Countess Palatine Anna Sophia of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (2 April 1619 – 1 September 1680) reigned as

Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg This is a list of the princess-abbesses of Quedlinburg Abbey.Johann Heinrich Fritsch: ''Geschichte des vormaligen Reichsstifts Quedlinburg'' pt 2, 1828, pp. 26–28online version)/ref>Hermann Lorenz: ''Quedlinburgische Geschichte. Band 1: Werd ...

and, as such, she is referred to as Anna Sophia I. She was the author of a book of meditations, ''Der treue Seelenfreund Christus'', first published in Jena in 1658. Anna Sophia was born in

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the Birkenfeld (Verbandsgemeinde), like-named ''Verbandsge ...

George William, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld George William (6 August 1591 – 25 December 1669), titular Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke in Bavaria, County of Veldenz, Count of Veldenz and County of Sponheim, Sponheim was the Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenf ...

, and his first wife, Countess Dorothea of Solms-Sonnenwalde. The young countess palatine pursued an ecclesiastical career and was appointed princess-abbess of Quedlinburg on 15 July 1645, succeeding Princess-Abbess Dorothea Sophia. She succeeded to the abbey-principality during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, which ended in 1648, and her small territory suffered invasion of the Swedish army. Anna Sophia I often came into conflicts with

John George II, Elector of Saxony Johann George II (31 May 1613 – 22 August 1680) was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. Biography He was the third but eldest surviving son of John George I, Elector of Saxony an ...

, and the Quedlinburg city council. Upon her death in

Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey ( or ) is a former abbey of secular canonesses ''( Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Matilda, the widow of the East Frankish King Henry the Fowler, as h ...

, she was succeeded by Landgravine Anna Sophia of Hesse-Darmstadt who reigned as Anna Sophia II.

References

1619 births 1680 deaths Abbesses of Quedlinburg Lutheran abbesses 17th-century Lutheran nuns House of Wittelsbach Daughters of counts 17th-century German Roman Catholic nuns {{Germany-reli-bio-stub