Saxe-Altenburg

**Saxe-Altenburg** () was one of the Ernestine duchies of the House of Wettin.
Altenburg was independent for most of the 1600s until 1672. This is when the last male ruler died. Because only men could rule the Ernestine duchies Altenburg began to be ruled by the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, who had married the last ruler’s daughter.

In 1825 the ruler died, and he also had no male heirs. Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was split up. Gotha was given to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Altenburg to the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, who in exchange gave up Saalfeld and Hildburghausen to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. This family ruled in the duchy until the end of the monarchies in 1918. Saxe-Altenburg became part of the new state of Thuringia in the Weimar Republic in 1920.

Saxe-Altenburg had an area of  and a population of 207,000 (1905). Its capital was Altenburg.

The Saxe-Altenburg line became extinct following the death of Prince George Moritz in 1991.

## Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg

- Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1826-1834) _(Previously Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen)_
- Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1834-1848)
- Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1848-1853)
- Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1853-1908)
- Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1908-1918)

## Heads of the Ducal House of Saxe-Altenburg, post monarchy

- Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1918-1955)
- Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg (1955-1991)

In 1991 the Saxe-Altenburg line became extinct.

Two branches descend from duke Ernest the Pious, the father of the progenitor of this Saxe-Altenburg branch: Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; according to old Wettin family law, they would have divided the actual territories between them (as happened to Gotha and Altenburg in 1826). The senior male agnate descending from duke Ernest the Pious, in 1991 , was prince Frederick-Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen (a monk, 1921-1997), and thus technically succeeded then as titular duke of Saxe-Altenburg and head of the whole branch; but, because he renounced all his succession rights in favor of his uncle Bernhard, was him instead Frederick-Alfred the general heir of the line of Saxe-Meiningen. His successor was Konrad, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, the present head of that branch.

## Related pages

- Ernestine duchies

## Other websites

- Saxe-Altenburg family genealogy

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: _Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg_
- **conventional long name**: Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
- **common name**: Saxe-Altenburg
- **continent**: Europe
- **region**: Central Europe
- **country**: Germany
- **status**: Vassal
- **empire**: Holy Roman Empire
- **government type**: Principality
- **status text**: States of the Holy Roman Empire, State of the Holy Roman Empire,
States of the German Confederation, State of the German Confederation,
States of the North German Confederation, State of the North German Confederation,
States of the German Empire, State of the German Empire,
States of the Weimar Republic, State of the Weimar Republic
- **year start**: 1602
- **year end**: 1918
- **life span**: 1602 – 1672
1672 – 1825*
1826 – 1918
1918 – 1920†
- **event start**: Saxe-Weimar partitioned
- **date start**: July 7, 1602
- **event1**: Personal union with
    Saxe-Gotha
- **date event1**:  
1672 – 1825
- **event2**: Ernestine duchies
    rearranged, duchy restored
- **date event2**:  
November 12, 1826
- **event end**: German Revolution
- **date end**: November 1918
- **event post**: Merger of Thuringia‡
- **date post**: 1920
- **p1**: Saxe-Weimar
- **image p1**:
- **s1**: Thuringia
- **flag s1**: Flag of Thuringia (state).svg
- **image flag**: Flagge_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha_(1826-1911).svg
- **image coat**: Wappen Deutsches Reich - Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg (Mittleres).jpg
- **image map**: Saxe-Altenburg in the German Reich (1871).svg
- **image map caption**: Saxe-Altenburg within the German Empire

Ernestine duchies after 1825, showing Saxe-Altenburg in orange
- **capital**: Altenburg
- **national anthem**: _Heil unserm Herzog, heil_
(Hail to our Duke, hail!)
- **leader1**: Christian II, Elector of Saxony (regent for John Philip)
- **leader2**: John George II, Elector of Saxony (regent for Frederick William III)
- **leader3**: Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Frederick
- **leader4**: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Ernst II
- **year leader1**: 1603 – 1613, 13
- **year leader2**: 1669 – 1672, 72
- **year leader3**: 1826 – 1834, 34
- **year leader4**: 1908 – 1918, 18
- **title leader**: Duke
- **stat year1**: 1905
- **stat area1**: 1323
- **stat pop1**: 207000
- **footnotes**: * _See Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg_
† As Free State of Saxe-Altenburg
‡ In 1920, the States of the German Empire, ex-Imperial states of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the two principalities of Reuß all merged to form the free state of Thuringia.