Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667 – 12 September 1739) was

Landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' (" margrave") ...

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse be ...

from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1640–1709). Ernest Louis's desire to emulate the French court under

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

ran his country into debt. Among those patronized in this cultural milieu were the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

composer

Christoph Graupner Christoph Graupner (13 January 1683 – 10 May 1760) was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel. Life Born in Hartmannsd ...

and the gambist

Ernst Christian Hesse Ernst Christian Hesse (14 April 167616 May 1762) was a German gambist and composer. Born at Großengottern, Thuringia, he attended school in Langensalza and Eisenach.

; also bringing into his service architect

Louis Remy de la Fosse Louis Remy de la Fosse ( 1659–1726) was a French architect during the Baroque period, who worked primarily in Germany. Until 1705, he was draftsman in the studio of master builder in Berlin. From 1706 to 1709, Fosse was architect at the court o ...

for his extensive building program. Upon his death in 1739, his country's debt was 4 million ''gulden'', ten times the annual revenue.

Family

Ernest Louis married Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1661–1705), daughter of

Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach Albert II or V of Brandenburg-Ansbach (18 September 1620 – 22 October 1667) was a German prince, who was Margrave of Ansbach from 1634 until his death. Life Born in Ansbach, Albert was the second son of Joachim Ernst, Margrave of Branden ...

(1620–1667) on December 1, 1687. Their children were: * Dorothea Sophie (1689–1723) : married in 1710 Count John Frederick of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1683–1765) *

Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis VIII (German: ''Ludwig'') (5 April 1691 – 17 October 1768) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Li ...

(1691–1768) : married in 1717 Countess

Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg, full name: ''Countess Charlotte Christine Magdalene Johanna of Hanau-Lichtenberg'' (2 May 1700, Bouxwiller – 1 July 1726, Darmstadt) was the wife of landgrave Louis VIII of Hesse-Darmstadt. Biogra ...

(1700–1726) * Charles William (1693–1707) * Francis Ernest (1695–1716) * Friederike Charlotte : married in 1720 Landgrave

Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel (28 May 1689 – 8 May 1753) was a prince of Hesse-Kassel and a Generalfeldzeugmeister, Generalfeldmarschall and finally Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall in the army of the Holy Roman Empire. Life Maximilian was the ninth ...

(1689–1753) Ernest Louis married his second wife Luise Sophie von Spiegel zum Desenberg (1690–1751), daughter of Hermann Wilhelm von Spiegel zu Desenberg and Claire Anna Helena von Hornberg, on January 20, 1727, who was thereafter raised to the rank of Countess of

Eppstein Eppstein is a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Eppstein lies west of Frankfurt am Main, around 12 km north east of the state capital Wiesbaden, and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains. The ruins of the Eppstein castle is ...

. He had two daughters with her: * Louisa Charlotte (1727–1753), Countess von Eppstein * Friederika Sophia (1730–1770), Countess von Eppstein ⚭ Baron Johann Carl Ludwig Christian von Pretlack (1716–1781) in 1764 Ernest Louis had one additional illegitimate child with Charlotte von Forstner (1686–1727): * Friedrich Carl Ludwig von Hohenstein zu Fürstenfeld (1711–1715)

Ancestors

External links

Ernst Ludwig, ''Neue deutsche Biographie'', Bd.: 4, , Berlin, 1959
* , - 1667 births 1739 deaths People from Gotha (town) House of Hesse-Darmstadt Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt Modern child rulers {{Germany-noble-stub