Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (German: Ernst I. Friedrich Paul Georg Nikolaus von Sachsen-Altenburg) (16 September 1826 in Hildburghausen – 7 February 1908 in Altenburg), was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was the first son of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1853 he succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was of a retiring disposition and he took little active part in running the country. After a reign that lasted fifty five years, he died without a living direct male heir; because of this, he was succeeded by his nephew, Ernst.

Ernst I
Photograph, c. 1870
Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Reign	3 August 1853 – 7 February 1908
Predecessor	George
Successor	Ernst II
Born	(1826-09-16)16 September 1826 Hildburghausen
Died	7 February 1908(1908-02-07) (aged 81) Altenburg
Spouse	Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau ​ ​ (m. 1853; died 1897)​
Issue	Marie, Princess Albert of Prussia
Names Ernst Frederick Paul Georg Nikolaus
House	Wettin
Father	Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Mother	Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Religion	Lutheranism

Marriage

He was married in Dessau on 28 April 1853 to Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau (1824–1897). Agnes was a sister of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt.^[1]

They had two children:

• Marie (b. Eisenberg, 2 August 1854 – d. Camenz, 8 October 1898), married on 19 April 1873 to Albrecht of Prussia.
• Georg (b. Altenburg, 1 February 1856 – d. Altenburg, 29 February 1856) died in infancy.

Honours and decorations

German honours^[2]

• Ernestine duchies:
  • Joint Grand Master of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 3 August 1853
  • Service Award Cross (25 years)
•  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 24 February 1849^[3]
•  Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1848^[4]
• Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of Albert the Bear, 3 January 1852;^[5] with Swords, 1872^[6]
•  Baden:^[7]
  • Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1881
  • Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1881
•  Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1853^[8]
•  Brunswick: Grand Cross of Henry the Lion, with Swords, 1876^[9]
•  Hanover:
  • Knight of St. George, 1855^[10]
  • Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Ernst August
•  Schaumburg-Lippe:
  • Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class with Crown
  • Military Merit Medal
• Mecklenburg:
  • Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Collar
  • Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class (Schwerin)
• Nassau Ducal Family: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau
•  Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown and Collar, 9 February 1852^[11]
• Kingdom of Prussia:
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar
  • Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class
  • Grand Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
  • Knight of Honour of the Johanniter Order
  • Iron Cross, 2nd Class
•  Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1868^[12]

Foreign honours^[2]

•  Austrian Empire: Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1859^[13]
•  Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Leopold
•  Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 28 October 1882^[14]
•  Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
•  Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class in Diamonds
•  Kingdom of Romania: Grand Cross of the Star of Romania
•  Russian Empire:
  • Knight of St. Andrew
  • Knight of St. George, 4th Class
•  Kingdom of Serbia: Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo
• Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Seraphim, 24 February 1864^[15]
• Grand Duchy of Tuscany: Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Stephen

Ancestry

Ancestors of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Princess Ernestine of Saxe-Weimar Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Paul I of Russia Elena Pavlovna of Russia Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg

References

1. "Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg Dead". The New York Times. 24 October 1897.
2. Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg (1902), "Genealogie des Herzoglichen Hauses Sachsen-Altenburg" pp. 1-2
3. Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1851), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 8 Archived 2020-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
4. Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1865/66. Heinrich. 1866. p. 4.
5. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 17
6. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch für des Herzogtum Anhalt (1883), "Herzoglicher Haus-Orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 15
7. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1896), "Großherzogliches Haus", pp. 62, 76
8. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1906), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
9. Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für das Jahr 1897, "Herzogliche Orden Heinrich des Löwen" p. 10
10. Staat Hannover (1865). Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865. Berenberg. p. 38.
11. Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für das Jahr 1872/73, "Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst Orden" p. 30
12. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Württemberg (1873), "Königliche Orden", p. 32
13. "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
14. Jørgen Pedersen (2009). Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 (in Danish). Syddansk Universitetsforlag. p. 469. ISBN 978-87-7674-434-2.
15. Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish). 1905. p. 440. Retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org.

German royalty
Preceded by Georg	Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 1853–1908	Succeeded by Ernst II