Wilhelm Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
Also known as: Wilhelm Ernst (1662–1728), not the last Grand Duke of the same name
Biography
Weimar's Baroque duke ruled for forty-five years and is remembered, unfairly and inevitably, for four weeks of them — the four he kept Johann Sebastian Bach in a cell. The rest of the reign was churches, schools and administration, and most of it is still standing.
A pious, difficult government, 1662–1728
Born in Weimar on 19 October 1662, he brought a strict Lutheran piety into office. The biographers credit him with deep religiosity, a hard driving energy and a real gift for administration — and record that much of it was spent in a lifelong quarrel over the co-regency he was obliged to share. Forty-five years of rule ended with his death on 26 August 1728.
What he built, 1706–1726
The dilapidated Jakobskirche came down on his order and went up again in 1712/13 as the Baroque church that still stands on its hill. He founded an orphanage in 1712 and a seminary for candidates in theology in 1726, and put up the country house at Ettersburg in 1706. For a small Thuringian duchy that is a serious building programme, and it is the part of him a visitor can still walk into.
The four weeks that outlived everything else, 1703–1717
He employed Bach twice: briefly in 1703, then from 1708 to 1717 as chamber musician and castle organist. When Bach pressed to be released for a better post, the duke had him shut in the palace's Bastille for close to four weeks and let him go on 2 December 1717 with his displeasure formally noted. It is roughly what happens when a patron falls out with a genius.
Questions visitors ask
- What is Wilhelm Ernst's connection to Johann Sebastian Bach?
- He employed Bach as chamber musician and castle organist from 1708 to 1717. When Bach pushed to leave for a better post, the duke had him imprisoned in the palace's Bastille for close to four weeks before releasing him on 2 December 1717.
- What did Wilhelm Ernst build in Weimar?
- The rebuilt Jakobskirche (1712/13), an orphanage (1712), a seminary for theology candidates (1726), and the country house at Ettersburg (1706).
- How long did Wilhelm Ernst rule?
- Forty-five years, from his succession until his death on 26 August 1728.
- Can I visit places connected to Wilhelm Ernst?
- Yes, the Jakobskirche, rebuilt on his order in 1712/13.
Notable Works & Achievements
The rebuilt Jakobskirche in Weimar (1712/13)
The orphanage of 1712
The seminary for candidates in theology (1726)
Schloss Ettersburg (1706)
Connected Places in Weimar
Am Rollplatz 4, 99423 Weimar
He had the dilapidated church demolished and rebuilt in 1712/13.
Historical Context
Forty-five years of the Baroque residence: the church rebuilt, the orphanage, the seminary, and Bach in the castle chapel.
The century and a half between two castle fires is the Weimar nobody puts on a poster, and it is the one that made the town musical. It opens with a burnt-out castle in 1618 and closes with another one in 1774 — and in between, in a chapel that no longer exists, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote most of his organ music.
Read more about this period →Quick Facts
1662
1728
German
In Weimar's history
In Weimar's history
The court organist asked to leave, and the duke had him locked up for four weeks before letting him go in disgrace.
The duke who ordered it — not the last Grand Duke of the same name.