Ernest Frederick III Karl, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (10 June 1727 in Königsberg in Bayern – 23 September 1780 in Seidingstadt), was a duke of

Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy and Imperial Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the Distri ...

Biography

Ernest Frederick was born on 10 June 1727. He was the eldest son of

Ernst Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen Ernst Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (17 December 1707 in Hildburghausen – 13 August 1745 in Hildburghausen), was a duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Young duke He was the third but eldest surviving son of Ernst Frederick I, Duke of Sax ...

and Caroline of Erbach-Fürstenau. Ernest Frederick succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen when he was only eighteen years old in 1745; as a result his mother, the Dowager Duchess Caroline, acted as a regent on his behalf until he reached adulthood, in 1748. Ernst Frederick was considered to be intelligent, talented, and one of the most handsome princes of his time. He donated a library to the city, but finally his excessive prodigality in exaggerated court pomp and military splendor drew the attention of the highest places to the financial situation of his country. The Emperor Joseph II created a

debit commission A debit commission (German: ''Debitkommissionen'') (from the Latin ''debere'' "to owe") was in the Holy Roman Empire a means to resolve the problems of over-indebted states. These states were usually, but not always, immediate Imperial States. I ...

under management of the Duchess Charlotte Amalie of Saxe-Meiningen and prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen, the granduncle of the duke, to investigate the demands of the creditors and adjust the incomes and expenditures to 1769. The financial situation of the country was so disastrous that 35 years duration of this commission could not repair conditions completely. After Ernest Frederick made use in 1757 of the '' Münzregal'' (Imperial coinage regale), he was entangled in a complaint of the realm treasury. Finally, the huge fire of the city of Hildburghausen in 1779, forced Ernst Frederick to move to his hunting residence in Seidingstadt, where he died a year later.

Family

In the

Hirschholm Palace Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm, Hørsholm municipality just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was rebuilt in the Baroque architecture, Baroque style in the 1740s and, one of the ...

, north of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

on 1 October 1749, Ernst Frederick was first married to Princess Louise of Denmark, daughter of the King Christian VI. They had one daughter: # Princess Friederike Sophie ''Juliane'' Karoline of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 5 December 1755 – d. Hildburghausen, 10 January 1756) died in infancy. In the

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

on 20 January 1757, five months after the death of his first wife, Ernst Frederick was married for the second time to Christiane Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. They had one daughter: # Princess Friederike Sophie ''Marie'' Karoline of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Seidingstadt, 4 October 1757 – d. Seidingstadt, 17 October 1757) died in infancy. In

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

on 1 July 1758, nine months after the death of his second wife, Ernst Frederick was married for the third time to

Ernestine Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer * Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete * Ernestin ...

, a daughter of Duke Ernst August I of Saxe-Weimar. They had three children: # Princess Ernestine Frederike ''Sophie'' of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 22 February 1760 – d. Coburg, 28 October 1776), married on 6 March 1776 to Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She died childless only six months after her wedding. # Princess ''Christiane'' Sophie Caroline of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 4 December 1761 – d. Öhringen, 10 January 1790), married on 13 March 1778 to her uncle Eugen of Saxe-Hildeburghausen, who was her father's own brother. They had no children. # Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 29 April 1763 – d. Jagdhaus Hummelshain, Altenburg, 29 September 1834). He married Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, sister of the queens of Prussia and Hanover; they became the parents of 12 children

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernest Frederick 03 of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Duke 1727 births 1780 deaths Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen Nobility from Königsberg Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)