Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels
Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst
Born(1654-06-23)23 June 1654
Halle an der Saale
Died31 March 1724(1724-03-31) (aged 69)
Zerbst
Noble familyHouse of Wettin
Spouse(s)Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
FatherAugustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
MotherAnna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels (also: Sophie; 23 June 1654 in Halle an der Saale 31 March 1724 in Zerbst) was a member of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin, and a princess of Saxe-Weissenfels and Querfurt by birth and by marriage Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst.

Family

Sophia was the third daughter of the Duke August of Saxe-Weissenfels and his wife Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was named after her paternal great-grandmother, Sophie of Brandenburg, Electress of Saxony.

Marriage and issue

She married on 18 June 1676 in Halle with her first cousin once removed Karl William, a son of her paternal first cousin Sophie Augusta of Holstein-Gottorp to her husband John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Unlike most royal couples of the era, Charles William and Sophia shared a bedroom in their new baroque palace. This suggests that they may have married out of love.

They had the following children:

  • John Augustus (1677–1742), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
  • Charles Augustus (born: July 2, 1678 in Zerbst, died: 1 September 1693 ibid), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
  • Magdalena Augusta (1679–1740), Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst
married Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Death and burial

Sophia died at the age of 69 years in her rooms at Zerbst Castle and was buried on 7 June 1724 in the princely tomb in the St. Bartholomew's Church in Zerbst. In 1899 Duke Duke Frederick I of Anhalt, ordered the implementation of a princely family vault in the Castle Church in Zerbst Castle. After the destruction of the castle in 1945, the remains of the damaged coffins were transferred back to St. Bartholomew.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.