Georg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby (b.

Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...

, 19 April 1695 – d. Barby, 12 June 1739), was a German prince 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 the last count of Barby. He was the sixth (but second surviving) son of

Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby (b. Halle, 29 September 1657 - d. Barby, 16 February 1728), was a German prince of the House of Wettin and count of Barby. He was the fourth son of August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, by his first wife ...

, and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Dessau.

Life

Before his own birth, two older brothers (both named Johann August and stillborn twins) had died. The death of his oldest surviving brother, the Hereditary Prince Frederick Heinrich, during a trip to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

(21 November 1711) made him the new heir of the county of Barby. In

Forst Forst may refer to: Communities In Germany *, in the district of Aachen *Forst (Baden), in Baden-Württemberg *Forst (Lausitz), in Brandenburg * Forst (Unterfranken), part of Schonungen, Bavaria * Forst, Altenkirchen, in the district of Altenk ...

Niederlausitz Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia i ...

, on 18 February 1721, Georg Albrecht married Duchess

Auguste Louise of Württemberg-Oels Auguste Louise of Württemberg-Oels (21 January 1698 - 4 January 1739), was a Duchess of Württemberg-Oels by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels-Barby. Born in Bernstadt (now called Bierutów), the capital of the Duchy of Bernsta ...

. Auguste's maternal grandmother was Justine Sophie of Barby-Mühlingen, a sister of the last count; this brought Georg Albrecht closer connection to the former ruling house of Barby. The marriage was extremely unhappy, and the couple finally divorced in 1732 after eleven years of childless union. Auguste Luise returned to her Silesian homeland and died six months before Georg Albrecht. Neither remarried. Georg Albrecht succeeded his father as count when Heinrick Albrecht died on 16 February 1728. As count of Barby, Georg Albrecht continued to govern in the same way as his late father. However, he died after only 11 years of governing. Because he died without issue, the Barby line of the Wettin family became extinct and the county of Barby passed to the Electorate of Saxony. He was buried in the new family vault built by his father in Barby.

References

*''300 Jahre Schloß Neu-Augustusburg, 1660–1694 – Residenz der Herzöge von Sachsen-Weißenfels. Festschrift.'', Weissenfels, 1994. *Friedrich Gerhardt: ''Die Geschichte von Weißenfels a. S. mit neuen Beiträgen zur Geschichte des Herzogtums Sachsen-Weißenfels.'', Weissenfels 1907, p. 215. *Johann Christoph Dreyhaupt: ''Beschreibung des...Saal-Creyses, insonderheit der Städte Halle. Halle, 1749/1751'' (d.i. "Dreyhaupt-Chronik")
Anton Balthasar König: ''Biographisches Lexikon aller Helden und Militärpersonen'', vol. 3, p.336.
etrieved 23 November 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Georg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby 1695 births 1739 deaths People from Dessau-Roßlau House of Saxe-Weissenfels Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels Albertine branch Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)