Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Herzogtum Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg
1672–1825
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, shown within the other Ernestine duchies, 1826
Status	State of the Holy Roman Empire, State of the Confederation of the Rhine, State of the German Confederation
Government	Principality
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Union of Saxe-Gotha     and Saxe-Altenburg	1672 1672
• Partitioned between     Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and     Saxe-Hildburghausen	1825 1825
Preceded by Succeeded by Saxe-Gotha Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Saxe-Hildburghausen

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (German: Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg) was a country in what is today Thuringia, Germany.

It was formed in 1672 when Frederick Wilhelm III, the last duke of Saxe-Altenburg died and Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (who had married Frederick Wilhelm's cousin, Elisabeth Sophie) inherited his possessions.

The duchy was split up again after Ernest’s death in 1675, and the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg officially came into existence in 1680 when his eldest son, Frederick, took control of the parts of the country Gotha and Altenburg.

When the royal house of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg became extinct in 1825, Saxe-Gotha was given to Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Saxe-Altenburg passed to the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. After the abolition of German monarchies at the end of the First World War, both Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg became part of the newly created state of Thuringia in 1920.

Dukes of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

• Ernest I the Pious (1640-1675), inherited Saxe-Altenburg in 1675
• Frederick I (1675-1691), son of Ernest the Pious and the first to be called Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
• Frederick II (1691-1732), son
• Frederick III (1732-1772), son
• Ernest II (1772-1804), son
• Emil (1804-1822), son
• Frederick IV (1822-1825), brother

Divided between Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Saxe-Hildburghausen