Editing Saxe-Gotha

{{Short description|Saxon duchy of the Wettin dynasty}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=de|date=December 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name            = {{native name|de|Herzogtum Sachsen-Gotha}}
|conventional_long_name = Duchy of Saxe-Gotha
|common_name            = Saxe-Gotha
|era                    = [[Early modern Europe]]
|status                 = Vassal
|empire                 = Holy Roman Empire
|government_type        = [[Principality]]
|year_start             = 1640
|year_end               = 1680
|life_span              = 
|event_start            = Partitioned from<br />{{spaces|4}}[[Saxe-Weimar]]
|date_start             = 
|event1                 = Acquired half of<br />{{spaces|4}}[[Saxe-Eisenach]]
|date_event1            = &nbsp;<br />1644
|event2                 = Acquired major part<br />{{spaces|4}}of [[Saxe-Altenburg]]
|date_event2            = &nbsp;<br />1672
|event_end              = Partitioned in seven
|date_end               = <!--- Optional: Date of disestablishment --->
|p1                     = Saxe-Weimar
|flag_p1               = Großherzogin Sachsen-Weimar.svg
|s1                     = Saxe-Coburg
|flag_s1                = Armoiries Saxe2.svg
|border_s1              = no
|s2                     = Saxe-Eisenberg
|s3                     = Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
|flag_s3               = Flag of Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg.svg
|s4                     = Saxe-Hildburghausen
|flag_s4                = Blason Duché de Saxe-Hildbourghausen.svg
|border_s4              = no
|s5                     = Saxe-Meiningen
|flag_s5                = Flagge Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (1826-1911).svg
|s6                     = Saxe-Römhild
|s7                     = Saxe-Saalfeld
|flag_s7                = Armoiries Saxe2.svg
|border_s7              = no
|image_coat             = Armoiries Saxe2.svg
|image_map              = SajoniaGotha1.jpg
|image_map_caption      = Thuringia, showing the combined territory of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg from 1672, before it was again divided in 1680
|capital                = [[Gotha (town)|Gotha]]
}}
'''Saxe-Gotha''' ({{langx|de|Sachsen-Gotha}}) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the [[Ernestine duchies|Ernestine branch]] of the [[House of Wettin|Wettin dynasty]] in the former Landgraviate of [[Thuringia]]. The ducal residence was erected at [[Gotha (town)|Gotha]].

==History==
[[File:Schloss Friedenstein Gotha.JPG|thumb|left|Gotha: ''Schloss Friedenstein'']]
The duchy was established in 1640, when Duke [[Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar|Wilhelm von Saxe-Weimar]] created a subdivision for his younger brother 
[[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha|Ernest I the Pious]]. Duke Ernest took his residence at [[Gotha (town)|Gotha]], where he had ''[[Schloss Friedenstein]]'' built between 1643 and 1654. At the same time, the Duchy of [[Saxe-Eisenach]] was created for the third brother [[Albert IV, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach|Albert IV]].

Nevertheless, Albert died in 1644, and Ernest inherited large parts of his duchy, though not the core territory around the residence at [[Eisenach]] and the [[Wartburg]], which fell to his elder brother Wilhelm of Saxe-Weimar. Ernest could also incorporate several remaining estates of the extinct [[House of Henneberg]] in 1660, which had been vacant since 1583. Finally in 1672 he received the major part of [[Saxe-Altenburg]] through his wife [[Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg|Elisabeth Sophie]], after Altenburg's last duke [[Frederick William III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg|Frederick William III]] had died without heirs. Ernest would then be called Duke of [[Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]].

When Ernest died in 1675, he left his seven sons a significantly enlarged territory. The eldest, [[Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg|Frederick I]] at first ruled jointly with his brothers until in 1680 the duchy was divided. The area around Gotha and also [[Altenburg]] passed to Frederick I, who retained the title of a Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.  For later history of the duchy, see [[Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]].

== Dukes of Saxe-Gotha ==
* [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha|Ernest I the Pious]] (1640–75), Duke of [[Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]] from 1672
* [[Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]] (1675–1691), jointly with his brothers until 1680:
** [[Albert V, Duke of Saxe-Coburg|Albert V]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Coburg]]
** [[Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen|Bernhard I]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Meiningen]]
** [[Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Römhild|Heinrich]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Römhild]] 
** [[Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg|Christian]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Eisenberg]]
** [[Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen|Ernest]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Hildburghausen]]
** [[John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|John Ernest IV]], became Duke of [[Saxe-Saalfeld]]

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 [[Hildburghausen (district)|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.

==References==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060509144639/http://www2.bartleby.com/65/sa/SaxeGoth.html Saxe-Gotha], ''[[Columbia Encyclopedia]]'', Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001–05), accessed January 27, 2007

{{Ernestine duchies}}
{{Upper Saxon Circle}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord missing|Thuringia}}

[[Category:1640 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1680 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1640]]
[[Category:Ernestine duchies|Gotha]]
[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Gotha| ]]
[[Category:House of Wettin]]
[[Category:Gotha]]