Ernest Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

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Ernst Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Hildburghausen, 17 December 1707 - d. Hildburghausen, 13 August 1745), was a duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

He was the third but eldest surviving son of Ernst Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Sofie Albertine of Erbach-Erbach.

He succeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen with seventeen years old in 1724; as a result, his mother, the Dowager Duchess Sofie Albertine, acted as a regent on behalf of his son until he reached adulthood, in 1728.

In 1743 he received an Infantry Regiment from the Electress of the Palatinate as a General Lieutenant. Later, the Emperor Karl VII appointed him General Master of Field.

Always at bodies and mind being ailing, he faced the problems in the duchy helplessly. The indebtedness of the duchy was in the meantime so high that all public revenues did not even cover more the interest.

In Fürstenau on 19 June 1726 Ernst Frederick married with Caroline of Erbach-Fürstenau. They had four children:

1. Ernst Frederick III Karl, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (b. Königsberg, 10 June 1727 - d. Seidingstadt, 23 September 1780).
2. Frederick August Albrecht (b. Hildburghausen, 8 August 1728 - d. Hildburghausen, 14 June 1735).
3. Frederick Wilhelm Eugen (b. Hildburghausen, 8 October 1730 - d. Öhringen, 4 December 1795), married on 13 March 1778 to his niece Caroline of Saxe-Hildburghausen (daughter of Ernst Frederick III). Their marriage was childless.
4. Sofie Amalie Caroline (b. Hildburghausen, 21 July 1732 - d. Öhringen, 19 June 1799), married in 1749 to Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Öhringen.

Preceded by Ernst Frederick I

Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen 1724–1745

Succeeded by Ernst Frederick III