^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Ducal Standards until 1918 (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Germany)

Herzogsstandarten

Introduction
Ducal Standard until c.1900
Ducal Standard c.1900-1918

See also:

Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1826-1918 (Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, Germany)
Standards of the Emperor and Other Sovereigns 1871-1918 (Germany)
Germany

Other sites:

Greater Arms of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (scanned from Ströhl 1897) at the Das Kaiserreich website
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Coat-of-Arms at Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website

Introduction

The two last reigning Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha were a son and a grandson of Queen Victoria — but they were not father and son. Queen Victoria's son Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, born 1844, became Duke Alfred I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1893 and died 1900 without male issue (actually his only son had died a year before). His nephew Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, born 1884, became the next Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha but being under aged a regent, Ernst von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was appointed.

Santiago Dotor, 21 June 2001

Prince Alfred (1844-1900), second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (duke of Saxe-Coburg) inherited the crown in 1893 from his uncle Duke Ernst II. His marriage to Maria Alexandrowna of Russia did not produce a heir, so the crown passed on his death 30th July 1900 to the son of his brother Leopold, duke of Albany. He, Charles Edward (1884-1954) was under aged and so Ernst, prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (a non-reigning house) was appointed regent. Charles Edward (Carl Eduard) resigned 14th November 1918. Conclusion: Ströhl 1897 gives the standard of duke Alfred, Neubecker 1933 that of Carl Eduard.

Theo van der Zalm, 22 June 2001

Ducal Standard until c.1900

Herzogstandarte

~5:7
by Theo van der Zalm and Santiago Dotor
Flag adopted before 1897, abolished c.1900

Four stripes green-white. In the canton the Saxon banner of arms [unusually with the yellow stripe on top].

Norman Martin, March 1998

This was the duke's standard; the Landesflagge was without the canton — four stripes from 1911.

Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998

This standard is very similar to the early 20th century lesser standard of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, differing basically in the arrangement of the stripes on the Saxon armorial canton, which starts with a yellow one in the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha one, following the Duke's personal arms, but unlike all other contemporary Saxon arms and flags which showed the black stripe first. Also the ratio appears to be different (ca. 1:2 for the Saxe-Meiningen one, ca. 5:7 for the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha one). Anyway there was possibly no opportunity for confusion, since the lesser standard of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen was probably adopted after Duke Charles Edward of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha adopted a new one (a square banner of the Saxon arms with a canton showing his arms as British prince) in 1900 or 1902.

Santiago Dotor, 4 July 2002

Ducal Standard c.1900-1918

Herzogstandarte

1:1
by Graham Bartram, Alvan Fisher and Mark Sensen, modified by Santiago Dotor
Flag adopted c.1900, abolished 1918

According to Neubecker 1933 the standard of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a banner-of-arms of Saxony with a canton (occupying only the first three and a half stripes) showing the banner-of-arms of a British prince (i.e. royal arms defaced with a label). In this case the label bears red heart-red cross-red heart, hence like the arms of Leopold (Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria) and his son Charles Edward (Duke of Albany and Saxe-Coburg)

The two last Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha were a son and a grandson of Queen Victoria — but they were not father and son, so they had different labels as British princes. Queen Victoria's son Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, born 1844, became Duke Alfred I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1893 and died 1900 without male issue (actually his only son had died a year before). His nephew Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, born 1884, became the next Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha but being under aged a regent, Ernst von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was appointed.

Charles Edward's label bore red heart-cross-heart. So Neubecker 1933's depiction of a standard for the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha bearing a canton with the British arms defaced with a heart-cross-heart label can only belong to Duke Charles Edward I and could only be used 1900-1918.

Alfred's label as prince of Great Britain bore blue anchor - red cross - blue anchor.

Santiago Dotor, 20-21 June 2001

It is not clear when was this standard adopted, whether when Charles Edward inherited the throne (30th July 1900) or when he became eighteen (19th July 1902).

Santiago Dotor, 26 June 2001

Under the British Titles of Enemy Princes Act, Karl Edward of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, grandson of Queen Victoria, lost his title of Duke of Albany. The British Royal House changed its name to Windsor. In all four peers who supported Germany or Austria-Hungary lost their titles. Before 1917 the "enemy princes" were listed as members of the House of Lords!

David Cox, 9 August 2001