Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby
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Heinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby (b. Halle
, 29 September 1657 - d. Barby
, 16 February 1728), was a German prince of the House of Wettin and count of Barby.
He was the fourth son of August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
, by his first wife, Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
.
, arranged for his appointment in 1674 as Provost
of Magdeburg upon the death of the incumbent, his older brother August.
Heinrich's grandfather, the Elector Johann Georg I
, who was also a feudal lord of the county of Barby, chose to make land provisions in his will for his three younger sons. He gave his second son August (Heinrich's father) not only the duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels, but guaranteed to him and his heirs the possession of the county of Barby in the event of the extinction of the count's line.
When August Ludwig, the last count of Barby-Mühlingen, died childless in 1659, some parts of the county were inherited, in accordance with Johann Georg I's will, by Heinrich's father August of Saxe-Weissenfels, who in consequence became count of Barby.
, inherited the County of Barby according to the terms of his will.
Because Heinrich (as well as each of his brothers) had a claim to be called duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, he became the first duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Barby at the death of his father. The title brought him prestige, but neither a seat nor a voice in the Reichstag
, nor sovereignty within the duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels, rather political dependence on the main line of the family and the Electorate of Saxony.
Heinrich's rule over Barby
nonetheless had significant economic and cultural importance for the city and the region. Like the Weissenfels court of his cousins, he attracted notable artists and musicians, for example the hornists Wenzel Franz Seydler and Hans Leopold. The pedagogue and lexicographer Johann Theodor Jablonski was his advisor from 1689 to 1700.
His charitable activities included donations to a fund to benefit the widows of clergymen and permission to build a "Preacher Widow's House" (Prediger-Witwen-Haus) as well as a new school. Following the example of his cousin Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
, he created in 1699 a Citizens' Company (Bürgerkompanie) with the responsibility of ensuring order during civic celebrations. Moreover, the whole county was measured geodetically; this permitted the city and village churches to reform their training systems.
Heinrich was also active as a general and participated in the Great Turkish War
. At the siege of Ofen (1684/1686) he distinguished himself together with his brother Christian
.
After 1687 he vacated the old official castle for good and began the construction of Schloss Barby as his new residence. The master builders were Christoph Pitzler and from 1707 Giovanni Simonetti, who orientated himself from plans drawn up by Johann Arnold Nering
. The building could only be finished in 1715; in the meanwhile, Heinrich and his wife spend long periods of time in Dessau
with his father-in-law John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
, and his brother-in-law Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
.
Great importance was attached to his defection from Lutheranism
to Calvinism
in Dessau on 1688. In Barby, members of the Reformed Church established themselves there until 1833.
Heinrich was also accepted into the Fruitbearing Society
by his father, who served as its head.
Heinrich died in Barby at age seventy and was buried there in the new family vault. His only surviving son, Georg Albrecht
, succeeded him.
. Elisabeth's paternal great-great grandmother was Agnes of Barby-Mühlingen; this give to Heinrich some blood ties to the extinct House of Barby. They had eight children:
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, 29 September 1657 - d. Barby
Barby, Germany
Barby is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe river, near the confluence with the Saale, approx. southeast of Magdeburg...
, 16 February 1728), was a German prince of the House of Wettin and count of Barby.
He was the fourth son of August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels , was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt of the House of Wettin and administrator of the archbishopric of Magdeburg....
, by his first wife, Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a German noblewoman, a member of the House of Mecklenburg and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels....
.
Early life
Heinrich, as the fourth son of his father, had little chance of inheriting any lands, and so his father, who served as administrator of the Diocese of MagdeburgDiocese of Magdeburg
The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn....
, arranged for his appointment in 1674 as Provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of Magdeburg upon the death of the incumbent, his older brother August.
Heinrich's grandfather, the Elector Johann Georg I
John George I, Elector of Saxony
John George I was Elector of Saxony from 1611 to 1656.-Biography:Born in Dresden, he was the second son of the Elector Christian I and Sophie of Brandenburg....
, who was also a feudal lord of the county of Barby, chose to make land provisions in his will for his three younger sons. He gave his second son August (Heinrich's father) not only the duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels, but guaranteed to him and his heirs the possession of the county of Barby in the event of the extinction of the count's line.
