Friedrich Wilhelm II (12 February 1603, in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

– 22 April 1669, in

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

), was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was the youngest son of

Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Friedrich Wilhelm I (25 April 1562 in Weimar – 7 July 1602 in Weimar) was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. He was the eldest son of Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Dorothea Susanne of Simmern. Life At the time of the death of his father ...

, and Anna Maria of the Palatinate-Neuburg, his second wife. He was born eight months after the death of his father, on 7 July 1602. Shortly after his birth, Friedrich Wilhelm II and his older brothers inherited Saxe-Altenburg as co-rulers under the guardianship of the Electors of Saxony

Christian II Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...

and John George I until 1618, when his older brother John Philip assumed the government of the duchy and the guardianship of his younger siblings. By 1632, two of his three brothers were deceased. Friedrich Wilhelm II and his older brother John Philip began a joint government; but, in fact, John Philip was the real and only ruler of the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. Friedrich Wilhelm II was only a nominal ruler until the death of John Philip (1639), when he began his personal reign over Altenburg. At Altenburg Castle on 18 September 1638 Friedrich Wilhelm II married his first wife, Sophie Elisabeth, the only daughter of

Christian William of Brandenburg Christian Wilhelm of Brandenburg (28 August 1587 in Wolmirstedt – 1 January 1665 in Zinna Abbey) was a titular Margrave of Brandenburg, and from 1598 to 1631 Archbishop of Magdeburg. Life Christian Wilhelm was a son of Elector Joachim Fr ...

. She died in 1650 after twelve years of childless marriage. 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 larg ...

on 11 October 1652 Friedrich Wilhelm II married secondly

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 ...

, Dowager Crown Princess of Denmark and daughter of his former regent, the Elector John George I. They had three children: # Christian (b. Altenburg, 27 February 1654 – d. Altenburg, 5 June 1663)
Painting of Christian
# Johanna Magdalena (b. Altenburg, 14 January 1656 – d. Weissenfels, 22 January 1686), married on 25 October 1671 to

Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (2 November 1649, in Halle – 24 May 1697, in Weissenfels), was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin. He was the first son of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and h ...

. #

Friedrich Wilhelm III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Friedrich Wilhelm III (b. Altenburg, 12 July 1657 – d. Altenburg, 14 April 1672), was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was the second son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Magdalene Sybille of Saxony, his second wife. Life The ...

(b. Altenburg, 12 July 1657 – d. Altenburg, 14 April 1672). In 1660 he acquired the towns of

Themar Themar () is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Werra, 11 km northwest of Hildburghausen, and 14 km southwest of Suhl. Main sights * St. Bartholomew's Church, Themar * St. J ...

and

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).

. In 1664 he built a hunting seat () in

Hummelshain Hummelshain is a municipality in the district Saale-Holzland, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...

, and, in 1665, he built a particularly beautiful widow seat () called "Magdalenenstift" in Altenburg for his wife Magdalene Sybille. After his death he was succeeded by his second and only surviving son, Frederick William III.

Ancestry

References

* August Beck: '' Friedrich Wilhelm II. (Herzog von Sachsen-Altenburg)''. 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 7, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, S. 792–794. {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedrich Wilhelm 02, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 1603 births 1669 deaths Nobility from Weimar Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg