Friedrich (Saxony-Altenburg)

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Duke Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, painting by Heinrich Vogel, ca.1790
Duke Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, detail from a pastel painting by Johann Philipp Bach

Friedrich (born April 29, 1763 in Hildburghausen , † September 29, 1834 in Hummelshain ) was Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and from 1826 Duke of Saxe-Altenburg .

Life

Hereditary Prince Years

Friedrich was the only son of Duke Ernst Friedrich III. Carl von Sachsen-Hildburghausen (1727–1780) and his third wife, Princess Ernestine of Sachsen-Weimar Eisenach (1740–1786). His godfather was, among other princes, King Frederick V of Denmark .

The prince was first brought up by the town chaplain Ulrich Röder, who sent him to the Gotha court for further training in 1778 , in order to complete its training by the privy councilors of Lichtenstein and von der Becke. Friedrich went to Vienna in 1779 and was introduced to the court there by his great-great-uncle Prince Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen . Since 1785 Imperial and Royal General Field Sergeant, he was the successor in command of Infantry Regiment No. 41 of his great-great uncle.

The duke began his tenure under the tutelage of Prince Joseph Friedrich, which lasted until 1787. His great-great-uncle had a significant influence on Friedrich and through his mediation he married Charlotte (1769-1818), daughter of Duke Karl II. Ludwig von Mecklenburg-Strelitz and sister of the future Queen Luise of Prussia, on September 3, 1785 in Hildburghausen . He soon treated his intellectually superior wife in a cool and indifferent manner.

Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen

After the death of Joseph Friedrich, Friedrich took over the leadership of the state on January 4, 1787. One of his first official acts was the establishment of a customs union between him, Duke Georg I of Saxe-Meiningen and Duke Franz von Saxe-Coburg , which was decided at the Rodach Conference , which enabled free trade between the countries. This was followed by reforms in the guilds, the poor and the police, road construction and medicine. He improved the school system and founded the teachers' college in Hildburghausen in 1795 by Ludwig Nonne , and in 1812 the illustrious grammar school and an industrial school for the poor.

After Prussia and Austria declared war on France in 1791, Friedrich provided a contingent of troops which occupied the Ehrenbreitstein fortress . Until 1806 he was subject to the restrictions of the imperial Debit Commission , which the Duchy of Saxony-Hildburghausen had placed under its administration in 1769 because of his father's desolate financial policy. Therefore Friedrich only received a reduced civil list from the income of the country .

Friedrich joined the Rhine Confederation in 1806 , which is why he had to abandon the rank of imperial field marshal lieutenant , which he had led since 1799, in 1807. In accordance with the demands of the Rhine Confederation, the duke had to provide troops that were subordinate to General Loison and used to siege Kolberg . In 1809 150 Hildburghausen soldiers were placed under General Rouger and fought in Tyrol . Because of his bravery, the regimental commander von Egloffstein was awarded the Legion of Honor. After the regiment fought in Spain, only 17 Hildburghausen soldiers returned in 1811.

In 1815 Friedrich joined the German Confederation , under whose authority he, in accordance with the Final Act of Vienna, in cooperation with the privy councilor Karl Ernst Schmid, gave the country a new basic constitution in 1818. The improved financial situation made it possible to buy the Eisausen manor. In 1816, Frederick issued an edict that guaranteed increased freedom of movement with other German federal states. During this upswing, the national debt was reduced to 78,000 guilders, compared with government income of 200,000 guilders in 1826.

Friedrich was considered popular and patriarchal affable. He always addressed his subjects in the familiar "Du", frequented restaurants and workshops and held a speech from the balcony of the castle every New Year's Day . His birthday was celebrated as a public holiday in the country. He signed only one death warrant in his four decades in reign. Jean Paul , who stayed in Hildburghausen at the invitation of Duchess Charlotte in 1799, remarked about him:

“ The Duke, extremely good-natured, didn’t do much fait of me at first; but now it is quite good for me and he noted that I had taken too little asparagus and, besides this, gave me the first deer cob to eat, which are not very special. "

Friedrich frequented the important doctor Carl Hohnbaum . At the ducal table he is said to have whispered to him several times: “ I'll give you a new horse, you should see it! “, But the gift was not handed over. When one day the dessert was Spanish wind served at the table , Hohnbaum said: “ Real farm-baked food [...] promises a lot and doesn't hold up much! “Shortly afterwards, Hohnbaum received a horse from the stables. Something similar happened during a conversation about poaching in the duchy, in which Friedrich complained about the damage caused by game, to which Hohnbaum replied: “ I think your stags prefer your deer to your farmers. ". The Duke replied: “ Don't need to be so rough right away, but there, there, there - I have nothing more to give away, take that! “He took his meerschaum pipe out of his mouth and handed it to Hohnbaum.

As a result of his daughter Therese marrying the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig in 1810, Friedrich became a Knight of the Order of Hubert , Bavarian Lieutenant General and owner of the 4th Line Infantry Regiment .

Altenburg Castle

Because of by the extinction of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg with Frederick IV. Had become necessary in 1825 reorganization of the Ernestine duchies and as in the preliminary treaty to Liebenstein decided on 11 August 1826 left Duke Friedrich on 17 November 1826, the Saxe-Hildburghausen, which fell to Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , and from then on ruled as Friedrich I the re-established Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, with the exception of the Camburg office . Farewell to the city in which he lived for 63 years and the country which he had ruled for 46 years was very difficult for him.

Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

Friedrich moved into Altenburg on November 23, 1826 . Since the residence was in a less good condition, Friedrich often stayed at Hummelshain Castle and the restoration of Altenburg Castle began.

On September 14, 1830, Frederick gave the country the promise of a first constitution in Altenburg's town hall after street fights had broken out in the royal seat. The constitution came into force on April 23, 1831. The Duke improved the infrastructure in his new country, lifted the hunting front and optimized the administration. In 1833 he joined the German Customs and Trade Association . A year later he died in Hummelshain. He had had his eldest son, Joseph, in government since 1830 .

progeny

Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, later Queen of Bavaria, ca.1810

From his marriage to Charlotte Friedrich had 12 children:

literature

Web links

Commons : Friedrich (Sachsen-Altenburg)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinrich Ferdinand Schöppl: The Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Bozen 1917 (reprint Altenburg 1992, p. 160)
  2. ^ Founder of the psychiatric hospital in Hildburghausen
  3. ^ Rudolf Armin Human: Chronicle of the City of Hildburghausen , Hildburghausen 1886, p. 200.
  4. ^ Rudolf Armin Human: Chronicle of the city of Hildburghausen. Hildburghausen 1886, p. 200.
predecessor Office successor
Ernst Friedrich III. Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen
1780–1826 		---
predecessor Office successor
--- Duke of Saxony-Altenburg
1826–1834 		Joseph
personal data
SURNAME Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Saxe-Altenburg, Friedrich von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Saxe-Altenburg
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1763
PLACE OF BIRTH Hildburghausen
DATE OF DEATH September 29, 1834
Place of death Hummelshain