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The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha came into existence in 1826, following the death of the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg without male heirs. His lands were repartitioned among his Wettin relations. Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld took GothaGotha may refer to: A district in the German state of Thuringia A town in the District of Gotha (its capital) A former Thuringian Dukedom, see Sachsen-Gotha the Gothaer Waggonfabrik Company. An annual directory of European nobility first published at the, and changed his title to Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, although the two duchies remained technically separate.

Ernst I's younger son was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-GothaPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin ( 26 August 1819 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and, who became Prince Consort to Queen VictoriaVictoria (Alexandrina Victoria) ( 24 May 1819 22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. Her reign lasted more than sixty-three years—longer than any other British monarch. As well as being Queen of the. After their marriage, it became the Royal House name of the British Royal FamilyThe British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. Although there is no strict legal definition of who is or is not a member of the royal family, and different lists will include different people, those carrying the titl until changed to Windsor by King George VGeorge V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) ( 3 June 1865- 20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. As well as being King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and I in 1917Events January 2 The Royal Bank of Canada takes over Quebec Bank. January 22 World War I: President Woodrow Wilson calls for "peace without victory" in Europe. January 25 The Danish West Indies is sold to the United States for $25 million January 25 Anti- because a German name was deemed unpatriotic during the first World War.

Other members of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha came to rule in various other European countries. Ernst's younger brother Leopold became King of the Belgians in 1831, and his descendants still rule. Ernst's nephew Ferdinand married Queen Maria II of Portugal, and his descendants continued to rule Portugal until that country became a republic in 1910.

Another scion of the family, also named Ferdinand, became Prince, and then Tsar, of Bulgaria, and his descendants continued to rule until 1946. The current head of the House of Bulgaria is the former King, Simeon II, who goes by the name Simeon Sakskoburggotski and since 24 July 2001 has been Bulgaria's Prime Minister. He is the first former monarch in history to get back into power by a democratic election.

As for the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha itself, Ernst I died in 1844 and was succeeded by his elder son, Ernst II, who ruled until his death in 1893. As he died childless, the throne of the Duchy would have passed to the Prince of Wales, but he renounced the throne in favor of his younger brother, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. Alfred's only son, also named Alfred, committed suicide in 1899, so when Alfred died in 1900, he was succeeded by his nephew the Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria's youngest son, who reigned as Duke Karl Eduard.

Karl Eduard reigned until 1918, when the monarchy came to an end. The two Duchies, bereft of a common ruler, became separate states, but ceased to exist shortly thereafter, with Saxe-Coburg becoming a part of Bavaria, and Saxe-Gotha merging with other small states to form the new state of Thuringia in 1920.

Contrary to common belief, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was not the personal surname of either Prince Albert, his wife or their descendants. Neither in fact knew what their actual surname was, as it was never used by royalty, until a late 19th century inquiry launched by Queen Victoria to clarify just what her surname was. After an exhaustive search, her advisors concluded that Prince Albert's surname, and hence her own after her marriage, was in fact Wettin.

Both Wettin and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha were changed to Windsor in 1917. However, an Order-in-Council in 1960 again separated the Royal House and personal family surname of the monarch and her family. On that date it was decreed that while the Royal House name would remain Windsor, the surname of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would be Mountbatten-Windsor. However, Prince Philip belongs to the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and, technically, so will his descendants in the male line as well.

The capital of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was Gotha. It had an area of 1,977 km² and a population of 242,000 (1905).