Ernst Friedrich III. (Saxony-Hildburghausen)
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Ernst Friedrich III. Carl von Sachsen-Hildburghausen (born June 10, 1727 in Königsberg in Franconia , † September 23, 1780 in the Seidingstadt hunting lodge ) was Duke of Sachsen-Hildburghausen from the house of the Ernestine Wettins .
Life
Ernst Friedrich III. Carl was the eldest son of Duke Ernst Friedrich II of Saxony-Hildburghausen and his wife, Countess Caroline von Erbach-Fürstenau . After the death of his father in 1745, Ernst Friedrich III took over. the government; but was under the tutelage of his mother until 1748. He went on the usual gentlemanly journey together with his brother Eugen . As a 17-year-old he was awarded the Order of Hubert by Elector Karl Theodor and in 1746 by King August III. was awarded the Order of the White Eagle by Poland .
He was considered intelligent, talented, devoted to the arts and sciences, but above all as one of the most beautiful princes of his time. He donated a library to the city again and in 1748 acquired the Hellingen estate and castle , which he left to his uncle Ludwig Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen as apanage . In 1750 he had the old "Ballhaus" transformed into a court theater, in which he had free admission. The operas, performed in their original language, hardly aroused the interest of the residents. The duke, who was sitting alone in the theater with his court, then went to the surrounding fields in a disgruntled mood and brought the farmers who worked there to a performance with friendly violence. From 1765 to 1768 at the latest, Johann Valentin Tischbein was in his service as court painter .
In 1755, Albrecht Friedrich von Keßlau, the princely chamber president and former Brandenburg building director, began building the orphanage, today's Neustädter church. In the same year, the Duke tried to speed up the process at the Reichsgericht against Sachsen-Meiningen by half of the Schalkau office , but the matter was not finally settled until 1789.
After silver had been found at Brattendorf , Ernst Friedrich III. In 1757 the coin rack was used, but was involved in a lawsuit by the Reich Treasury. The quality of the coins was so bad that they had turned black on delivery and had to be melted down again. The Duke left the mint to his brother Eugen and turned to alchemy from 1760 . He worked himself and cost-intensive in the basement of the castle on various experiments to discover the "gold tincture" and the "philosopher's stone".
The excessive wastefulness in exaggerated court and military pomp finally drew the attention of the highest authorities to the financial situation of the country in 1769. Emperor Joseph II formed a debit commission under the direction of Duchess Charlotte Amalie von Sachsen-Meiningen , Prince Eugen von Sachsen-Hildburghausen and Prince Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen , the Duke's great-uncle, to examine the claims of the creditors and to regulate the income and expenses. The country's financial situation was so shattered that even a 35-year period of this commission could not fully regulate the situation.
The great fire in the city of Hildburghausen on August 19, 1779 finally caused the Duke to retire to the Seidingstadt hunting lodge , where he died on September 23, 1780.
Marriages and offspring
The duke was married three times. On October 1, 1749, he married Louise (1726–1756), only daughter of King Christian VI, at Hirschholm Palace . von Denmark and his wife Sophie Magdalene von Brandenburg-Kulmbach , who died in 1756 after a long illness. With her he had a daughter who, however, did not survive childhood:
- Friederike Sophie Juliane Karoline (1755–1756)
On the occasion of this marriage, the Duke received the Danish Elephant Order and the Ordre de l'union parfaite . Ernst Friedrich III. In honor of his wife, he himself founded the Order of the Happy Alliance (l'ordre de l'heureuse Alliance), which was returned after the death of his wife.
In his second marriage, Ernst married Friedrich III. on January 20, 1757 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen Christiane Sophie Charlotte von Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1733–1757), daughter of Margrave Friedrich Christian von Bayreuth , who died in childbed the same year. The daughter of this marriage died in infancy:
- Friederike Sophie Marie Karoline (* / † 1757)
The Duke concluded his third marriage on July 1, 1758 in Bayreuth with Ernestine Auguste (1740–1786), daughter of Duke Ernst August von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach , with whom he had the following children:
- Ernestine Friederike Sophie (1760–1776)
- ⚭ 1776 Duke Franz of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1750–1806)
- Christiane Sophie Karoline (1761–1790)
- ⚭ 1778 Prince Eugene of Saxony-Hildburghausen (1730–1795)
- Friedrich (1763–1834), Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen; from Saxony-Altenburg since 1826
- ⚭ 1785 Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1769–1818)
literature
- Heinrich Ferdinand Schoeppl: The dukes of Saxony-Altenburg. Bozen 1917, reprint Altenburg 1992.
- Dr. Rudolf Armin Human: Chronicle of the city of Hildburghausen , Hildburghausen 1886.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heinrich Ferdinand Schöppl: The Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Bozen 1917, reprint Altenburg 1992, p. 82.
- ↑ Old Masters Picture Gallery, Kassel
- ^ Tischbein, Johann Valentin. Hessian biography. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
- ↑ Heinrich Ferdinand Schöppl: The Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Bozen 1917, reprint Altenburg 1992, p. 75
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Ernst Friedrich II. |
Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen 1745–1780 |
Friedrich |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ernst Friedrich III. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ernst Friedrich III. Carl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duke of Saxony-Hildburghausen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 10, 1727 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Koenigsberg in Franconia |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 23, 1780 |
| Place of death | Seidingstadt hunting lodge |