Christian III Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg (

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 diocese ...

, 7 November 1680 – Merseburg, 14 November 1694), was a duke of

Saxe-Merseburg The Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and con ...

and 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 ...

. He was the eldest son of

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 ...

, and

Erdmuthe Dorothea of Saxe-Zeitz Erdmuthe Dorothea of Saxe-Zeitz (13 November 1661 – 29 April 1720) was the wife of Duke Christian II of Saxe-Merseburg, whom she married on 14 October 1679 at Moritzburg Palace in Zeitz. Regent of the duchy of Saxe-Merseburg After her husban ...

Life

At the age of thirteen, Christian Maurice succeeded his father upon his death on 20 October 1694. During his minority, the Elector Frederick August I of Saxony took over the administration of the duchy as regent. However, the custody of the young duke was mainly the responsibility of his mother, the dowager duchess Erdmuthe Dorothea, who also took an interest in governing the duchy. The new duke died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

after reigned for only twenty-five days and was succeeded by his younger brother Maurice Wilhelm.

References

* Heinrich Theodor Flathe: '' Christian II. (Herzog von Sachsen-Merseburg).'' In:

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

(ADB). Band 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, S. 175. *

Johann Sebastian Müller John Miller (1715–c.1792), also known as Johann Sebastian Müller, was a German engraver and botanist active in London. Born in Nuremberg, he trained under Johann Christoph Weigel and came to England in 1744 with his brother Tobias–an engrave ...

, Der Chur- und fürstlichen Häuser Sachsen, Ernestin- und Albertinischer Linie Annales von 1400–1700, Leipzig 1701, Tafel XIII {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Iii Maurice, Duke Of Saxe-Merseburg 1680 births 1694 deaths House of Saxe-Merseburg Dukes of Saxe-Merseburg Albertine branch Rulers who died as children