When August Ludwig, the last count of Barby-Mühlingen, died childless in 1659, some parts of the county were inherited, in accordance with Johann Georg I's will, by Heinrich's father August of Saxe-Weissenfels, who in consequence became count of Barby.
Count of Barby
After the death of his father in 1680, Heinrich, at that time Dean of the Cathedral of MagdeburgCathedral of Magdeburg
The Protestant Cathedral of Magdeburg , officially called the Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice , is the oldest Gothic cathedral in Germany. It is the proto-cathedral of the former Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg. Today it's the principal church of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany...
, inherited the County of Barby according to the terms of his will.
Because Heinrich (as well as each of his brothers) had a claim to be called duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, he became the first duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Barby at the death of his father. The title brought him prestige, but neither a seat nor a voice in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
, nor sovereignty within the duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels, rather political dependence on the main line of the family and the Electorate of Saxony.
Heinrich's rule over Barby
Barby, Germany
Barby is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe river, near the confluence with the Saale, approx. southeast of Magdeburg...
nonetheless had significant economic and cultural importance for the city and the region. Like the Weissenfels court of his cousins, he attracted notable artists and musicians, for example the hornists Wenzel Franz Seydler and Hans Leopold. The pedagogue and lexicographer Johann Theodor Jablonski was his advisor from 1689 to 1700.
His charitable activities included donations to a fund to benefit the widows of clergymen and permission to build a "Preacher Widow's House" (Prediger-Witwen-Haus) as well as a new school. Following the example of his cousin Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and a member of the House of Wettin....
, he created in 1699 a Citizens' Company (Bürgerkompanie) with the responsibility of ensuring order during civic celebrations. Moreover, the whole county was measured geodetically; this permitted the city and village churches to reform their training systems.
Heinrich was also active as a general and participated in the Great Turkish War
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
. At the siege of Ofen (1684/1686) he distinguished himself together with his brother Christian
Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels
Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin....
.
After 1687 he vacated the old official castle for good and began the construction of Schloss Barby as his new residence. The master builders were Christoph Pitzler and from 1707 Giovanni Simonetti, who orientated himself from plans drawn up by Johann Arnold Nering
Johann Arnold Nering
Johann Arnold Nering or Nehring was a German architect active in the Electorate of Brandenburg.-Life:...
. The building could only be finished in 1715; in the meanwhile, Heinrich and his wife spend long periods of time in 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:...
with his father-in-law John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
, and his brother-in-law Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. He was also a Generalfeldmarschall in the Prussian army...
.
Great importance was attached to his defection from Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
in Dessau on 1688. In Barby, members of the Reformed Church established themselves there until 1833.
Heinrich was also accepted into the Fruitbearing Society
Fruitbearing Society
The Fruitbearing Society was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility to emulate the idea of the Accademia della Crusca in Florence and similar groups already thriving in Italy, to be followed in later years also in France and Britain...
by his father, who served as its head.
Heinrich died in Barby at age seventy and was buried there in the new family vault. His only surviving son, Georg Albrecht
Georg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby
Georg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby , was a German prince of the House of Wettin and the last count of Barby....
, succeeded him.
Marriage and issue
In Dessau on 30 March 1686 Heinrich married Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Dessau, former Abbess of HerfordHerford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
. Elisabeth's paternal great-great grandmother was Agnes of Barby-Mühlingen; this give to Heinrich some blood ties to the extinct House of Barby. They had eight children:
- Johann August (b. Dessau, 28 July 1687 - d. Dessau, 22 January 1688).
- Johann August (b. Dessau, 24 July 1689 - d. Dessau, 21 October 1689).
- Stillborn twin sons (Dessau, 1690).
- Frederick Heinrich (b. Dessau, 2 July 1692 - d. The HagueThe HagueThe 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). - Georg Albrecht, Count of BarbyGeorg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of BarbyGeorg Albrecht of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby , was a German prince of the House of Wettin and the last count of Barby....
(b. Dessau, 19 April 1695 - d. Barby, 12 June 1739). - Henriette Marie (b. Dessau, 1 March 1697 - d. Weissenfels, 10 August 1719).
- Stillborn daughter (Dessau, 5 October 1706).