Sophia Eleonore of Saxony (23 November 1609 – 2 June 1671) was a duchess of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

by birth and the

landgravine Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), ...

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

from 1627 to 1661 through her marriage to

Landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' (" margrave"), ...

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

. She was the eldest surviving child of

John George I, Elector of Saxony John George I (5 March 1585 – 8 October 1656) was Elector of Saxony from 1611 to 1656. He led Saxony through the Thirty Years' War, which dominated his 45 year reign. Biography Born in Dresden, John George was the second son of the Elector C ...

, and

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. Life ...

Life

She was born 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 ...

. Her two sisters were Marie Elisabeth and Magdalene Sibylle. Her brothers were

Johann Georg The German given name Johann Georg, or its variant spellings, may refer to: John George *John George, Elector of Brandenburg (1525–1598) *John George I, Elector of Saxony (1585–1656) *John George II, Elector of Saxony (1613–1680) *John Geor ...

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 ...

, Christian, and

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 ...

. She married Landgrave Georg II of Hesse-Darmstadt on 1 April 1627 in

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces first ...

, aged seventeen.thePeerage
/ref> In the middle of

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

their marriage was lavishly celebrated with the first opera in German language

Dafne ''Dafne'' is the earliest known work that, by modern standards, could be considered an opera. The libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini survives complete; the mostly lost music was completed by Jacopo Peri, but at least two of the six surviving fragment ...

. They had fifteen children; she raised them as strict

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

s. However, her daughter Elisabeth Amalie, later Electress Palatine, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1653. Sophie Eleonore showed huge interest in antiquarian books which she collected. Her contribution to the Hesse-Darmstadt court library is still visible today. She survived her husband by ten years and died in Darmstadt.

Children

She had the following children with

George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt George II of Hesse-Darmstadt, german: Georg II von Hessen-Darmstadt (17 March 1605, in Darmstadt – 11 June 1661) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1626 to 1661. He was the son of Ludwig V and Magdalene of Brandenburg. He married Soph ...

: * Louis VI (1630–1678) *Magdalena Sybilla (1631–1651) *

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

(1632–1676), married Dorothea Augusta, Duchess of Holstein-Sonderborg * Sophia Eleonore (1634–1663), married Landgrave William Christoph of Hesse-Homburg * Elisabeth Amalie (1635–1709), married

Philip William, Elector Palatine Philip William of Neuburg, Elector Palatine (german: Philipp Wilhelm) (24 November 1615 – 2 September 1690) was Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1653 to 1690, Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1653 to 1679 and Elector of the Palatinate from 1685 to ...

*Louise Christine (1636–1697) *Anna Maria (1637-1637) *

Anna Sophia II, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg Landgravine Anna Sophia of Hesse-Darmstadt (17 December 1638 – 13 December 1683) was a German noblewoman who reigned as Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg under the name Anna Sophia II. Early life Anna Sophia was the daughter of George II, Landg ...

(1638-1683) *Amalia Juliana (1639-1639) *A stillborn daughter (1640) *Henrica Dorothea (1641–1672), married Count John II of Waldeck-Landau *John (1642–1643) *Augusta Philippina (1643–1672) *Agnes (1645-1645) * Marie Hedwig (1647–1680), married Duke Bernhard I of Saxe-Meiningen Sophie Eleonore also suffered four miscarriages: * A miscarried daughter (1633) * A miscarried daughter (1644) * A miscarried son (1646) * A miscarried son (1649)

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saxony, Sophia Eleonore Of 1609 births 1671 deaths Landgravines of Hesse-Darmstadt German Lutherans Sophia Eleonore Nobility from Dresden Albertine branch Daughters of monarchs Mothers of German monarchs Women who experienced pregnancy loss