In the redistribution of land among the Ernestine duchies that followed the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg on 11 February 1825, the late Duke's nephew-in-law, Duke Ernst III of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, received Gotha, while he ceded Saalfeld to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. On 12 November 1826 he thus became Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha remained in personal union until 1852, when a political union was effected.
This article is a list of those men who were heir-apparent or heir-presumptive to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 until the abolition of the monarchy on 14 November 1918.
| Person | Name | Status | Relation | Became Hereditary Prince | Reason | Ceased to be Hereditary Prince | Reason | Next in succession, relation to heir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hereditary Prince Ernest | Eldest son | Heir apparent | 12 November 1826 | Father acceded to throne | 29 January 1844 | Acceded to throne as Ernest II | Prince Albert, brother |
| Person | Name | Status | Relation | Became Hereditary Prince | Reason | Ceased to be Hereditary Prince | Reason | Next in succession, relation to heir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Albert, Prince Consort | Younger brother | Heir presumptive | 29 July 1844 | Elder brother acceded to throne | 14 December 1861 | Died | Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, son |
 | Albert Edward, Prince of Wales | Nephew | Heir presumptive | 14 December 1861 | Father died | 19 April 1863 | Renounced rights for himself and descendants | Prince Alfred, brother |
 | Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh | Nephew | Heir presumptive | 19 April 1863 | Elder brother renounced rights for himself and descendants | 22 August 1893 | Acceded to throne as Alfred I | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, 1863–1874, brother |
| Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, 1874–1893, son | ||||||||
| Person | Name | Status | Relation | Became Hereditary Prince | Reason | Ceased to be Hereditary Prince | Reason | Next in succession, relation to heir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hereditary Prince Alfred | Eldest son | Heir apparent | 22 August 1893 | Father acceded to throne | 6 February 1899 | Died | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, uncle |
 | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn | Brother | Heir presumptive | 6 February 1899 | Nephew died | 15 July 1899 | Renounced rights for himself and descendants | Prince Arthur of Connaught, son |
 | Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany | Nephew | Heir presumptive | 15 July 1899 | Uncle renounced rights for himself and descendants | 30 July 1900 | Acceded to throne as Charles Edward I | Carlos I of Portugal, 3rd cousin |
| Person | Name | Status | Relation | Became Hereditary Prince | Reason | Ceased to be Hereditary Prince | Reason | Next in succession, relation to heir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Carlos I of Portugal | Heir presumptive | 3rd Cousin | 30 July 1900 | 3rd cousin acceded to throne | 2 August 1906 | Son born to duke | Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, son |
 | Hereditary Prince Johann Leopold | Heir apparent | Eldest son | 2 August 1906 | Born | 14 November 1918 | Monarchy abolished | Carlos I of Portugal, 1906–1909, 3rd cousin -1 |
| Prince Hubertus, 1909–1918, brother | ||||||||
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-day states of Thuringia and Bavaria in Germany. It lasted from 1826 to 1918. In November 1918, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was forced to abdicate. In 1920, the northern part of the duchy was merged with six other Thuringian free states to form the Free State of Thuringia: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Altenburg and Saxe-Meiningen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, as well as the People's State of Reuss. The southern part of the duchy, as southernmost of the Thuringian states, was the only one which, after a referendum, became part of the Free State of Bavaria.
Ernest I was the last sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and, from 1826, the first sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was the father of Albert, Prince Consort, who was the husband of Queen Victoria. Ernest fought against Napoleon Bonaparte, and through construction projects and the establishment of a court theatre, he left a strong imprint on his residence town, Coburg.
The House of Wettin is a dynasty of German counts, dukes, prince-electors and kings that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its origins can be traced back to the town of Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt. The Wettins gradually rose to power within the Holy Roman Empire. Members of the family became the rulers of several medieval states, starting with the Saxon Eastern March in 1030. Other states they gained were Meissen in 1089, Thuringia in 1263, and Saxony in 1423. These areas cover large parts of Central Germany as a cultural area of Germany.
Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilometers and a population of 207,000 (1905) of whom about one fifth resided in the capital, Altenburg. The territory of the duchy consisted of two non-contiguous territories separated by land belonging to the Principality of Reuss. Its economy was based on agriculture, forestry, and small industry. The state had a constitutional monarchical form of government with a parliament composed of thirty members chosen by male taxpayers over 25 years of age.
Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia.
Saxe-Coburg was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany.
Saxe-Gotha was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in the former Landgraviate of Thuringia. The ducal residence was erected at Gotha.
Saalfeld is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin, which was renamed the House of Windsor during their British reign in 1917.
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a European Royal House. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, its members later sat on the thrones of the United Kingdom and its dominions, India, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Mexico.
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in 1699, the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield line lasted until the reshuffle of the Ernestine territories that occurred following the extinction of the Saxe-Gotha line in 1825, in which the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld line received Gotha, but lost Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen.
The Ernestine duchies, also known as the Saxon duchies, were a changing number of small states that were largely located in the present-day German state of Thuringia and governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.
Johann Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a reigning duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Frederick IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, was the last duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was one of the ruling Thuringian dukes of the House of Wettin. As progenitor of a line of Coburg princes who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, ascended the thrones of several European realms, he is a patrilineal ancestor of the royal houses of Belgium, Bulgaria and Portugal, as well as of several queens consort.
Prince Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a German 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. Despite remaining a Lutheran, by marriage he established the Catholic branch of the family, which eventually gained the thrones of Portugal (1837) and Bulgaria (1887).
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was a duchy ruled by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in today's Thuringia, Germany. The extinction of the line in 1825 led to a major re-organisation of the Thuringian states.
Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg, was a princess of Saxe-Altenburg and, by marriage, duchess of Saxe-Gotha.
The Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. Established in 1680 for Johann Ernst, seventh son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha. It remained under this name until 1699, when Albert, Duke of Saxe-Coburg died without sons. His brother Johann Ernst of Saxe-Saalfeld became the new Duke of Coburg and the duchy was renamed into Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1735.
The Principality of Lichtenberg on the Nahe River was an exclave of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld from 1816 to 1826 and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 to 1834, when it was sold to the Kingdom of Prussia. Today its territories lie in two States of Germany – the District of St. Wendel in Saarland and the District of Birkenfeld in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Veste Coburg is one of the most well-preserved medieval fortresses of Germany. It is situated on a hill above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria.