Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony
Encyclopedia
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia.-History:The duchy originated from the medieval Burgraviate of Altenburg in the Imperial Pleissnerland , a possession of the Wettin Margraves of Meissen since 1243...
as the wife of Duke Frederick Wilhelm II.
Biography
Magdalene Sibylle was born in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, the third surviving daughter and sixth surviving child of John George I, Elector of Saxony
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....
, and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia
Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia
Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia was an Electress of Saxony as the spouse of John George I, Elector of Saxony.-Life:...
. Her five elder siblings were Sophia Eleonore
Sophia Eleonore of Saxony
Sophia Eleonore of Saxony was a Duchess of Saxony by birth and the Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1627 to 1661 through her marriage to Landgrave George II. She was the eldest surviving child of John George I, Elector of Saxony, and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia...
, Marie Elisabeth, Johann Georg
John George II, Elector of Saxony
John George was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680.He was the third but eldest surviving son of the Elector John George I of Saxony and Magdalene Sybille of Prussia, his second spouse....
, August, and Christian
Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Christian I of Saxe-Merseburg , was the first duke of Saxe-Merseburg and a member of the House of Wettin....
; her only younger sibling was Maurice
Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz
Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz was a duke of Saxe-Zeitz and member of the House of Wettin.Born in Dresden, he was the youngest surviving son of Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony, and his second wife Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia....
.
She was engaged in 1633 and married in 1634 to Christian of Denmark, who had been elected Prince of Denmark (heir apparent, Denmark being an elective
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
rather than a hereditary monarchy
Hereditary monarchy
A hereditary monarchy is the most common type of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies.Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family...
). The wedding took place on 5 October 1634 in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with grand festivities. Known in Denmark as Det store bilager ("The great wedding"), the wedding exemplified the great pomp and luxury of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
era. The first ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
ever produced in Denmark was performed for the occasion.
The couple resided at Nykøbing Castle in Falster
Falster
Falster is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of 514 km² and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality...
. Magdalene Sibylle lived discreetly as princess. She made donations to churches and clergymen, and received praise for doing so. She also wrote a prayerbook
Prayer in Christianity
Prayer has been an essential part of Christianity since its earliest days. Prayer is an integral element of the Christian faith and permeates all forms of Christian worship...
. Her husband died during a trip to Saxony, which she was accompanying him on, and the marriage ended childless. Eventually her brother-in-law Prince Frederick
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
became king, as Frederick III.
When she became a widow, in 1647, she was granted Lolland
Lolland
Lolland is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of 1,243 square kilometers . Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland...
-Falster as her fief and the position of royal sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Nykøbing
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund kommune. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the 295-meter-long Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund waterway to the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 16,464...
county with the two shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s of Falster
Falster
Falster is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of 514 km² and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality...
and the county of Ålholm. She had specifically asked for these fiefs. She withdrew to her dower
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
estates in the south of Denmark.
In 1651 she was engaged to Duke Frederick Wilhelm II of Saxe-Altenburg, and on 11 October 1652, she married him in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. The next year, 1653, she lost her lands and offices in Denmark.
She had three children with her second husband:
- Christian (AltenburgAltenburgAltenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, 27 February 1654 – Altenburg, 5 June 1663)http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-families/wettin/saxonyernst2/1654%20Christian.JPG - Johanna Magdalene (Altenburg, 14 January 1656 – Weissenfels, 22 January 1686), married on 25 October 1671 to Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-WeissenfelsJohann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-WeissenfelsJohann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels , was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin....
. - Frederick WilliamFrederick Wilhelm III, Duke of Saxe-AltenburgFrederick Wilhelm III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg , was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg.He was the second son of Frederick Wilhelm II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Magdalene Sybille of Saxony, his second wife....
(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 to John George III, Elector of Saxony
John George III, Elector of Saxony
Johann Georg III was Elector of Saxony from 1680 to 1691.-Early life:Johann Georg was the only son of the Elector Johann Georg II and Magdalene Sybille of Brandenburg-Bayreuth....
. Upon her death, she was said to have been a loyal Dane until the day she died, 6 January 1668. She died in Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
.
External links
- http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1640.htm
|-