Henrik Ernst

Henrik (Heinrich) Ernst (7 February 1603 7 April 1665) was a German-Danish jurist and philologist who held a professorial chair in jurisprudence and moral philosophy at Sorø Academy from 1639. As a member of the First and Second Law Commissions, in 16611665 he contributed to the early work on the preparation of Christian V's Danish Code. In 1771, he was also appointed a Supreme Court justice.

Biography Ernst was associated Sorø Academy from around 1623. He acted as Hofmeister for young noblemen, most notably Prince Valdemar Christian, both during their stay at the academy and on their Grand Tours abroad. In 1639, he became a professor in jurisprudence and moral philosophy at the academy. Over the next years, he published a number of works on law, classical philology and theology. He left Sorø Academy in around 1660.

At the introduction of absolutism in Denmark in 1660, Ernst was appointed as an assessor in Danske Kancelli. In 1661, he was also appointed Supreme Court justice.