Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

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Bernhard I
Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Reign	2 August 1691 – 27 April 1706
Predecessor	New creation
Successor	Ernst Ludwig I
Born	(1649-09-10)10 September 1649 Gotha
Died	27 April 1706(1706-04-27) (aged 56) Meiningen
Spouse	Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Issue	Ernst Ludwig I Prince Bernhard Prince Johann Ernst Princess Marie Elisabeth Prince Johann Georg Frederick Wilhelm Prince Georg Ernst Princess Elisabeth Ernestine Princess Eleonore Frederika Prince Anton August Wilhelmine Luise, Duchess of Württemberg-Bernstadt Anton Ulrich
House	Saxe-Meiningen
Father	Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg
Mother	Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg
Religion	Lutheran

Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (Gotha, 10 September 1649 – Meiningen, 27 April 1706) was a duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

He was the sixth but third surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg.

After the death of his father, in 1675, the duchy was jointly governed by him and his brothers; but the duchy was divided five years later (in 1680); as a result of this divisionary treaty, Bernhard received Meiningen, Wasungen, Salzungen, Untermassfeld, Frauenbreitungen and Ichtershausen. Bernhard became the founder of the Saxe-Meiningen line.

The building of an official residence in Meiningen began immediately. The residence was finished in 1692 and was called Schloss Elisabethenburg, in honor of Bernhard's second wife. Like his brother Ernst, Bernhard's financial stability in his duchy was remarkable. The sales of chamber goods and the additional charge of taxes to the population were the result.

Bernhard's will ordered the indivisibility of the duchy, but not Primogeniture. This allowed his sons to govern the duchy jointly after his death.