Princess Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, often referred to as ''Christiane'' (22 September 1634 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

– 20 May 1701 at Delitzsch Castle) was the consort of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, who was the ruling

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

Saxe-Merseburg The Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, with Merseburg as its capital. It existed from 1656 or 1657 to 1738 and was owned by an Albertine secundogeniture of the Saxon House of Wettin. History The Wettin Elector Jo ...

from 1650 until his death.

Life

Christiana was the fourth daughter, and the ninth of 15 children,Essegern, p. 383 of

Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Philip of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg (15 March 1584 – 27 September 1663) was the first Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg after the death of his father in 1622. He was the son of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and Duches ...

and his wife, Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Lauenburg. Christiana was born in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. She was raised by

Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony (23 December 1617 – 6 January 1668), in Denmark known as Magdalena Sibylla, was the Princess of Denmark and Norway from 1634 to 1647 as the wife of Prince-Elect Christian of Denmark, and the Duchess consort of Saxe-A ...

, the widow of the Danish

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

, at her widow seat Nyköpingshus. On 19 November 1650, at the age of 16, Christiana married at

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace (german: Dresdner Residenzschloss or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and kings (1806–1918) of Saxony from the Alberti ...

to Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, the third son of

Prince-Elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prin ...

John George I of Saxony and his second wife,

Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia (31 December 1586 – 12 February 1659) was an Electress of Saxony as the spouse of John George I, Elector of Saxony. She is a 6th times matrilineal great grandmother to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Li ...

. This was part of a double wedding: Christiana's elder sister Sophie Hedwig married Christian's younger brother

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

. The double wedding was followed by four weeks of celebrations, including ballet and other performances, tournaments, parades and fireworks. After her husband died in 1691, Christiana retreated to her widow seat, Delitzsch Castle, which she had received in 1688, replacing the earlier

jointure Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the de ...

Sangerhausen Castle.Essegern, p. 416 Delitzsch Castle had been renovated and remodeled to serve as her residence, however, the renovated had not been completed when she moved in on 31 May 1692. During her time at Delitsch, Christiana added a

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the (), is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed during the 17th century by the ...

to the castle.

Marriage and issue

Christian and Christiana had eleven children: * Magdalene Sophie (19 October 1651 in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

– 29 March 1675 in

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

) * John George (4 December 1652 in Merseburg – 3 January 1654 in Merseburg) *

Christian II, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg Christian II of Saxe-Merseburg (19 November 1653 – 20 October 1694), was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin. He was the second (but eldest surviving) son of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, and Christiana of S ...

(19 November 1653 in Merseburg – 20 October 1694 in Merseburg), inherited Merseburg. *

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

(15 February 1655 in Merseburg, 15 February 1655 – 27 March 1715 in Zörbig), inherited Zörbig. * Stillborn son (1 February 1656 in Merseburg) * Philip (26 October 1657 in Merseburg – killed in action on 1 July 1690 at

Fleurus Fleurus (; wa, Fleuru) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It has been the site of four major battles. The municipality consists of the following districts: Brye, Heppignies, Fleurus, Lambusart, ...

); inherited Lauchstädt. * Christiane (1 June 1659 Merseburg – 13 March 1679 in Eisenberg), married on 13 February 1677 to

Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg Christian of Saxe-Eisenberg (6 January 1653 – 28 April 1707) was a duke of Saxe-Eisenberg. He was born in Gotha, the eighth, but fifth surviving, son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Chris ...

. * Sophie Hedwig (4 August 1660 in Merseburg – 2 August 1686 in

Saalfeld Saalfeld (german: Saalfeld/Saale) is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin. Geography ...

), married on 18 February 1680 to

Johann Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld Johann Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (22 August 1658 in Gotha – 17 February 1729 in Saalfeld) was a reigning duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Life He was the tenth but seventh surviving son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth ...

. *

Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg (Merseburg, 2 September 1661 – Doberlug, 28 July 1738), was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin. He was the sixth (but fourth surviving) son of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg and ...

(2 September 1661 in Merseburg – 28 July 1738 in

Doberlug Doberlug-Kirchhain ( dsb, Dobrjoług-Góstkow) is a Germany, German town in the district of Elbe-Elster, Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg. History 937. The town of Kirchhain was built by Margrave Gero. A document written in 1005 mentions the town Dober ...

), inherited Spremberg; later (1731) also inherited Merseburg. * Maurice (29 October 1662 in Merseburg – 21 April 1664 in Merseburg) * Sibylle Maria (28 October 1667 in Merseburg – 9 October 1693 in Bernstadt); married on 27 October 1683 to

Christian Ulrich I, Duke of Württemberg-Oels Duke Christian Ulrich I of Württemberg-Oels (9 April 1652, at Oels Castle in Oels – 5 April 1704, in Oels Castle) was a German nobleman. He was the ruling Duke of Württemberg-Bernstadt from 1669 to 1697 and then the ruling Duke of Oels-Würt ...

References

Bibliography

* Ute Essegern: ''Fürstinnen am kursächsischen Hof. Lebenskonzepte und Lebensläufe zwischen Familie, Hof und Politik in der ersten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts'', in the series ''Schriften zur sächsischen Geschichte und Volkskunde'', vol. 19, Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig, 2007, , p. 383–385
Abstract online
* Uta Deppe: ''Die Festkultur am Dresdner Hofe Johann Georgs II. von Sachsen (1660–1679)'', in the series ''Bau + Kunst. Schleswig-Holsteinische Schriften zur Kunstgeschichte'', vol. 13, Ludwig, Kiel, 2006, , p. 14
Online
.

External links

viewed on 25 August 2011 {{Authority control House of Oldenburg in Schleswig-Holstein 1634 births 1701 deaths German duchesses 17th-century German people Duchesses of Saxe-Merseburg ⚭Christiana of Schleswigholsteinsonderburgglucksburg