Ernst II.

Ernst was educated alongside his younger brother Albert (1819–1861), later the consort of Queen Victoria. He studied in Bonn and served in the Royal Saxon Guards Cavalry Regiment.

After the death of his father Ernst I, he assumed rule of the double duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1844. Politically, he supported national-liberal ideas and repeatedly invited liberal associations of singers, gymnasts, and marksmen to Coburg, hosting grand festivals for them.

His ambitions to become German Emperor with the support of the liberal middle class failed. In the war of the German Confederation against Denmark (1849), he participated as a major general and became famous as the 'Victor of Eckernförde.'

The duke had interests in natural sciences, painting, and music; he composed several operas, including 'Santa Chiara.' Ernst married Alexandrine of Baden (1820–1904) in 1842, but the marriage remained childless.