Saxe-Altenburg
Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg (1602–1918) Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg | |||||||||||||
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| 1602–1672 1826–1918 | |||||||||||||
Top: Flag of Saxe-Altenburg (1893-1918)
Bottom: Flag of Saxe-Altenburg (1826-1893) Coat of arms
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Saxe-Altenburg within the German Empire The Ernestine duchies after 1825, with Saxe-Altenburg in orange | |||||||||||||
| Status | State of the Holy Roman Empire, State of the German Confederation, State of the North German Confederation, State of the German Empire | ||||||||||||
| Capital | Altenburg | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | German | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||||
| Government | Duchy (1602–1918) | ||||||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||||||
• 1603–1613 | Johann Philipp (first) | ||||||||||||
• 1908–1918 | Ernst II (last) | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
• Saxe-Weimar partitioned | 7 July 1602 | ||||||||||||
• Personal union with Saxe-Gotha* | 1672–1825 | ||||||||||||
• Ernestine duchies rearranged, duchy restored | 12 November 1826 | ||||||||||||
| November 1918 | |||||||||||||
• Merged into Thuringia‡ | 1918 | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||||||
* See Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg † As Free State of Saxe-Altenburg ‡ In 1920, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the combined Reuss states merged to form the State of Thuringia. | |||||||||||||
Saxe-Altenburg (German: Sachsen-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-Gera. 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.