Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/673

SAXE. 605 SAXE-MEININGEN. ]iointc(l to command the French army in Flan- ders. In the following year lie laid sie^'P to 'I'oiir- nay. On Jlay 11. 1745, he met the combined forces of the Englisli, Hanoverians, Dutch, and Anstrians under the Duke of Cumberland at Fonteno.v, and after a desperate strugKl*" '" which the allies were disorjianized by his artil- lery lire, won a decisive victory. Durinjr the four sueceeilinj; months every one of the stroui; for- tresses of Belfjium fell into his hands. On Octolier 11, 174(!, JIarshal Saxe gained the victiny of Raucoux over the allied armies under I'liarlcs of Lorraine, for which he was rewarded with the title of JIarshal-General of France, an honor which onlv Turenne had previouslv obtained. At Laffeki (duly 2, 1747) the English army under the Duke of Cumberland was again de- feated by Saxe, and the capture of the fortress of 13ergcn-op-Zoom brought the allies to think of peace. The Dutch, however, were still dis- ]Kised to hold out. till the capture of Maestricht (174S) destroyed their hopes, and the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle followed. Saxe died Xovcmbcr 30, 1750. Saxe's work on the art of war, en- titled Mes reveries, was published at Paris in 1757, and contains many novel and audacious ideas. In 1794 appeared his Leilres ct tiicmoires. For his life, consult: De Broglie, Mniiricc de Saxe ct Ic .[anjiiis d'AiiK»son (Paris, 1801). SAXE ALTENBURG, iil'tcnboOrK, A duchy and ciin^tituent State of the German Empire, con- sisting chiefly of two nearl.y equal parts, of which the western is situated between Saxe-Weimar and Reuss, and the eastern between Reuss and Sax- ony. There are also a number of small exclaves. The total area is 511 sqtnire miles. The eastern part is broken somewhat by the offshoots of the Erzgebirge and has an undulating surface. The western part belongs to the region of the Thuringian Forest and is more mountainous. The Saale waters the Avestern, and the Pleisse the eastern part. The latter ]iortion is agricul- tural and very fertile. In the western part these conditions are less favorable, but the forests are an important source of income. Stock-raising is well developed. There are considerable deposits of lignite. The chief manufactures are woolens, gloves, iron products, glassware, porcelain, and woodenware. The Diet consists of 30 mem- bers, of whom 9 represent the most highly- taxed citizens, 9 towns, and 12 the rural districts. The members of the Diet are elected directly for three years. Saxe-Altenburg has one vote in the Bundesrat and returns one Deputy to the Reichstag. Population, in 1890, 170,804; in inno. 194.914, chiefly Protestants. Capital, Altenliurg (q.v.). History. In the Middle Ages a part of the region now comprised within Saxe-Altenburg was an Imperial domain, until in 1329 it was acquired by the margraves of ileissen. Another ]iart, which was ruled by the landgraves of Thuringia, also passed into the possession of the same linuse. Upon the division of the Wettin lands ill 1485 Saxe-Altenburg fell to the Ernestine line, from which it passed after the War of the Sehmal- kald League (1546-47) to the Albcrtine branch. The town of Altenburg and some other places, however, were restored in 1554 to the Ernestine branch. The elder House of Altenburg was founded in 1603 and became extinct in lfl7'2. The greater portion of the land, thereupon, was united with Gotha. Upon the «xtinction of the ducal line of Gotha in 1825, Altenburg passed in the following year to Duke Frederick of Uild- burghausen, who founded the new line of Snxc- Altenburg. The duchy became a member of the Xortli (Jernian Confederation in 18(>li and of the German Empire in 1871. SAXE COBURG GOTHA, kr.'buorK g.Vtii. A duchy and ciiiistiluciit State of the German Em- pire, consisting of the two ducliics of Coburg and (iotha, the former bordering on Bavaria and the latter on Prussia. Area, 755 square miles. Both portions of the duchy belong to the n^gion of the riuiringian Forest and are mounlaiiious with well watered and wooded fertile valleys. Agriculture is the principal occu])ation and con- siderable crops of cereals are raised. The vine is cultivated to some extent in Coburg. Stock- raising is also well developed. The manufac- tures comprise machinery, safes, small iron and steel ware, textiles, paper, buttons, leather, foot- wear, etc. Both duchies are well sujiplied with transportation facilities. The duchies of Coburg and Gotha have two separate Chambers of 1 1 and 19 members respectively, elected directly by restricted suH'ragc for four years. The ecnn- mon ail'airs of the two duchies are transacted by the two Chambers meeting in common, alternatel.v at Coburg and Gotha. There is one Ministry divided into two sections and presided over by the Minister of State. Saxe- C'oburg-Gotha is represented by one member in the Bundesrat and returns two Deputies to the Reichstag. Population, in 1890, 206,513; in 1900. 229.5.50, almost exclusively Protestants. History. The town of Coburg was acquired about the end of the fourteenth century by the House of Wettin (see Saxony), and upon the partition of the Wettin lands in 1485 it fell to the Ernestine line. In 1G80 Albert, the son of Ernest the Pious of Sa.xe-Gotha, founded the line of Saxe-Coburg, which, however, became ex- tinct in 1699. In 1735 Coburg was acquired by the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, which l)ecame the Duchv of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, with Coburg as its capital. In 1826 Duke Ernest III. cedeil Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen, receiving (iotha in exchange, and henceforth called himself Ernest 1. of Saxe-Cobiirg-Gotha. The feudal Constitution survived in Gotha down to 1849, when a lil>cral one was inaugurated. The connection between Coburg and Gotha was merel.v personal until 1852. when a constitution was enacted for both duchies, the union being further consolidated in 1874. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha joined the North Ger- man Confederation in 1860 and in 1871 became a member of the German Empire. SAXE-MEININGEN, mi'ning-cn. A duchy and constituent State of the German Empire, in Thuringia. extending in the shajie of a crescent along the northern boundary of Bavaria. Area, 953 square miles. It belongs principally to the region of the Thuringian Forest .and has a hilly surface, watered by the Werra. the Saale, and some tributaries of the Main. Saxe-Meiningen is not well adapted for agriculture. The forests, which belong largely to the Crown, and ])ublie foundations cover a considerable propcution of the area and yield material for the production of woodenware. Stcck-raising is unim]iortant. The mineral products include slate, iron, and salt. The manufacturing industries are well developed. They produce glassware, cast-iron goods, tex-