Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony (23 December 1617 – 6 January 1668), in Denmark known as Magdalena Sibylla, was the Princess of Denmark and Norway from 1634 to 1647 as the wife of Prince-Elect Christian of Denmark, and the Duchess consort of
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg (german: Sachsen-Altenburg, links=no) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilomete ...
as the wife of
Frederick Wilhelm II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Friedrich Wilhelm II (12 February 1603, in Weimar – 22 April 1669, in Altenburg), was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg.
He was the youngest son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Anna Maria of the Palatinate-Neuburg, his second wife. H ...
.
Biography
Magdalene Sibylle 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 larg ...
, the third surviving daughter and sixth 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 ...
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 ...
, and
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
; her only younger sibling was
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 was engaged in 1633 and married on 5 October 1634 to Christian of Denmark-Norway, who had been elected Prince of Denmark (
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
hereditary monarchy
A hereditary monarchy is a form of government and succession of power in which the throne passes from one member of a ruling family to another member of the same family. A series of rulers from the same family would constitute a dynasty.
It is h ...
), whilst Norway was a hereditary monarchy, making Christian Crown Prince since his birth. The wedding took place on 5 October 1634 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
with grand festivities. Known in Denmark as ''Det store bilager'' ("The great wedding"), the wedding exemplified the great pomp and luxury of the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
era. The first
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
ever produced in Denmark was performed for the occasion.
The couple resided at
Nykøbing Castle
Nykøbing Castle ( da, Nykøbing Slot), now demolished, was located on today's Slotsbryggen in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark. Completed in 1594 in the Renaissance style, it replaced an earlier building from the 12th century.Falster. Magdalene Sibylle lived discreetly as princess. She made donations to churches and clergymen, and received praise for doing so. She also wrote a prayerbook. Her husband died during a trip to Saxony, which she was accompanying him on, and the marriage ended childless. Eventually her brother-in-law ascended the throne as Frederick III.
When she became a widow, in 1647, she was granted
Lolland
Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...
-Falster as her
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
and the position of royal
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
s of Falster and the county of Ålholm. She had specifically asked for these fiefs. She withdrew to her
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law.
...
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 larg ...
. The next year, 1653, she lost her lands and offices in Denmark.
She had three children with her second husband:
# Christian ( Altenburg, 27 February 1654 – Altenburg, 5 June 166 # Johanna Magdalena of Saxe-Altenburg, Johanna Magdalena (Altenburg, 14 January 1656 – Weissenfels, 22 January 1686), married on 25 October 1671 to
Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (2 November 1649, in Halle – 24 May 1697, in Weissenfels), was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin.
He was the first son of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and h ...
.
# Frederick William (Altenburg, 12 July 1657 – Altenburg, 14 April 1672), Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
She visited Denmark in 1662 for the engagement of Princess
Anne Sophie of Denmark
Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark and Norway (1 September 1647 – 1 July 1717) was the eldest daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Electress of Saxony from 1680 to 1691 as the wife of John George ...
to
John George III, Elector of Saxony
Johann George III (20 June 1647 – 12 September 1691) was Elector of Saxony from 1680 to 1691. He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin.
Early life
Johann Georg III was born in Dresden, the only son of Johann George II and Magd ...
. Upon her death, she was said to have been a loyal Dane until the day she died, 6 January 1668. She died in Altenburg.