Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels (also: ''Sophie''; 23 June 1654 in

Halle an der Saale Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anh ...

– 31 March 1724 in

Zerbst Zerbst () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg regi ...

) 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 ...

, and a princess of Saxe-Weissenfels and Querfurt by birth and by marriage Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst.

Family

Sophia was the third daughter of the Duke August of Saxe-Weissenfels and his wife

Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1 July 1627, in Schwerin – 11 December 1669, in Halle) was a German noblewoman, a member of the House of Mecklenburg and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels. She was the fourth child and second daughter ...

, daughter of Duke Adolf Frederick I of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hou ...

. She was named after her paternal great-grandmother,

Sophie of Brandenburg Sophie of Brandenburg (6 June 1568 – 7 December 1622) was Electress of Saxony by marriage to Christian I, Elector of Saxony. She was regent from 1591 to 1601 during the minority of their son Christian II. Biography Sophie was born at ...

, Electress of Saxony.

Marriage and issue

She married on 18 June 1676 in Halle with Karl William, a son of John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst from his marriage to Sophie Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. Unlike most royal couples of the era, Charles William and Sophia shared a bedroom in their new baroque palace. This suggests that they may have married out of love. They had the following children: *

John Augustus John Augustus (1785-June 21, 1859) was a Boston boot maker who is called the "Father of Probation" in the United States because of his pioneering efforts to campaign for more lenient sentences for convicted criminals based on their backgrounds. ...

(1677–1742), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst * Charles Augustus (born: July 2, 1678 in Zerbst, died: 1 September 1693 ibid), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst * Magdalena Augusta (1679–1740), Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst : married Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Death and burial

Sophia died at the age of 69 years in her rooms at Zerbst Castle and was buried on 7 June 1724 in the princely tomb in the St. Bartholomew's Church in

. In 1899 Duke Duke Frederick I of Anhalt, ordered the implementation of a princely family vault in the Castle Church in Zerbst Castle. After the destruction of the castle in 1945, the remains of the damaged coffins were transferred back to St. Bartholomew.

External Links and sources

*
Entry in ThePeerage.com

Johann Hübner's ... Three hundred and thirty-three Genealogical Tables, Table 170

House of Saxe-Weissenfels House of Wettin 1654 births 1724 deaths German princesses 17th-century German people 18th-century German people Albertine branch Royal reburials {{Germany-noble-stub