Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Ernest I was the last sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and the first sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was the uncle of Queen Victoria and the father of her husband, Prince Albert. Ernest fought against Napoleon Bonaparte and took part in the campaigns of 1813-1815. He also reduced Mainz by blockade and received the principality of Lichtenberg at the Congress of Vienna. He sold it to Prussia in 1834. In 1826, after the death of his brother-in-law Frederick, he gave up Saalfeld and received Gotha, becoming Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He gave a constitution to Coburg in 1821, but did not change the traditional system of estates in Gotha. He married twice: first to Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, whom he divorced in 1826 after she had an affair with his chamberlain; second to Marie of Württemberg, who died in 1860. He had two sons: Ernest II, who succeeded him as duke, and Albert, who married Queen Victoria and became the prince consort. He also had a brother Leopold, who became the first king of the Belgians, and a sister Victoria, who was Queen Victoria's mother. Ernest I died in 1844 at the age of 60 from natural causes. He was buried at Friedhof am Glockenberg in Coburg. He left a strong imprint on his residence town through construction projects and the establishment of a court theatre. He was also a patron of art and science and a supporter of education. He was known as a monarch and a reformer who modernized his duchy and promoted its interests.