The death of his father (6 February 1651) made Christian Ernst the new heir to the margraviate of Bayreuth. At the age of ten, he succeeded his grandfather Christian as margrave when he died on 30 May 1655. His uncle Georg Albrecht acted as regent until 1664, when Christian Ernst was declared an adult and assumed the government of his principality.
Life
Christian Ernst took bold decisions in centralizing the regional authorities in Bayreuth, settling Huguenots in Erlangen, and creating a Knight's Academy (German: Ritterakademie), the basis for the Regional University of Erlangen (German: Landesuniversität Erlangen).
As margrave, he served Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, whom he supported with war supplies during wars against France in support of the Dutch Republic and Lorraine and the liberation of Vienna from the Turks. On 12 February 1664 he was designated a colonel of the Franconian Circle. From 1668 the arming of his own dominion (which was intended originally to aid the emperor) strained state finances and exposed Bayreuth to military dangers. The principality suffered the first of several financial crises in 1672.
The military ambitions of Christian Ernst made him an important political ally in spite of the small territories that he ruled.[citation needed] After supporting the Emperor in the Franco-Dutch War, he was appointed a Lieutenant Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschallleutnant) on 27 March 1676. In the liberation of Vienna from the Turks in 1683, Christian Ernst was a participant in the relief army.
In 1691 he was appointed Imperial Field Marshal (Kaiserlicher Generalfeldmarschall) and took command of the imperial army stationed on the Rhine in 1692. He realized that he was not up to the task, and so he resigned the command to Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden. During the War of the Spanish Succession he obtained some victories, but made a fatal mistake on 22 May 1707 that made it possible for French troops to enter Swabia and Bavaria. Thereafter his military career was destroyed.
Christian Ernst was also an advocate and benefactor of the arts and education. As a successor for the Latin School of Bayreuth (Bayreuther Lateinschule) he endowed a secondary school in 1664 that still carries his name, the Christian Ernst Secondary School (Christian-Ernst-Gymnasium). On the square near his stables he built a castle church in 1672. In 1695 the architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer began construction of the octagonal castle tower. In 1686 he allowed Huguenots expelled by Louis XIV to reside in Neustadt; soon after he also permitted refugees from the Palatinate, which was devastated in the Palatinate War of Succession, to reside in Erlangen.
In his private life, the margrave was a lover of horses and dogs (he possessed 85 of the latter).[citation needed]
Marriages and Issue
In Dresden on 29 October 1662, Christian Ernst was married to Erdmuthe Sophie, only surviving daughter of his paternal aunt, Magdalene Sibylle, and her husband John George II, Elector of Saxony. After seven years of childless union, Erdmuthe Sophie, his first wife and first cousin, died on 22 June 1670.
Eight months after the death of his first wife, Christian Ernst was married a second time in Stuttgart on 8 February 1671 to Duchess Sofie Louise of Württemberg, his maternal second cousin, the eldest daughter of Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg. His second marriage lasted 31 years. They had six children, three of whom died in infancy:
Eleonore Magdalene (Bayreuth, 24 January 1673 – Ettlingen, 13 December 1711); married on 8 September 1704 to Prince Herman Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, son of Philipp, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.
Claudia Eleonore Sophie (Bayreuth, 4 July 1675 – Bayreuth, 11 February 1676).
Charlotte Emilie (Bayreuth, 4 June 1677 – Bayreuth, 15 February 1678).
Georg Wilhelm (Bayreuth, 26 November 1678 – Bayreuth, 18 December 1726), successor of his father as Margrave of Bayreuth.
Karl Ludwig (Bayreuth, 21 November 1679 – Bayreuth, 7 April 1680).
In Potsdam on 30 March 1703 (five months after the death of his second wife), Christian Ernst married thirdly Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg. The marriage was childless.
