Saxe-Gotha

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Herzogtum Sachsen-Gotha Duchy of Saxe-Gotha State of the Holy Roman Empire ←   ← 1553 – 1572 1640 – 1680 ↓ Thuringia, showing the combined territory of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg, before it was again divided (1672–80) Capital Gotha Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Partitioned from     Saxe-Thuringia   1553  - Partitioned into S-Coburg     and S-Eisenach   1572  - Partitioned from S-Weimar 1640  - Partitioned in seven 1680

Saxe-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Gotha) was a historical state in today's Thuringia, Germany. It was created in 1640 for Duke Ernest I and ended in 1680 when his lands were divided after his death in 1675. The area around Gotha passed to Ernest's eldest surviving son, Frederick of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, who also inherited Altenburg (which Ernest had inherited through his wife Elisabeth Sophie) and became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

[edit] Dukes of Saxe-Gotha

• Ernest I the Pious (1640–75, also Duke of Saxe-Altenburg from 1672)
• Divided into Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Römhild, Saxe-Eisenberg, Saxe-Hildburghausen and Saxe-Saalfeld in 1680

When the house of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg became extinct in 1825, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was split. Saxe-Gotha passed to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who in turn gave Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen. The Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen received Saxe-Altenburg, and gave the district of Hildburghausen to Saxe-Meiningen.

After the abolition of German monarchies at the end of the First World War it became a part of the newly created state of Thuringia in 1920.

[edit] References

• Saxe-Gotha, Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001–05), accessed January 27, 2007

[edit] See also

• Ernestine duchies

v • d • e Ernestine duchies after the Division of Erfurt (1572) Saxe-Weimar (1572–1806) • Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach (1572–1596) • Saxe-Coburg (1596–1633; 1681–1699) • Saxe-Eisenach (1596–1638; 1640–1644; 1672–1806) • Saxe-Altenburg (1603–1672; 1826–1918) • Saxe-Gotha (1640–1680) • Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1681–1826) • Saxe-Marksuhl (1662–1672) • Saxe-Jena (1672–1690) • Saxe-Eisenberg (1680–1707) • Saxe-Hildburghausen (1680–1826) • Saxe-Römhild (1680–1710) • Saxe-Saalfeld (1680–1735) • Saxe-Meiningen (1681–1918) • Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1735–1826) • Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1806–1918) • Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1826–1918)