History of the Order - The Founding Noble House of Saxe-Coburg


	The Family Line of the First Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim His Serene Highness, Prince Christian Franz von Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld, the first Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim (then still named the Knights of the Order of Jonathan), was the son of Duke Franz Josias. Duke Franz Josias ruled the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld jointly with his brother Duke Christian Ernst from 1735 until his brother's death in 1745, and then alone until his own death in 1764. Duke Franz Josias was born on September 25, 1697 and died on September 16, 1764. He married Anna Sofie Prinzessen von Schwartzburg-Rudlostadt on January 2, 1723. Prince Christian Franz (1730-1797) was the older brother of the famous fieldmarshal Prince Friedrich Josias (1737-1815), also referred to in Levett Hanson's book about knightly orders. Prince Christian Franz never married, and relinquished the Grand Mastership of the Order in 1773 in favour of Franz Xaver, Graf von Montfort. Regardless, The Order of Saint Joachim continued to be associated with the House of Sachsen-Coburg - sometimes being mistaken for a house order - until at least the end of the 19th century. The Sachsen-Coburg Saalfelds are not well known today, but are nonetheless historically significant, as this family (later known as Sacshen - Coburg Gotha, or in Britain as the Saxe-Coburgs) are the direct ancestors of most of the royal families of Europe. Just prior to the First World War, their family members included nine sovereign rulers at the same time: the Grand Duke of Saxe - Weimar - Eisenach, the Duke of Saxe - Meiningen, the Duke of Saxe - Altenburg, the Duke of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, and five kings: those of Saxony, Great Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria and Portugal. Thanks to the matchmaking skills of an enterprising uncle, the founding Grand Master of The Order of St. Joachim is the Great, Great Grand Uncle of both Queen Victoria, Queen of England, and also of her husband, Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, who is better remembered to history as Prince Albert, the Prince Consort. In fact, Prince Franz Christian of Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld is the direct Great Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grand Uncle of the present HRH Prince William of Great Britain. His parents' Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren include: Andrew of Greece & Denmark; George V Windsor, King of England; Nicholas II Romanov of Russia; Alice Maud Mary of Great Britain; Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany; and Edward VII of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, King of England. Their descendants also sat on the thrones of Portugal, Belgium and numerous other smaller states. The Saxe - Coburg - Saalfelds were also related to the ruling house of Leiningen. Count Ferdinand Karl III, ruler of Leiningen - Westerburg - Neuleiningen, was the Grand Master of the Order when the the Cross of the Grand Commander of The Order of Saint Joachim was awarded to Admiral Lord Nelson for his victory over the French forces of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile. The genealogy chart below shows the family line of Duke Franz Josias, the sovereign ruler of the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld, the father of the first Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim. The family name of the "Ernestine branch" of the ruling house of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld (later Saxe - Coburg - Gotha) was Wettin. This was the true last name of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and their descendants until the "House and Family" name of Wettin was changed to Windsor by King Edward VII of Great Britain in 1917. This map (left) shows the location of the modern German states of Thuringia and Bavaria, where the duchy of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld was located. The Saxe - Coburg - Saalfelds' descendants ruled the duchy of Coburg until 1918 and the duchy of Saalfeld until 1826. In 1826 they acquired Gotha (becoming the Duchy of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha) and Saalfeld passed to the Duke of Saxe - Meiningen. In 1920 Saxe - Gotha was incorporated into Thuringia, and Saxe - Coburg was incorporated into Bavaria. Since 1998 the head of the Princely House of Sachsen-Coburg Gotha is HH Prince Andreas. He is the grandson of Prince Charles Edward (the Duke of Albany), himself a grandson of Queen Victoria, who succeeded to the Dukedom of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1900. The Order of Saint Joachim wishes to express its gratitude to His Highness and his staff at the Sammlung Herzoglicher Kunstbesitz Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Schloss Callenberg, Coburg, for providing and giving permission for the use here of the portrait of our first Grand Master, Prince Christian Franz.

