Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667 – 12 September 1739) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1640–1709).

Ernest Louis
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Portrait of Ernst Ludwig
by Johann Christian Fiedler
Born15 December 1667
Gotha
Died12 September 1739(1739-09-12) (aged 71)
Jägersburg Castle, Einhausen
SpouseDorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach
IssueDorothea Sophie
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Charles William
Francis Ernest
Friederike Charlotte
HouseHesse-Darmstadt
FatherLouis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
MotherElisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Ernest Louis's desire to emulate the French court under Louis XIV ran his country into debt. Among those patronized in this cultural milieu were the Baroque composer Christoph Graupner and the gambist Ernst Christian Hesse; also bringing into his service architect Louis Remy de la Fosse 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 (1620–1667) on December 1, 1687. Their children were:

  • Dorothea Sophie (1689–1723)
married in 1710 Count John Frederick of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1683–1765)
married in 1717 Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1700–1726)
married in 1720 Landgrave Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel (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. 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

Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Born: 15 December 1667 Died: 12 September 1739
Preceded by
Louis VII
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
1678–1739
Succeeded by
Louis VIII


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