Sophie of Saxony (29 April 1587 – 9 December 1635) was a member of the Albertine branch 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 ...

. She was a princess 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 by marriage a Duchess of

Pomerania-Stettin The Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, also known as the Duchy of Stettin, and the Duchy of Szczecin, was a feudal duchy in Farther Pomerania within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Szczecin. It was ruled by the Griffin dynasty.B. Dopierała, ''Po ...

Life

Sophie was a daughter of the Elector

Christian I Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within ...

of Saxony (1560–1591) from his marriage to

Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

(1568–1622), the daughter of Elector John George of Brandenburg. She married on 26 August 1610 in Dresden to Duke Francis of Pomerania-Stettin (1577–1620). No children were born from this marriage. After Francis's death, Sophie received the city and district of

Wolin Wolin (; formerly german: Wollin ) is the name both of a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the ...

as her

wittum Wittum (), Widum or Witthum is a medieval Latin legal term, known in marital and ecclesiastical law. Provide for a widow at the wedding The term referred initially to steps taken by a husband to provide for his wife if she became a widow. The wi ...

. She administered the district during the difficult years of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. Between 1622 and 1626, she built a new residence in Wolin, because the old Wolin Castle was rather dilapidated. After her death, the district fell back to Duke

Bogislaw XIV Bogislaw XIV (31 March 1580 – 10 March 1637) was the last Duke of Pomerania. He was also the Lutheran administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Cammin. Biography Bogislaw was born in Barth as a member of the House of Pomerania. He was the third ...

of Pomerania. However, all movable property, such as furniture and the grain stocks, were confiscated by the Swedish army, because Sweden was at war with Saxony and the Sweden considered her a Saxon. Sophie was initially buried in the ducal crypt in

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, but in 1650 her body was transferred to the

Sophienkirche The Sophienkirche (Saint Sophia's Church) was a church in Dresden. It was located on the northeast corner of the Postplatz (post office square) in the old town before it was severely damaged in the Dresden bombing in 1945 and subsequently destr ...

in Dresden.

Ancestors

References

Heinrich Berghaus Heinrich Karl Wilhelm Berghaus (3 May 1797 – 17 February 1884) was a German geographer and cartographer who conducted trigonometric surveys in Prussia and taught geodesy at the Bauakademie in Berlin. He taught cartography and produced a pioneeri ...

: ''Landbuch des Herzogthums Pommern und des Fürstenthums Rügen'', part 3, vol. 1, W. Dietze, Anklam, 1867, p. 615
Online
. * Ute Essegern: ''Keine Totenruhe für Sophia von Sachsen in Stettin. Pommern, Sachsen und Schweden im Streit um das Erbe'', In: ''Pommern. Zeitschrift für Kultur und Geschichte'', vol. 44 (2006), issue 2, , p. 18–25. * Christian Ernst Weiße: ''Neueste Geschichte des Königreichs Sachsen seit dem Prager Frieden bis auf unsere Zeiten'', vol. 1, Hinrichs, Leipzig, 1808, p. 59 ff
Online
. * Ute Essegern
''Sophia (Sophie) von Sachsen''
In: '' :de:Sächsische Biografie'', published by the Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde, edited by Martina Schattkowsky

External links

* http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1600.htm German princesses House of Wettin Nobility from Dresden House of Griffins 1587 births 1635 deaths Albertine branch Burials at Freiberg Cathedral {{Germany-noble-stub