Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Encyclopedia
Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Gotha
, 28 July 1676 – Altenburg
, 23 March 1732), was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
.
He was the fifth child and first son of Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
and Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels.
After the death of his father, in 1691, Frederick II assumed the duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
Because he was still under age, a guardianship and co-regency was formed between his uncles, the dukes Bernhard I of Saxe-Meiningen and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild. In 1693, after he returned from a journey to Holland and England
, he wrote to the emperor for a license of adult age and took independent control of the government of his duchy. Frederick was a splendor-loving baroque ruler; his yard attitude and the standing army, whom he had taken over from his father and even expanded, devoured some of his income. As a solution, Frederick rented his soldiers to foreign princes, which brought him a great difficulty in 1702, when the King Louis XIV of France
rented his troops and used them in his war against the Emperor.
Relating to domestic affairs, Frederick essentially continued the policy of his father. He created an orphanage in Altenburg (1715), a breed and a lunatic asylum in Kahla
(1726), as well as the Magdalenenstift -in honor of his mother and wife (both with the same name)- (1705), a school for noble women. For 100,000 talents from his private property, he bought the famous numismatic collection of the Prince Anton Günther of Schwarzburg Arnstadt, which formed the current collection of coins (Münzkabinetts) in the Schloss Friedenstein.
By accumulation of parts of Saxe-Coburg (became extinct in 1699), Saxe-Eisenberg (became extinct in 1707) and Saxe-Römhild (became extinct in 1710), he succeeded to all, however only at long hereditary disputes under the other Ernestine Duchies
, which went only to 1735 with an arbitral award of the Emperor finally to end reaching in each case area increases for his country.
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, 28 July 1676 – Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, 23 March 1732), was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was a duchy ruled by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in today's Thuringia, Germany.It was nominally created in 1672 when Frederick William III, the last duke of Saxe-Altenburg, died and Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha , inherited the major part of his possessions...
.
He was the fifth child and first son of Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg , was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was the fourth but eldest surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg.When Ernst inherited the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg , he made Frederick the regent of that duchy...
and Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels.
After the death of his father, in 1691, Frederick II assumed the duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
Because he was still under age, a guardianship and co-regency was formed between his uncles, the dukes Bernhard I of Saxe-Meiningen and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild. In 1693, after he returned from a journey to Holland and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he wrote to the emperor for a license of adult age and took independent control of the government of his duchy. Frederick was a splendor-loving baroque ruler; his yard attitude and the standing army, whom he had taken over from his father and even expanded, devoured some of his income. As a solution, Frederick rented his soldiers to foreign princes, which brought him a great difficulty in 1702, when the King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
rented his troops and used them in his war against the Emperor.
Relating to domestic affairs, Frederick essentially continued the policy of his father. He created an orphanage in Altenburg (1715), a breed and a lunatic asylum in Kahla
Kahla
Kahla is also the name of a village in Iran's Zanjan Province.----Kahla is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 14 km south of Jena....
(1726), as well as the Magdalenenstift -in honor of his mother and wife (both with the same name)- (1705), a school for noble women. For 100,000 talents from his private property, he bought the famous numismatic collection of the Prince Anton Günther of Schwarzburg Arnstadt, which formed the current collection of coins (Münzkabinetts) in the Schloss Friedenstein.
By accumulation of parts of Saxe-Coburg (became extinct in 1699), Saxe-Eisenberg (became extinct in 1707) and Saxe-Römhild (became extinct in 1710), he succeeded to all, however only at long hereditary disputes under the other Ernestine Duchies
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies , were a changing number of small states largely located in the present German state of Thuringia, governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.-Overview:The...
, which went only to 1735 with an arbitral award of the Emperor finally to end reaching in each case area increases for his country.
Ancestry
Issue
In Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha on 7 June 1696, he married with Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. They had nineteen children:- Sophie (b. Gotha, 30 May 1697 - d. of smallpox, Gotha, 29 November 1703).
- Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgFrederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgFrederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg , was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.-Biography:He was the eldest son of Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalene Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst....
(b. Gotha, 14 April 1699 - d. Gotha, 10 March 1772). - stillborn son (Gotha, 22 April 1700).
- Wilhelm (b. Gotha, 12 March 1701 - d. Gräfentonna, 31 May 1771), married on 8 November 1742 to Anna of Holstein-Gottorp. Their marriage was childless.
- Karl Frederick (b. Gotha, 20 September 1702 - d. [of smallpox?] Gotha, 21 November 1703).
- a daughter (b. and d. Gotha, 8 May 1703).
- Johann AugustJohann August of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgJohann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg , was a German prince, member of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg....
(b. Gotha, 17 February 1704 - d. Stadtroda, 8 May 1767). - Christian (b. Gotha, 27 February 1705 - d. of smallpox, Gotha, 5 March 1705).
- Christian Wilhelm (b. Gotha, 28 May 1706 - d. Stadtroda, 19 July 1748), married on 27 May 1743 to Luise Reuss of Schleiz. Their marriage was childless.
- Ludwig Ernst (b. Gotha, 28 December 1707 - d. Gotha, 13 August 1763).
- Emanuel (b. Gotha, 5 April 1709 - d. Gotha, 10 October 1710).
- Moritz (b. Altenburg, 11 May 1711 - d. Altenburg, 3 September 1777).
- Sophie (b. Altenburg, 23 August 1712 - d. Altenburg, 12 November 1712).
- Karl (b. Gotha, 17 April 1714 - d. Gotha, 10 July 1715).
- Fredericka (b. Gotha, 17 July 1715 - d. Langensalza, 12 May 1775), married on 27 November 1734 to Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-WeissenfelsJohann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-WeissenfelsJohann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was the last duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and a member of the House of Wettin. He was also a commander in the Saxon army....
. - stillborn son (Gotha, 30 November 1716).
- Magdalena Sibylle (b. Gotha, 15 August 1718 - d. Gotha, 9 November 1718).
- AugustaPrincess Augusta of Saxe-GothaPrincess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was Princess of Wales between 1736 and 1751, and Dowager Princess of Wales thereafter. She was one of only three Princesses of Wales who never became queen consort...
(b. Gotha, 30 November 1719 - d. Carlton House, 8 February 1772), married on 8 May 1736 to Frederick, Prince of WalesFrederick, Prince of WalesFrederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
. (Great-grandmother of Queen Victoria). - Johann Adolf (b. Gotha, 18 May 1721 - d. Friedrichstanneck, 29 April 1799).