Prince August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

August of Saxe- Gotha -Altenburg ( born August 14, 1747 in Gotha, † September 28, 1806 ) was a prince from the line of Saxe-Gotha -Altenburg Wettin Ernestine and a patron of the arts and esthete in the Age of Enlightenment.

Life

August was the youngest son of Duke Friedrich III. of Saxe- Gotha -Altenburg (1699-1772) and his wife Luise Dorothea (1710-1767), daughter of Duke Ernst Ludwig I of Saxe- Meiningen. His mother took care of a very careful education. Together with his brother Ernst, he was educated in literary, scientific and camera metallic areas.

With his brother, he undertook from 1768 to 1769 an educational trip to the Netherlands and to England. The planned military career he was already back to 1769 and transferred his gothaisches Infantry Regiment in s-Hertogenbosch his nephew Frederick. August undertook in 1771 and 1777 trips to Italy, where he met the famous reconnaissance revered Voltaire in Geneva know. The current as cosmopolitan and progressive enlightened prince gathered in his palace Gotha 1778 a beautiful spiritual circle and is described as the most important mediator of French literature at the Weimar classics. August was in frequent communication with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder and Christoph Martin Wieland. He was regarded as a patron of the latter, who dedicated to him his Oberon.

His final resting place August in the royal crypt of the castle church at the Peace Stone.