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

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, he inherited the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen together with his full-brother Frederick Wilhelm and his half-brother Anton Ulrich, because his father in his will had specified the indivisibility of the duchy and the joint government of his sons.

The oldest brother, Ernst Ludwig strove for autocracy for himself and his descendants. Immediately after the death of the father, Ernst Ludwig signed a contract between himself and his brothers; for this, they had to leave the full government of the duchy in his hands. The introduction of the Primogenitur failed, however; thanks to that, his brothers could governed again after Ernst Ludwig's death as the guardians for his sons. He died in Meiningen.

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

1. Josef Bernhard (b. Meiningen, 27 May 1706 - d. Rome, 22 March 1724).
2. Friedrich August (b. Meiningen, 4 November 1707 - d. Meiningen, 25 December 1707).
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 secondly Elisabeth Sofie of Brandenburg. They had no children.

References

This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.