Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels (also: ''Sophie''; 23 June 1654 in Halle an der Saale – 31 March 1724 in

Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, 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 sit ...

) was a member of the Albertine branch of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

, 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, 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, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

. 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 of Saxony, Christian II. Biograp ...

, Electress of Saxony.

Marriage and issue

She married on 18 June 1676 in Halle her first cousin once removed, Charles William, a son of her paternal first cousin Sophie Augusta of Holstein-Gottorp and John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. 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 (c. 1785 – June 21, 1859) was an American boot maker and penal reformer. He is credited with coining the English term "probation" and is called the "Father of Probation" in the United States because of his pioneering efforts to c ...

(1677–1742), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst * Charles Augustus (born 2 July 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 Princesses in the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century German people 18th-century German people Albertine branch Royal reburials Daughters of dukes Mothers of German monarchs {{Germany-noble-stub