Ancestors
Ancestors of Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
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This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Christian Ernst of Brandenburg Bayreuth 6 August 1644 in Bayreuth 20 May 1712 in Erlangen was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg BayreuthBorn 1644 08 06 6 August 1644BayreuthDied20 May 1712 1712 05 20 aged 67 ErlangenNoble familyHouse of HohenzollernSpouse s Erdmuthe Sophie of SaxonySophie Luise of WurttembergElisabeth Sophie of BrandenburgIssueChristiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg BayreuthGeorge William Margrave of Brandenburg BayreuthFatherErdmann August of Brandenburg BayreuthMotherSophie of Brandenburg AnsbachHe was the only son of Erdmann August Hereditary Margrave Erbmarkgraf of Brandenburg Bayreuth by his wife and first cousin Sophie of Brandenburg Ansbach The death of his father 6 February 1651 made Christian Ernst the new heir to the margraviate of Bayreuth At the age of ten he succeeded his grandfather Christian as margrave when he died on 30 May 1655 His uncle Georg Albrecht acted as regent until 1664 when Christian Ernst was declared an adult and assumed the government of his principality Life EditChristian Ernst took bold decisions in centralizing the regional authorities in Bayreuth settling Huguenots in Erlangen and creating a Knight s Academy German Ritterakademie the basis for the Regional University of Erlangen German Landesuniversitat Erlangen As margrave he served Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I whom he supported with war supplies during wars against France in support of the Dutch Republic and Lorraine and the liberation of Vienna from the Turks On 12 February 1664 he was designated a colonel of the Franconian Circle From 1668 the arming of his own dominion which was intended originally to aid the emperor strained state finances and exposed Bayreuth to military dangers The principality suffered the first of several financial crises in 1672 The military ambitions of Christian Ernst made him an important political ally in spite of the small territories that he ruled citation needed After supporting the Emperor in the Franco Dutch War he was appointed a Lieutenant Field Marshal Generalfeldmarschallleutnant on 27 March 1676 In the liberation of Vienna from the Turks in 1683 Christian Ernst was a participant in the relief army In 1691 he was appointed Imperial Field Marshal Kaiserlicher Generalfeldmarschall and took command of the imperial army stationed on the Rhine in 1692 He realized that he was not up to the task and so he resigned the command to Louis William Margrave of Baden Baden During the War of the Spanish Succession he obtained some victories but made a fatal mistake on 22 May 1707 that made it possible for French troops to enter Swabia and Bavaria Thereafter his military career was destroyed Christian Ernst was also an advocate and benefactor of the arts and education As a successor for the Latin School of Bayreuth Bayreuther Lateinschule he endowed a secondary school in 1664 that still carries his name the Christian Ernst Secondary School Christian Ernst Gymnasium On the square near his stables he built a castle church in 1672 In 1695 the architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer began construction of the octagonal castle tower In 1686 he allowed Huguenots expelled by Louis XIV to reside in Neustadt soon after he also permitted refugees from the Palatinate which was devastated in the Palatinate War of Succession to reside in Erlangen In his private life the margrave was a lover of horses and dogs he possessed 85 of the latter citation needed Marriages and Issue EditIn Dresden on 29 October 1662 Christian Ernst was married to Erdmuthe Sophie only surviving daughter of his paternal aunt Magdalene Sibylle and her husband John George II Elector of Saxony After seven years of childless union Erdmuthe Sophie his first wife and first cousin died on 22 June 1670 Eight months after the death of his first wife Christian Ernst was married a second time in Stuttgart on 8 February 1671 to Duchess Sofie Louise of Wurttemberg his maternal second cousin the eldest daughter of Eberhard III Duke of Wurttemberg His second marriage lasted 31 years They had six children three of whom died in infancy Christiane Eberhardine Bayreuth 29 December 1671 Schloss Pretzsch 5 September 1727 married on 20 January 1693 to Frederick August of Saxony later Augustus the Strong Elector of Saxony and King of Poland Eleonore Magdalene Bayreuth 24 January 1673 Ettlingen 13 December 1711 married on 8 September 1704 to Prince Herman Friedrich of Hohenzollern Hechingen son of Philipp Prince of Hohenzollern Hechingen Claudia Eleonore Sophie Bayreuth 4 July 1675 Bayreuth 11 February 1676 Charlotte Emilie Bayreuth 4 June 1677 Bayreuth 15 February 1678 Georg Wilhelm Bayreuth 26 November 1678 Bayreuth 18 December 1726 successor of his father as Margrave of Bayreuth Karl Ludwig Bayreuth 21 November 1679 Bayreuth 7 April 1680 In Potsdam on 30 March 1703 five months after the death of his second wife Christian Ernst married thirdly Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg The marriage was childless Ancestors EditAncestors of Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth16 Joachim II Hector Elector of Brandenburg 24 8 John George Elector of Brandenburg 12 17 Duchess Magdalena of Saxony 25 4 Christian Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth18 Joachim Ernest Prince of Anhalt 26 9 Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt Zerbst 13 19 Countess Agnes of Barby Muhlingen 27 2 Erdmann August Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth20 Albert Duke of Prussia10 Albert Frederick Duke of Prussia21 Anna Marie of Brunswick Luneburg5 Duchess Marie of Prussia22 William Duke of Julich Cleves Berg11 Duchess Marie Eleonore of Cleves23 Archduchess Maria of Austria1 Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth24 Joachim II Hector Elector of Brandenburg 16 12 John George Elector of Brandenburg 8 25 Duchess Magdalena of Saxony 17 6 Joachim Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg Ansbach26 Joachim Ernest Prince of Anhalt 18 13 Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt Zerbst 9 27 Countess Agnes of Barby Muhlingen 20 3 Margravine Sophie of Brandenburg Ansbach28 Frederick Magnus I Count of Solms Laubach14 John George I Count of Solms Laubach29 Countess Agnes of Wied7 Countess Sophie of Solms Laubach30 George II Count of Schonburg Glauchau15 Margaret of Schonburg Glauchau31 Countess Dorothea Reuss Plauen Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg BayreuthHouse of HohenzollernBorn 6 August 1644 Died 20 May 1712Preceded byChristian Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth1655 1712 Succeeded byGeorge William Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Christian Ernst Margrave of Brandenburg Bayreuth amp oldid 1065019005, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
