Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
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Christian Ernest, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (German: Christian Ernst) (b. Bayreuth, 6 August 1644 - d. Erlangen, 20 May 1712), was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.
He 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) make him the new heir of Bayreuth. He succeeded his grandfather Christian as Margrave of Bayreuth when he died, on 30 May 1655 with only ten years. Because of this, his uncle Georg Albrecht acted as regent until 1664, when he was declared adult and assumed the government of his principality.
[edit] Life
Christian Ernst take a seriousness decisions when he centralized the regional authorities in Bayreuth, settled the Huguenots in Erlangen and created a Knight's Academy (German: Ritterakademie), the basis for the Regional University of Erlangen (German: Landesuniversität Erlangen).
As Margrave, he appeared as a faithful supporter of the Emperor Leopold I, whom he supported with war trains, so in wars against Holland, Lorraine and the liberation of Vienna from the Turks. He began a successful military career on 12 February 1664, with his designation as colonel of the Franconian Circle. In connection with this, from 1668, the armament and development of his own dominion began as a military source of help to the Emperor, which should lead Bayreuth soon to the borders of the maximum stress and danger. Since 1672, the principality suffer the first of several financial crisis during all his reign.
The military ambitions of Christian Ernst make him, the little margrave of Bayreuth, a important imperial-political ally. After the support of the Emperor in the wars against Holland he was appointed Field marshal's lieutenant (German: Generalfeldmarschallleutnant) on 27 March 1676; to Christian Ernstm this was a stimulus, in the next military incursions.
By the liberation of Vienna from the Turks on 1683, Christian Ernst was a participant of the relief army. He brought numerous troops which were still issued till 19th century in the city church (German: Stadtkirche) of Bayreuth. As a part of his fame, he can be represented himself on a rider's fountain in an Absolutistic Despotism as a conqueror of the Turks.
In 1691 he was appointed Imperial Field Marshal (German: Kaiserlichen Generalfeldmarschall) and took over the high command of the groups of the imperial army in the high run of the Rhine on 1692. But already appeared here that his talent of the task had not grown, so that he resigned the command to Louis William of Baden-Baden. During the War of the Spanish Succession he still gained some victories when, on 22 May 1707 he made his fatal decision. Christian Ernst lost the overview about the events on the spot and joined to the opinion of a subordinated general who stepped back by Louis XIV and revealed the Stollhofener line. The front was thereby opened far and French troops were made possible the entry to Swabia and Plünderzüge to far to Bavaria. His military career was finished by this weighty mistake.
Near his military career he was also an advocate and benefactor of the Arts. As a successor of the Latin School of Bayreuth (German: Bayreuther Lateinschule) he donated in 1664 a secondary school which carries still today his name, the Christian Ernst Secondary School (German: Gymnasium Christian-Ernestinum). On the square of the stables he built in 1672 a castle church (German: Schlosskirche). In 1695 the architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer, oriund of Bamberg, began the build of the octagonal castle tower (German: Schlossturm). In 1686 he allowed to the Huguenots expelled by Louis XIV reside in Neustadt; soon after he also left Erlangen to the refugees from the Palatinate, who was destroyed by the Palatinate War of Succession.
In his private life, the margrave was a lover of horses and dogs. From the latter, he possessed 85.
[edit] Marriages and Issue
In Dresden on 29 October 1662, Christian Ernst married firstly with Erdmuthe Sophie of Saxony, who was also his first cousin (daughter of Magdalene Sybille, sister of his father). After seven years of childless union, Erdmuthe Sophie died on 22 June 1670.
In Stuttgart on 8 February 1671 (eight months after the death of his first wife), Christian Ernst married secondly with Sophie Louise of Württemberg-Stuttgart; the union lasted until Sophie Louise's death after thirty-one years of marriage, on 13 October 1702. They had six children:
- Christiane Eberhardine (b. Bayreuth, 29 December 1671 - d. Schloss Pretzsch, 5 September 1727); married on 20 January 1693 to Frederick August of Saxony, later August the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.
- Eleonore Magdalene (b. Bayreuth, 24 January 1673 - d. Ettlingen, 13 December 1711); married on 8 September 1704 to Hermann Frederick, Count of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.
- Klaudia Eleonore Sophie (b. Bayreuth, 4 July 1675 - d. Bayreuth, 11 February 1676).
- Charlotte Emilie (b. Bayreuth, 4 June 1677 - d. Bayreuth, 15 February 1678).
- Georg Wilhelm (b. Bayreuth, 26 November 1678 - d. Bayreuth, 18 December 1726), successor of his father as Margrave of Bayreuth.
- Karl Ludwig (b. Bayreuth, 21 November 1679 - d. Bayreuth, 7 April 1680).
In Potsdam on 30 March 1703 (five months after the death of his second wife), Christian Ernst married thirdly with Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg. The marriage was childless.
The luxurious lifestyle of the Margrave and his two last wives tightened the financial situation of the Principality substantially.
| Preceded by Christian |
Margrave of Bayreuth 1655 – 1712 |
Succeeded by Georg Wilhelm |
