Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Ernst Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Gotha, 21 August 1681 - d. Hildburghausen, 9 March 1724), was a duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

He was the eldest son of Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Sophie of Waldeck.

During his youth he served on the Netherlands in the imperial military army, during which he was wounded in the Spanish Succession War on Höchstädt; in 1715 he left the Army after the death of his father, and assumed the government of the duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

He wanted, like many German princes, to repeat the splendor of the court of the King Louis XIV of France in his own duchy; but this was the cause of his financial ruin.

Constantly in need of money, he levied taxes and sold towns. Among them was the county of Cuylenburg, the dowry of his wife. The county was sold in 1720 to the General States, not for the repayment of the debts but to build in his palace a garden connected with a channel. Likewise, in 1723 the office was finally sold to the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. But the sale, without the assent of his wife was illegal, and this led to a war with Saxe-Meiningen. The county was occupied with troops of both duchies and at the end of the war all of the county was devastated and ruined.

Because of his intolerable fiscal charges, in 1717 an open revolt developed in the duchy.

In Erbach on 4 February 1704, Ernst Frederick married Sophie Albertine of Erbach-Erbach. They had fourteen children:
# Ernst Ludwig Hollandinus (b. Hildburghausen, 24 November 1704 - d. Hildburghausen, 26 November 1704).
# Sophie Amalie Elisabeth (b. Hildburghausen, 5 October 1705 - d. Hildburghausen, 28 February 1708).
# Ernst Ludwig (b. Hildburghausen, 6 February 1707 - d. Hildburghausen, 17 April 1707).
# Ernst Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 17 December 1707 - d. Hildburghausen, 13 August 1745).
# Frederick August (b. Hildburghausen, 8 May 1709 - d. Hildburghausen, 1710).
# Ludwig Frederick (b. Hildburghausen, 11 September 1710 - d. Nimwegen, 10 June 1759), married on 4 May 1749 to Christine Luise von Holstein-Plön. This marriage was childless.
# Stillborn son (Hildburghausen, 2 August 1711).
# Stillborn son (Hildburghausen, 24 August 1712).
# Elisabeth Albertine (b. Hildburghausen, 3 August 1713 - d. Neustrelitz, 29 June 1761), married on 5 May 1735 to Karl Ludwig Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Herr of Mirow.
# Emanuel Frederick Karl (b. Hildburghausen, 26 March 1715 - d. Hildburghausen, 29 June 1718).
# Elisabeth Sophie (b. Hildburghausen, 13 September 1717 - d. Hildburghausen, 14 October 1717).
# Stillborn son (Hildburghausen, 17 March 1719).
# Georg Frederick Wilhelm (b. Hildburghausen, 15 July 1720 - d. Hildburghausen, 10 April 1721).
# Stillborn son (Hildburghausen, 15 December 1721).