Ferdinand Georg of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Encyclopedia
Prince Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (28 March 1785 – 27 August 1851) was a prince of the house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
and a general of cavalry in the Austrian Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
.
as Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the second son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and of his wife, Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf
. In 1826 his title changed from prince of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld to prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha when his brother Duke Ernst I made a territorial exchange with other members of the family.
Ferdinand's nephews and nieces included Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
and her husband Prince Albert, as well as Empress Carlota of Mexico
, and her brother King Leopold II of Belgium
.
on 1 March 1796 and to Second-Rittmeister on 18 November 1798. On 1 February 1802 he transferred to the Austrian Army serving in the Chevauxleger-Regiment Fürst Rosenberg in which he was promoted to Major
on 29 September 1804. On 1 January 1805 he transferred to the Husaren-Regiment Graf Blankenstein Nr. 6 in which he was promoted to Oberstleutnant
on 6 August 1805.
On 15 September 1808 Ferdinand became Oberst
in the Husaren-Regiment Erzherzog Ferdinand d'Este Nr. 3. It was in this regiment that he served in the War of the Fifth Coalition
under Field Marshal Prince Hohenzollern. He received the knight's cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
. Before the Battle of Wagram
he was named General of the Kavallerie Fürst Liechtenstein. On 15 April 1811 he was named Generalmajor.
During the War of the Sixth Coalition
Ferdinand fought at the Battle of Kulm
. In 1813 he fought at the Battle of Leipzig
. In 1814 he received the commander's cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
On 8 May 1822 Ferdinand became Inhaber (proprietor) of the Uhlanen-Regiment Fürst Karl Schwarzenberg. On 22 November 1828 he became Inhaber of the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 8. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to the rank of General der Kavallerie.
on 30 November 1815, Ferdinand married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya
, daughter and heiress of Ferenc József, Fürst Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya
. When Antonia's father died in 1826, she inherited his estates in Hungary
. Ferdinand then added the surname Koháry to his own.
Ferdinand and Antonia had four children all of whom were raised Catholic:
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a German dynasty, the senior line of the Saxon House of Wettin that ruled the Ernestine duchies, including the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
and a general of cavalry in the Austrian Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
The Imperial and Royal Army was that of the Austrian Empire, formed on 11 August 1804 preceding the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the Habsburgs, under Emperor Francis II .-Background to the army:...
.
Birth and family
Ferdinand was born at CoburgCoburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
as Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the second son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and of his wife, Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf
Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf
Countess Augusta Caroline Reuss of Ebersdorf , was by marriage a duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was born in Saalburg-Ebersdorf.-Family:...
. In 1826 his title changed from prince of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld to prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha when his brother Duke Ernst I made a territorial exchange with other members of the family.
Ferdinand's nephews and nieces included Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and her husband Prince Albert, as well as Empress Carlota of Mexico
Charlotte of Belgium
Charlotte of Belgium is remembered today as Carlota of Mexico as empress consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, ex-Archduke of Austria.-Princess of Belgium:The only daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians by his second wife,...
, and her brother King Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
.
Military career
On 10 December 1791 Ferdinand was commissioned as Unterleutnant in the Dragoon-Regiment Coburg Nr. 6. He was promoted to OberleutnantOberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
on 1 March 1796 and to Second-Rittmeister on 18 November 1798. On 1 February 1802 he transferred to the Austrian Army serving in the Chevauxleger-Regiment Fürst Rosenberg in which he was promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
on 29 September 1804. On 1 January 1805 he transferred to the Husaren-Regiment Graf Blankenstein Nr. 6 in which he was promoted to Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
on 6 August 1805.
On 15 September 1808 Ferdinand became Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in the Husaren-Regiment Erzherzog Ferdinand d'Este Nr. 3. It was in this regiment that he served in the War of the Fifth Coalition
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition, fought in the year 1809, pitted a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and Bavaria. Major engagements between France and Austria, the main participants, unfolded over much of Central Europe from April to July, with...
under Field Marshal Prince Hohenzollern. He received the knight's cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
. Before the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
he was named General of the Kavallerie Fürst Liechtenstein. On 15 April 1811 he was named Generalmajor.
During the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
Ferdinand fought at the Battle of Kulm
Battle of Kulm
The Battle of Kulm was a battle near the town Kulm and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia. It was fought on 29–30 August 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition...
. In 1813 he fought at the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
. In 1814 he received the commander's cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
On 8 May 1822 Ferdinand became Inhaber (proprietor) of the Uhlanen-Regiment Fürst Karl Schwarzenberg. On 22 November 1828 he became Inhaber of the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 8. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to the rank of General der Kavallerie.
Marriage and children
In ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 30 November 1815, Ferdinand married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya
Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág
Mária Antónia, Prinzessin Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya was a Hungarian noblewoman and the ancestress of many European monarchs.-Family and marriage:...
, daughter and heiress of Ferenc József, Fürst Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya
Ferencz József Koháry de Csábrág
Ferenc József, Graf und 1. Fürst Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya was an Austrian Imperial Chancellor. He was given an Austrian princely title in 1815...
. When Antonia's father died in 1826, she inherited his estates in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Ferdinand then added the surname Koháry to his own.
Ferdinand and Antonia had four children all of whom were raised Catholic:
- Ferdinand II of PortugalFerdinand II of PortugalFerdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , named Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, was King of Portugal as husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal from the birth of their son in 1837 to her death in 1853.In keeping with Portuguese law, only after the birth of his son in...
(1816–1885). - AugustAugust of Saxe-Coburg-KoharyAugust Ludwig Viktor of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary , was a German prince of the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and holder of Čabrad and Sitno, both in modern day Slovakia....
(1818–1881); he was the father of Tsar Ferdinand I of BulgariaFerdinand I of BulgariaFerdinand , born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was the ruler of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, first as knyaz and later as tsar...
. - Victoria (1822–1857), married Louis, Duke of NemoursLouis, Duke of NemoursPrince Louis of Orléans was the second son of the future King Louis-Philippe I of France, and his wife Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. Under the reign of his father from 1830–1848, he was styled as Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours.-Childhood:He was born at the Palais Royal, in Paris...
. - Leopold (1824–1884).