further enhanced by joining the German Confederation in 1815. By the time he issued a new constitution in 1818, both the Duchy and the Duke himself were in a greatly improved financial position.

Along with his wife, the much-loved Charlotte Georgine, Friedrich worked to bring art and culture to Saxe-Hildburghausen, turning it into one of the cultural centers in Germany. He made sure to remain close to his subjects, often inviting people of all classes to his palaces, visiting inns and workshops around the duchy, and bringing about initiatives that helped the poor. Charlotte Georgine, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen died eight years before her husband became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, in Hildburghausen, Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany on May 14, 1818, after a long illness.

Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. source: Wikipedia

Friedrich became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1826. After Friedrich IV, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Leaving Hildburghausen after living there for 63 years was very difficult for Friedrich, but he moved to Altenburg in November 1826. He took up residence at the Hummelshain Hunting Lodge (Jagdschloss Hummelshain) while a massive restoration was undertaken at Altenburg Castle. Keeping to his promise to the people of his new duchy, Friedrich enacted a constitution in April 1831, improved the infrastructure, streamlined the government, and reinforced trade with the other German states.

Jagdschloss Hummelshain. photo: By Michael Sander – Own work (selbst fotografiert), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10112948

Eight years after becoming Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Friedrich died on September 29, 1834, at the Hummelshain Hunting Lodge in Hummerlshain, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany. In 1974, all the remains were removed from the mausoleum and were buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery

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