Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg (1 June 1659 – 13 March 1679), was a German noblewoman member of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

and by marriage Duchess of

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 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. History In 1640 the sons of the l ...

. Born 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 ...

, she was a child of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg and his wife

Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Princess Christiana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, often referred to as ''Christiane'' (22 September 1634 in Copenhagen – 20 May 1701 at Delitzsch Castle) was the consort of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, who was the r ...

Life

on 13 February 1677 Christiane married Duke Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Both belonged to the House of Wettin: she was a member of the Albertine line while her husband belonged to the Ernestine branch. The couple settled in Eisenberg at the Christianburg Castle. Two years later, on 4 March 1679, she gave birth to a daughter, named Christiane after her and later wife of Philip Ernst, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg; however, nine days later (13 March) she died of childbirth complications aged 19, probably from puerperal fever. She was buried in

Merseburg Cathedral Merseburg Cathedral (german: Merseburger Dom) is the proto-cathedral of the former Bishopric of Merseburg in Merseburg, Germany. The mostly Gothic church is considered an artistic and historical highlight in southern Saxony-Anhalt. History Back ...

.Saxe-Merseburg line in: Royaltyguide.nl
etrieved 27 September 2014 In her honour, her husband build the Castle church of St. Trinity (German: ''Schlosskirche St. Trinitatis'') in the Christianburg Castle.

Notes

References

Publications about Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg
in:

VD 17 The Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 17. Jahrhunderts (in English: ''Bibliography of Books Printed in the German Speaking Countries from 1601 to 1700''), abbreviated VD17, is a project to make a retrospective German n ...

etrieved 28 September 2014 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg 1659 births 1679 deaths Christiane Albertine branch Deaths in childbirth Daughters of monarchs