Ernest I

duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
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Also known as: Ernest der Fromme, Ernest the Pious
Quick Facts
Byname:
Ernest The Pious
German:
Ernst Der Fromme
Born:
Dec. 25, 1601, Altenburg, Saxony [Germany] (born on this day)
Died:
March 26, 1675, Gotha, Saxe-Gotha (aged 73)

Ernest I (born Dec. 25, 1601, Altenburg, Saxony [Germany]—died March 26, 1675, Gotha, Saxe-Gotha) was the duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, who, after the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War, sought to rebuild and reform his country. An ardent Lutheran, Ernest allied himself with the Swedes from 1631, fighting in the battles of Lech, Nürnberg, Lützen, and Nördlingen. In 1635 he signed the Peace of Prague and turned to the governing of his duchy, making it eventually one of the most prosperous areas of Germany. Ernest’s educational reforms—made with the help of Veit Ludwig von Seckendorf and Andreas Reyher (a disciple of ...(100 of 167 words)