Ernest Augustus II Constantine (German: Ernst August II Konstantin; 2 June 1737 – 28 May 1758) was the ruling Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from 1748 until his death in 1758.
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Early life
He was the fifth child but the only surviving son of Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, by his second wife, Margravine Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, the eldest daughter of Georg Friedrich Karl, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.
Career
Ernst August II Konstantin's father, a splendor-loving ruler with a passion for hunting, had moved his court to Eisenach. The duke neglected his son and heir, so that Ernst August II Konstantin spent his early years under the supervision of the Hofmarschall of Schloss Belvedere in Weimar.
Ernst August I died in 1748, when Ernst August II Konstantin was eleven years old. Since he was still a minor, the dukes Frederick III of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Franz Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld assumed the regency of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on Ernst August II Konstantin's behalf. The young duke came to live with Duke Frederick in Gotha, who made sure that Ernst August II Konstantin received an appropriate education.