Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg

Last updated
Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg
Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Tenure18 February 1680 – 2 August 1686
Born(1660-08-04)4 August 1660
Merseburg
Died2 August 1686(1686-08-02) (aged 25)
Saalfeld
Spouse Johann Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Issue Christian Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Charlotte Wilhelmine, Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg
Names
Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg
House House of Wettin
Father Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Mother Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg (4 August 1660 - 2 August 1686), was a German noblewoman member of the House of Wettin and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Saalfeld.

Born in Merseburg, she was a child of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg and his wife Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Life

In Merseburg on 18 February 1680 Sophie Hedwig married Johann Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Both belonged to the House of Wettin: she was a member of the Albertine line while her husband belonged to the Ernestine branch. Three years before (1677) one of Sophie Hedwig's sisters, Christiane, married Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg, in turn one of Johann Ernest's older brothers, so probably this marriage was instrumental for her future wedding.

The union produced five children, of whom only two survive adulthood: [1] [ better source needed ]

Sophie Hedwig died in childbirth in Saalfeld, two days before her twenty-six birthday. She was buried in the Johanniskirche, Saalfeld. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Wettin</span> German noble and royal family

The House of Wettin was a dynasty which included Saxon kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its origins can be traced back to the town of Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt. The Wettins gradually rose to power within the Holy Roman Empire. Members of the family became the rulers of several medieval states, starting with the Saxon Eastern March in 1030. Other states they gained were Meissen in 1089, Thuringia in 1263, and Saxony in 1423. These areas cover large parts of Central Germany as a cultural area of Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernestine duchies</span> Set of related states in Germany

The Ernestine duchies, also known as the Saxon duchies, were a group of small states whose number varied, which were largely located in the present-day German state of Thuringia and governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ernest IV</span> Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

John Ernest IV was a reigning duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was a duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Frederick III</span> Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Ernest Frederick III Karl, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, was a duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was a reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, one of the ruling Thuringian dukes of the House of Wettin. As progenitor of a line of Coburg princes who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, ascended the thrones of several European realms, he is a patrilineal ancestor of the royal houses of Belgium and Bulgaria, as well as of several queens consort and the empress consort of Mexico in the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> German princess

Princess Antoinette Ernestine Amalie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a German princess of the House of Wettin. By marriage, she was a Duchess of Württemberg. Through her eldest surviving son, she is the ancestress of today's (Catholic) House of Württemberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothea Maria of Anhalt</span> Duchess consort of Saxe-Weimar

Dorothea Maria of Anhalt, was by birth a member of the House of Ascania and princess of Anhalt. After her marriage, she became Duchess of Saxe-Weimar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg</span> Thuringian duchy (1680–1826)

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was a duchy ruled by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in today's Thuringia, Germany. The extinction of the line in 1825 led to a major re-organisation of the Thuringian states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg</span> Duchess of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg

Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg, was a princess of Saxe-Altenburg and, by marriage, duchess of Saxe-Gotha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg</span> Duke of Saxe-Merseburg

Christian I of Saxe-Merseburg, was the first duke of Saxe-Merseburg and a member of the House of Wettin.

Christian II of Saxe-Merseburg, was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin.

August, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbig, was a German prince and member of the House of Wettin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg

Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a German princess by birth and Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg by marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg</span>

Princess Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, often referred to as Christiane was the consort of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, who was the ruling Duke of Saxe-Merseburg from 1650 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg</span> German noblewoman (1659–1679)

Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg, was a German noblewoman member of the House of Wettin and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst</span> Duchess consort of Saxe-Weimar

Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst, was a German noblewoman member of the House of Ascania and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Weimar.

Eleonore Sophie of Saxe-Weimar, was a German noblewoman member of the House of Wettin and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Merseburg-Lauchstädt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedwig of Mecklenburg-Güstrow</span> Duchess consort of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbig

Hedwig of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, was a German noblewoman member of the House of Mecklenburg and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbig.

References

  1. Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Wettin". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 27 September 2014.[ self-published source ]
  2. Saxe-Merseburg line in: Royaltyguide.nl [retrieved 27 September 2014].
Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg
Born: 4 August 1660 Died: 2 August 1686
German royalty
New creation Duchess consort of Saxe-Saalfeld
1680-1686
Vacant
Title next held by
Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen