A summary family history
The Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a branch of the German noble house of Wettin and has its ancestral seat in Coburg. Its progenitors ruled from 1423 to 1547 as Electoral Princes of Saxony and later as Dukes of Coburg. The Saxon duchy of Gotha was acquired in 1826 and since that time the family bears the name of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
The 19th century was the golden age of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During that era, through diplomacy and shrewd marriage politics, it became one of the most significant European ruling dynasties up to the end of the monarchies in 1918.The “Coburgs” were closely related to almost all European princely families and furnished the sovereigns of four royal dynasties: Belgium, Portugal, Great Britain and Bulgaria.
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha’s family relations with Europe’s ruling nobility came, in a large part, from Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his wife, Queen Victoria of England. It is through their nine children and 39 grandchildren that the current dynastic lines of Great Britain and Coburg were continued. Furthermore, the progeny of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also ruled in the German Empire, Russia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark – and still do today in the latter four. Please also see the attached PDF (German and English) for additional information.
This spectacular family history of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is at home in Castle Callenberg and is highlighted via the Ducal Art Museum. The present head of the house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is Prince Andreas. He descends from the British line established by his great great grandfather Prince Albert.
For more information about the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, please visit the family’s website at: www.sachsen-coburg-gotha.de.