Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667 – 12 September 1739) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1640–1709).

Ernest Louis
Portrait of Ernst Ludwig by Johann Christian Fiedler
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Reign	31 August 1678 – 12 September 1739
Predecessor	Louis VII
Successor	Louis VIII
Born	15 December 1667 Gotha
Died	12 September 1739(1739-09-12) (aged 71) Jägersburg Castle, Einhausen
Spouse	Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach ​ ​ (m. 1687; died 1705)​ Luise Sophie von Spiegel zum Desenberg ​ ​ (m. 1727)​
Issue	Dorothea Sophie, Countess of Hohenlohe-Öhringen Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Prince Charles William Prince Francis Ernest Friederike Charlotte, Princess Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel Louisa Charlotte, Countess of Eppstein Friederika Sophia, Countess von Eppstein and Baroness Johann Carl Ludwig Christian von Pretlack Friedrich Carl Ludwig von Hohenstein zu Fürstenfeld (ill.)
House	Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Ernest Louis's desire to emulate the French court under Louis XIV ran his country into debt. Among those patronized in this cultural milieu were the Baroque composer Christoph Graupner and the gambist Ernst Christian Hesse; also bringing into his service architect Louis Remy de la Fosse for his extensive building program. Upon his death in 1739, his country's debt was 4 million gulden, ten times the annual revenue.^[1]

Family

Ernest Louis married Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1661–1705), daughter of Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1620–1667) on 1 December 1687. Before her death in 1705, they were the parents of the following children:

• Dorothea Sophie (1689–1723), who married Count John Frederick of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1683–1765) in 1710.
• Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1691–1768), who married Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1700–1726) in 1717.
• Charles William (1693–1707), who died at the age of 13, during the War of Spanish Succession.
• Francis Ernest (1695–1716), who died at the age of 20 in Darmstadt.
• Friederike Charlotte (1698–1777), who married Landgrave Maximilian of Hesse-Kassel (1689–1753) in 1720.

Ernest Louis married his second wife Luise Sophie von Spiegel zum Desenberg (1690–1751), daughter of Hermann Wilhelm von Spiegel zu Desenberg and Claire Anna Helena von Hornberg, on 20 January 1727, who was thereafter raised to the rank of Countess of Eppstein. He had two daughters with her:

• Louisa Charlotte (1727–1753), Countess von Eppstein; she never married nor had children.
• Friederika Sophia (1730–1770), Countess von Eppstein; who married Baron Johann Carl Ludwig Christian von Pretlack (1716–1781) in 1764.

Ernest Louis had one additional illegitimate child with Charlotte von Forstner (1686–1727):

• Friedrich Carl Ludwig von Hohenstein zu Fürstenfeld (1711–1715)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

8. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 4. George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 9. Magdalene of Brandenburg 2. Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 10. John George I, Elector of Saxony 5. Sophia Eleonore of Saxony 11. Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia 1.Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 12. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar 6. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha 13. Dorothea Maria of Anhalt 3. Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 14. John Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 7. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg 15. Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel