Ernst Ludwig I

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (7 October 1672 – 24 November 1724) was a German (Saxon) nobleman.

Ernst Ludwig I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Reign	27 April 1706 – 24 November 1724
Predecessor	Bernhard I
Successor	Ernest Louis II
Born	(1672-10-07)7 October 1672 Gotha
Died	24 November 1724(1724-11-24) (aged 52) Meiningen
Spouse	Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha Elisabeth Sofie of Brandenburg
Issue	Prince Joseph Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen Prince Friedrich August Ernest Louis II Luise Dorothea, Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Charles Frederick
House	Saxe-Meiningen
Father	Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Mother	Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt
Religion	Lutheranism

Biography

He was born in Gotha, the eldest son of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and his first wife, Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt.

After the death of his father in 1706, Ernst Ludwig inherited the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen jointly with his brother, Frederick Wilhelm, and his half-brother, Anton Ulrich. His father, in his will, had stipulated that the duchy never be divided and that it be governed jointly by his sons.

The oldest brother, Ernst Ludwig, strove to establish autonomy for himself and his descendants. Immediately after the death of his father, Ernst Ludwig signed a contract with his brothers; in consideration of certain inducements, the brothers had to leave the government of the duchy in his hands. This introduction of primogeniture failed, however; his brothers managed to govern again after Ernst Ludwig's death, acting as guardians for his sons.

Ernst Ludwig married Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, his cousin in Gotha on 19 September 1704. They had five children:

1. Josef Bernhard (b. Meiningen, 27 May 1706 – d. Rome, 22 March 1724) died aged 17 without issue.
2. Friedrich August (b. Meiningen, 4 November 1707 – d. Meiningen, 25 December 1707) died in infancy.
3. Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (b. Coburg, 8 August 1709 – d. Meiningen, 24 February 1729).
4. Luise Dorothea (b. Meiningen, 10 August 1710 – d. Gotha, 22 October 1767), married on 17 September 1729 to Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
5. Karl Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (b. Meiningen, 18 July 1712 – d. Meiningen, 28 March 1743).

In Schloss Ehrenburg, Coburg on 3 June 1714, Ernst Ludwig married his second wife, Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg. They had no children.

He died in Meiningen in 1724.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Ernst Ludwig I

8. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar 4. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha 9. Dorothea Maria of Anhalt 2. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen 10. John Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 5. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg 11. Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1. Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen' 12. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 6. George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 13. Magdalene of Brandenburg 3. Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt 14. John George I, Elector of Saxony 7. Sophia Eleonore of Saxony 15. Magdalene Sybille of Prussia

References

• Ludwig Bechstein: Mittheilungen aus dem Leben der Herzoge zu Sachsen Meiningen S. 36 ff. (Digitalisat)
• Hannelore Schneider: Das Herzogtum Sachsen-Meiningen unter seinen ersten Herzögen. In: 300 Jahre Schloss Elisabethenburg. Südthüringer Forschungen, Heft 27, Meiningen 1994.
• Alfred Erck, Hannelore Schneider: Musiker und Monarchen in Meiningen 1680 bis 1763, Bielsteinverlag, 2006
• L. Hertel: Meiningische Geschichte von 1680 bis zur Gegenwart. Schriften des Vereins für Sachsen-Meiningische Geschichte und Landeskunde, 47. Heft, Hildburghausen 1904.
• David Voit: Das Herzogthum Sachsen-Meiningen, Storch & Klett, 1844