Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha
As ruler, by his character and governmental ability as well as by personal attention to matters of state, he introduced a golden age for his subjects after the ravages of the Thirty Years' War.By wise economy, which did not exclude fitting generosity or display on proper occasions, he freed his land from debt, left at his death a considerable sum in the treasury, and reduced taxation.His laws were not conceived in the spirit of modern ideas about individual liberty; they forbade secret betrothals, tried to regulate dress, and extended even to the stable, kitchen, and cellar.His promotion of Jesus Christ church affairs, won him the nickname of "Praying Ernest"; but an excuse is found in the fearful demoralization caused by the war.Religious instruction, consisting in catechetical exercises without Bible history, was kept up even to advanced years and not unnaturally the rigid compulsion in some cases defeated its purpose.
Duke of Saxe-GothaAltenburgFrederickSaxe-Gotha-AltenburgAlbrechtSaxe-CoburgBernhardSaxe-MeiningenHeinrichSaxe-RömhildChristianSaxe-EisenbergSaxe-HildburghausenJohann ErnstSaxe-SaalfeldDuke of Saxe-AltenburgFriedrich Wilhelm IIIDuchy of Saxe-WeimarHoly Roman EmpireSchloss FriedensteinSaxe-GothaElisabeth Sophie of Saxe-AltenburgElisabeth Dorothea, Landgravine of Hesse-DarmstadtFrederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgAlbert, Duke of Saxe-CoburgBernhard I, Duke of Saxe-MeiningenHenry, Duke of Saxe-RömhildChristian, Duke of Saxe-EisenbergPrincess Dorothea MariaErnest, Duke of Saxe-HildburghausenJohann Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldHouse of WettinJohann II, Duke of Saxe-WeimarDorothea Maria of AnhaltLutheranSaxe-AltenburgChristoph, Duke of WürttembergUlrich, Duke of Württemberggolden ageThirty Years' WaralchemyduelingGermanySwedenRussiaPolandHungaryUniversity of JenaMoscowAbyssiniaOliver CromwellElisabeth DorotheaLouis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtsmallpoxDorothea MariaAnna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgmatrilinealNicholas II of RussiaFranz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldList of members of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha1632 seriesEric FlintErnestine duchiesErnestian BiblesKurfürstenbibelJohann, Elector of SaxonyJohann Frederick I, Elector of SaxonySophie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinJohann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-WeimarJohn III, Duke of ClevesSybille of Jülich-Cleves-BergMaria of Jülich-BergJohn II, Count Palatine of SimmernFrederick III, Elector PalatineBeatrice of BadenDorothea Susanne of SimmernCasimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-KulmbachMarie of Brandenburg-KulmbachSusanna of BavariaErnest I, Prince of Anhalt-DessauJohn V, Prince of Anhalt-ZerbstMargaret of MünsterbergJoachim Ernst, Prince of AnhaltJoachim I Nestor, Elector of BrandenburgMargarete of BrandenburgElisabeth of DenmarkUlrich I, Duke of WürttembergSabina of BavariaGeorge, Margrave of Brandenburg-AnsbachAnna Maria of Brandenburg-AnsbachHedwig of Münsterberg-Oelspublic domainNew Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious KnowledgeFrederick Wilhelm IIIFrederick of Saxe-Gotha-AltenburgAlbrecht of Saxe-CoburgBernhard of Saxe-MeiningenHeinrich of Saxe-RömhildChristian of Saxe-EisenbergErnst of Saxe-HildburghausenJohann Ernst of Saxe-Saalfeld