Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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Ernest I
Portrait by George Dawe (c. 1819)
Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (as Ernest III)
Reign	9 December 1806 – 12 November 1826
Predecessor	Francis
Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (as Ernest I)
Reign	12 November 1826 – 29 January 1844
Predecessor	Frederick IV
Successor	Ernest II
Born	Ernst Anton Karl Ludwig Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld (1784-01-02)2 January 1784 Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Holy Roman Empire
Died	29 January 1844(1844-01-29) (aged 60) Gotha, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, German Confederation
Burial	Morizkirche, then Friedhof am Glockenberg [de]
Spouses	Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ​ ​ (m. 1817; div. 1826)​ Duchess Marie of Württemberg ​ ​ (m. 1832)​
Issue	Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom
House	Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (until 1826) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (from 1826)
Father	Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Mother	Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf
Religion	Lutheranism

Ernest I (German: Ernst Anton Karl Ludwig; 2 January 1784 – 29 January 1844) served as the last sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (as Ernest III) from 1806 to 1826 and the first sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 to 1844. He was the father of Prince Albert, who was the husband of Queen Victoria. Ernest fought against Napoleon Bonaparte, and through construction projects and the establishment of a court theatre, he left a strong imprint on his residence town, Coburg.