Christine of Saxony (25 December 1505 – 15 April 1549) was a German noble, landgravine consort of Hesse by marriage to

Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (in English: "the Magnanimous"), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protesta ...

.Eckhart G. Franz (Hrsg.): Haus Hessen. Biografisches Lexikon. (= Arbeiten der Hessischen Historischen Kommission N.F., Bd. 34) Hessische Historische Kommission, Darmstadt 2012, ISBN 978-3-88443-411-6 She was the regent of Hesse during the absence of her spouse in 1547–1549. She was the daughter of

George the Bearded George the Bearded ( Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) we ...

Duke of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast on ...

and Barbara Jagiellon. On 11 December 1523 in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, she married Landgrave

. The marriage was arranged to forge an alliance between Hesse and Saxony and was unhappy; Philip claimed to be disgusted by her and only shared her bed by duty. They had ten children. Whilst married to Christine, Philip practised

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. ...

and had another nine children with his other ( morganatic) wife, Margarethe von der Saale; in 1540, Christine gave her consent to her husband's bigamy with his lover because of her view upon him as her sovereign. Margarethe von der Saale, however, was never seen at court. During Philip's absence and captivity during 1547–1549, Christine was regent jointly with her oldest son. She died before Philip's release in 1552.

Children with Philip of Hesse

# Agnes (31 May 1527 – 4 November 1555), married: ## in

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximat ...

on 9 January 1541 to Maurice, Elector of Saxony; ## 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 ...

on 26 May 1555 to John Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha. #

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

(26 October 1529 – 10 July 1591), married on 24 February 1544 to Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. # William IV of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (24 June 1532 – 25 August 1592). # Philipp Ludwig (29 June 1534 – 31 August 1535). # Barbara (8 April 1536 – 8 June 1597), married: ## in

Reichenweier Riquewihr (; Alsatian: ; german: Reichenweier ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A popular tourist attraction for its historical architecture, Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other win ...

on 10 September 1555 to Duke George I of Württemberg-Mömpelgard; ## in

on 11 November 1568 to Count

Daniel of Waldeck Daniel of Waldeck (1 August 1530 – 7 June 1577 in Waldeck) was a ruling count of Waldeck-Wildungen. He was the third, but eldest surviving son of the Count Philip IV (1493-1574) and his first wife, Margaret of East Frisia (1500-1537). Al ...

. # Louis IV of Hesse-Marburg (27 May 1537 – 9 October 1604). # Elisabeth (13 February 1539 – 14 March 1582), married on 8 July 1560 to

Louis VI, Elector Palatine Louis VI, Elector Palatine (4 July 1539 in Simmern – 22 October 1583 in Heidelberg), was an Elector from the Palatinate-Simmern branch of the house of Wittelsbach. He was the first-born son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine and Marie of ...

. # Philip II of Hesse-Rheinfels (22 April 1541 – 20 November 1583). #

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

(29 June 1543 – 13 May 1604), married in Gottorp on 17 December 1564 to

Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Adolf of Denmark or Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp (25 January 1526 –1 October 1586) was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg. He was the third son of King Frederick I of Denmark and h ...

. # Georg I of Hesse-Darmstadt (10 September 1547 – 7 February 1596).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christine of Saxony 1505 births 1549 deaths House of Wettin Landgravines of Hesse Nobility from Dresden 16th-century women rulers Regents of Germany Albertine branch