Georg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby (b. Dessau

Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...

, 19 April 1695 – d. Barby

Barby

-Places:England*Barby, Northamptonshire, a village in EnglandGermany*Barby, Germany, a town in Saxony-Anhalt, GermanyFrance*Barby, Ardennes, a village in Champagne-Ardennes, France*Barby, Savoie, a village in Rhône-Alpes, France...

, 12 June 1739), was a German prince of the House of Wettin and the last count of Barby.

He was the sixth (but second surviving) son of Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby

Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby

Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby , was a German prince of the House of Wettin and count of Barby....

, and Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Dessau.

Life

Before his own birth, two older brothers (both named Johann August and stillborn twins) had died. The death of his oldest surviving brother, the Hereditary Prince Frederick Heinrich, during a trip to The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

 (21 November 1711) made him the new heir of the county of Barby. He succeeded his father as count when Heinrick Albrecht died on 16 February 1728.

As count of Barby, Georg Albrecht continued to govern in the same way as his late father. However, he died after only 11 years of governing. Because he died without issue, the Barby line of the Wettin family became extinct and the county of Barby passed to the Electorate of Saxony.

He was buried in the new family vault build by his father in Barby.

Marriage

In Forst, Niederlausitz, on 18 February 1721, Georg Albrecht married Auguste Luise of Württemberg-Bernstadt. Auguste's maternal grandmother was Justine Sophie of Barby-Mühlingen, a sister of the last count. This brought Georg Albrecht closer connection to the former ruling house of Barby.

The marriage was extremely unhappy, and the couple finally divorced in 1732 after eleven years of childless union. Auguste Luise returned to her Silesian homeland and died six months before Georg Albrecht. Neither remarried.