With the last Ernestine division of the inheritance in 1826, a state entity known as Saxe-Coburg and Gotha came into being. This consisted of the two duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, which were ruled by a duke, initially in personal union and later in real union. The two duchies were not only geographically separate, but also differed in terms of the state constitution and the mentality of the population. In this situation, the person of the sovereign and the ducal military were of great importance, as both acted as a unifying element between the parts of the country.
This work is the first to deal in detail with the military of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the groups of persons belonging to it during the reign of Duke Ernst II (1818-1893). The chronological framework begins with the assumption of government in 1844 and ends with the transfer of the ducal military to the structures of the Prussian army in 1867. The military situation and the developing dependence of the majority of these states on Prussia is examined as an example for the small Thuringian states. Already with the military convention concluded in 1861, Ernst II placed his state's military in Prussian hands and was forced to ally with Prussia in the War of 1866. This military convention ultimately served as a model for the military conventions concluded between almost all small German states and Prussia in 1867.
Aspects of economic, social and cultural history are taken into account, as is the description of clothing, equipment and armament based on contemporary lore. A large number of previously unpublished and rarely shown contemporary illustrations and objects illustrate this volume.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Herr, Ulrich
Title
Das Militär des Herzogtums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha unter Herzog Ernst II. (1844-1867)
Details
Paperback, numerous bw illustrations and two maps, 16 pages with colour illustrations, partly of uniform pieces. 234 pages.