Prince Ludwig Gaston of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ludwig Gaston Klemens Maria Michael Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga; 15 September 1870 – 23 January 1942), known in Brazil as Dom Luís Gastão, was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, and the last surviving grandchild of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.

Biography

Early life

Ludwig Gaston was born at Schloss Ebenthal in Ebenthal, Lower Austria, in Austria-Hungary, the youngest son of Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Leopoldina of Brazil, the second daughter of Emperor Dom Pedro II. His siblings were Princes Peter August, August Leopold and Joseph Ferdinand. Shortly after their mother's death in 1871, Ludwig and his brothers moved to Brazil, where they lived with their maternal grandfather until a military coup d'état in 1889 abolished the monarchy, forcing the imperial family into exile.

Military career

Ludwig Gaston went to Wiener Neustadt to study at the Theresian Military Academy, where he graduated in 1892. After that, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant of the Fourth Tiroler Jäger-Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army in Lienz. On 1 May 1896, Ludwig obtained the rank of First Lieutenant; on 29 March 1900, he was given command of the First Tiroler Jäger-Regiment in Innsbruck, and on 1 May 1903, he further advanced to the rank of Captain. He left the army on 8 February 1907.

First marriage and issue

In Munich, on 1 May 1900, the prince married Princess Mathilde, daughter of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. Their wedding was hosted by her grandfather, Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria. They had two children, a son and a daughter:

Second marriage and issue

After the death of his first wife in 1906, he married for a second time to Countess Anna of Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (1873–1948), daughter of Karl Johann Nepomuk Ferdinand, Prince von und zu Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg and his wife Josephine, Markgräfin von Pallavicini, (1849–1923) at Bischofteinitz on 30 November 1907. By birth, Anna was member of an ancient House of Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg, one of the most prominent Austrian princely families. The couple were distantly related, both descending from Ferdinand August, Fürst von Lobkowicz (1665–1715). Together, they had one daughter:

Death

Prince Ludwig Gaston died on 23 January 1942 in Innsbruck, Austria, at the age of 71. His body was buried in the St. Augustine's Church in Coburg, Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany.

Honours

Ancestry