Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Encyclopedia : L : LO : LOU : Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Luise Dorothea Pauline Charlotte Friederike Auguste, Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess in Saxony (21 December, 1800- 30 August, 1831), was the wife of Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and the mother of Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Luise was born in Gotha, the daughter of Emil August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1772 - 1822) and his wife Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her maternal grandparents were Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and her namesake grandmother Luise of Saxe-Gotha. When Luise's father died without any sons, a complicated struggle ensued for his inheritance.

Luise was married at Gotha 3 July 1817 to her kinsman Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1784-1844), son and heir of Duke Francis Frederick of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (1750-1806) and of his wife Countess Auguste Reuss zu Ebersdorf und Lobenstein (1757-1831).

The marriage was unhappy. Luise and Ernst were divorced in 1826. The same year, her husband received Gotha from the division of inheritance of her deceased father.

Luise and Ernst had two children:

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1818-1893)
Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (1819-1861)

The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha came into being as the personal union of these two in 1826, following the death of her father, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg without male heirs. His lands were repartitioned among his Wettin relations. His son-in-law Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld received Gotha, and changed his title to Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, although the two duchies remained technically separate.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.