The Family Line of the First Grand Master
of The Order of Saint Joachim

His Serene Highness, Prince Christian Franz von Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld, the first Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim (then still named the Knights of the Order of Jonathan), was the son of Duke Franz Josias. Duke Franz Josias ruled the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld jointly with his brother Duke Christian Ernst from 1735 until his brother's death in 1745, and then alone until his own death in 1764. Duke Franz Josias was born on September 25, 1697 and died on September 16, 1764. He married Anna Sofie Prinzessen von Schwartzburg-Rudlostadt on January 2, 1723.

Prince Christian Franz (1730-1797) was the older brother of the famous fieldmarshal Prince Friedrich Josias (1737-1815), also referred to in Levett Hanson's book about knightly orders. Prince Christian Franz never married, and relinquished the Grand Mastership of the Order in 1773 in favour of Franz Xaver, Graf von Montfort. Regardless, The Order of Saint Joachim continued to be associated with the House of Sachsen-Coburg - sometimes being mistaken for a house order - until at least the end of the 19th century.

The Sachsen-Coburg Saalfelds are not well known today, but are nonetheless historically significant, as this family (later known as Sacshen - Coburg Gotha, or in Britain as the Saxe-Coburgs) are the direct ancestors of most of the royal families of Europe. Just prior to the First World War, their family members included nine sovereign rulers at the same time: the Grand Duke of Saxe - Weimar - Eisenach, the Duke of Saxe - Meiningen, the Duke of Saxe - Altenburg, the Duke of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, and five kings: those of Saxony, Great Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria and Portugal.

Thanks to the matchmaking skills of an enterprising uncle, the founding Grand Master of The Order of St. Joachim is the Great, Great Grand Uncle of both Queen Victoria, Queen of England, and also of her husband, Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, who is better remembered to history as Prince Albert, the Prince Consort.

In fact, Prince Franz Christian of Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld is the direct Great Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grand Uncle of the present HRH Prince William of Great Britain. His parents' Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren include: Andrew of Greece & Denmark; George V Windsor, King of England; Nicholas II Romanov of Russia; Alice Maud Mary of Great Britain; Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany; and Edward VII of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha, King of England. Their descendants also sat on the thrones of Portugal, Belgium and numerous other smaller states.

The Saxe - Coburg - Saalfelds were also related to the ruling house of Leiningen. Count Ferdinand Karl III, ruler of Leiningen - Westerburg - Neuleiningen, was the Grand Master of the Order when the the Cross of the Grand Commander of The Order of Saint Joachim was awarded to Admiral Lord Nelson for his victory over the French forces of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile.

The genealogy chart below shows the family line of Duke Franz Josias, the sovereign ruler of the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld, the father of the first Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim.

The family name of the "Ernestine branch" of the ruling house of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld (later Saxe - Coburg - Gotha) was Wettin. This was the true last name of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and their descendants until the "House and Family" name of Wettin was changed to Windsor by King Edward VII of Great Britain in 1917.

This map (left) shows the location of the modern German states of Thuringia and Bavaria, where the duchy of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld was located.

The Saxe - Coburg - Saalfelds' descendants ruled the duchy of Coburg until 1918 and the duchy of Saalfeld until 1826. In 1826 they acquired Gotha (becoming the Duchy of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha) and Saalfeld passed to the Duke of Saxe - Meiningen.

In 1920 Saxe - Gotha was incorporated into Thuringia, and Saxe - Coburg was incorporated into Bavaria.

Since 1998 the head of the Princely House of Sachsen-Coburg Gotha is HH Prince Andreas. He is the grandson of Prince Charles Edward (the Duke of Albany), himself a grandson of Queen Victoria, who succeeded to the Dukedom of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1900.

The Order of Saint Joachim wishes to express its gratitude to His Highness and his staff at the Sammlung Herzoglicher Kunstbesitz Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Schloss Callenberg, Coburg, for providing and giving permission for the use here of the portrait of our first Grand Master, Prince Christian Franz.