Duchy of Saxe-Gotha

Saxe-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Gotha) was a state in today's Thuringia, Germany.

Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Herzogtum Sachsen-Gotha
1553 – 1572 1640 – 1680
Thuringia, showing the combined territory of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg, before it was again divided (1672 – 80)
Status	State of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Gotha
Government	Principality
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Split from Saxe-Thuringia	1553 1553
• Split into Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Eisenach	1572
• Split from Saxe-Weimar	1640
• Partitioned in seven	1680
Preceded by Succeeded by Saxe-Thuringia Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Eisenach Saxe-Eisenburg Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Römhild Saxe-Saalfeld

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.

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 became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and gave Saxe-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

• Saxe-Gotha Archived 2006-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001 – 05), accessed January 27 2007