Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Encyclopedia
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....
, 27 October 1615 – Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
, 18 October 1691), was the first duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
and a member of the House of Wettin.
He was the sixth (but third surviving) son of Johann Georg 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 his second wife 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:...
.
Life
As a younger son, Christian had little prospect of inheriting the Electorate of SaxonyElectorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
, and instead received from his father in 1650 the administration of the former Bishopric of Merseburg
Bishopric of Merseburg
The Bishopric of Merseburg was a episcopal see on the eastern border of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed...
, which had been confiscated after the Reformation. He was also elected by the Chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of the cathedral.
In a testament signed on 20 July 1652, the Elector John George I settled on a official division of the Albertine lands. Christian moved to Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
with his wife and children on 30 September 1653 and set up a household of his own. His court soon encompassed 150 people.
Christian took formal possession of his lands on 22 April 1657, a few months after the funeral of his father on 27 January 1657. According to the will of John George I, Christian received Merseburg and the cities of Bad Lauchstädt
Bad Lauchstädt
' is a town in the district Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, 13 km southwest of Halle. Pop. 4,933. It contains an Evangelical church, a theatre, a hydropathic establishment and several educational institutions, among which is an agricultural school affiliated to the university of Halle....
, Schkeuditz
Schkeuditz
Schkeuditz is a town in the district of Nordsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, 12 km northwest of Leipzig. Leipzig/Halle Airport is located in Schkeuditz...
, Lützen
Lützen
' is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 14 km northeast of Weißenfels, and 18 km southwest of Leipzig.The town was the scene of two famous battles:...
, and Zwenkauand with their castles, half of the towns of Brehna
Brehna
Brehna is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna.It is situated southwest of Bitterfeld. Important in this city is the church...
, Zörbig
Zörbig
' is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km west of Bitterfeld, and 20 km northeast of Halle . Zörbig is well-known for its molasses made from sugar beets....
, and Finsterwalde
Finsterwalde
Finsterwalde is a town in the Elbe-Elster district , in Brandenburg, Germany.-Overview:It is situated on the Schackebach, a tributary of the Kleine Elster, 28 m. W.S.W of Cottbus by rail. Pop. 18,840. The town has a Gothic church , a castle, schools, cloth and cigar factories, iron-foundries,...
, and the Margraviate of Niederlausitz, including the towns and castles of Lübben, Dobrilugk, Finsterwalde, Guben
Guben
Guben is a town on the Lusatian Neisse river in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. Located in the Spree-Neiße district, Guben has a population of 20,049...
, Luckau
Luckau
Luckau is a city in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. Known for its beauty, it has been dubbed "the Pearl of Lower Lusatia".-Origin of the name:...
, Calau
Calau
Calau is a small town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 14 km south of Lübbenau, and 27 km west of Cottbus...
, and Spremberg
Spremberg
Spremberg is a village near to the city of Hoyerswerda in the Spree-Neiße district of Brandenburg, Germany. The village was first mentioned in 1956. The village alone has only 9,588 Inhabitants, the hole region has 21,361 Inhabitants-Geography:...
; this settlement created the Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg with Christian as its ruler.
When the House of Biberstein
Biberstein
Biberstein is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Biberstein is located on the north bank of the Aar River near Aarau. The town is a 17 minute bus ride from downtown Aarau. The neighboring communities are Auenstein to the east, Küttigen to the...
became extinct on 9 January 1668, Christian became ruler of Forst, with all its castles and vassal villages, including Döbern
Döbern
Döbern is a town in the district of Spree-Neiße, in southeastern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 25 km southeast of Cottbus, and 15 km south of Forst with a population of 3,696.- References :...
in the Electorate of Saxony, which created new disputes with his brother, John George II
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....
, its ruler. On 11 August a formal division of the new territories was settled on. By this agreement, the towns of Delitzsch
Delitzsch
Delitzsch is a large district and also an important regional center in Saxony. With over 26,300 inhabitants Delitzsch is the largest city in the northern district of Saxony...
and Bitterfeld
Bitterfeld
Bitterfeld is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approx. 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Halle...
(which Christian received in 1660), plus Zörbig, were returned to the Electorate of Saxony. Nonetheless, Zörbig was given back to Christian in 1681.
On 25 November 1659, Christian gave Count Erdmann Leopold of Promnitz his approval to permit some Protestant refugees from Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, mainly from the duchies of Sagan
Duchy of Żagań
The Duchy of Żagań or Duchy of Sagan was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian Piasts. Its capital was Żagań in Lower Silesia, the territory stretched to the town of Nowogród Bobrzański in the north and reached the Lusatian Neisse at Przewóz in the west, including two villages...
and Glogau, to live quietly in Neudorf. In his honor, they renamed the village Christiansdorf (now known as Krzystkowice).
Christian's older brother, John George II, found himself frustrated by his late father's will, since it divided the lands of the Electorate contrary to the principle of primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. He tried to retrieve the lands of his brothers (including Christian), because he feared that the unity of the Electorate was in danger; finally, after several discussions, Christian and his younger brothers reluctantly accepted the overlordship of the Elector. However, the Elector John George III
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....
, son of John George II, tried again to retrieve the appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
s of his uncles and cousins by annulling prior agreements upon his accession in 1680. For the rest of his reign, Christian was perpetually threatened with open conflict with his nephew the Elector.
In 1655 Christian I was 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...
.
Marriage and issue
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....
on 19 November 1650, Christian married Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg. They had eleven children:
- Magdalene Sophie (b. DresdenDresdenDresden 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....
, 19 October 1651 - d. Merseburg, 29 March 1675). - Johann Georg (b. Merseburg, 4 December 1652 - d. Merseburg, 3 January 1654).
- Christian II, Duke of Saxe-MerseburgChristian II, Duke of Saxe-MerseburgChristian II of Saxe-Merseburg , was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin....
(b. Merseburg, 19 November 1653 - d. Merseburg, 20 October 1694). - AugustAugust, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-ZörbigAugust, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbig , was a German prince and member of the House of Wettin....
(b. Merseburg, 15 February 1655 - d. Zörbig, 27 March 1715), inherited Zörbig. - Stillborn son (Merseburg, 1 February 1656).
- PhilippPhilipp, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-LauchstädtPhilipp, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-Lauchstädt , was a German prince. He was a member of the House of Wettin....
(b. Merseburg, 26 October 1657 - killed in action at FleurusFleurusFleurus is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Fleurus had a total population of 22,221. The total area is which gives a population density of 375 inhabitants per km²...
, 1 July 1690), inherited Lauchstädt. - Christiane (b. Merseburg, 1 June 1659 - d. EisenbergEisenberg, ThuringiaEisenberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland.Neighboring municipalities are Jena and Gera . West of Eisenberg runs the motorway A 9 from Berlin to Munich...
, 13 March 1679), married on 13 February 1677 to Duke Christian of Saxe-EisenbergChristian, Duke of Saxe-EisenbergChristian of Saxe-Eisenberg was a duke of Saxe-Eisenberg.He was the eighth but fifth surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg....
. - Sophie Hedwig (b. Merseburg, 4 August 1660 - d. Saalfeld, 2 August 1686), married on 18 February 1680 to Duke Johann Ernst of Saxe-Saalfeld.
- Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-MerseburgHeinrich, Duke of Saxe-MerseburgHeinrich, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg , was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin....
(b. Merseburg, 2 September 1661 - d. Doberlug, 28 July 1738), inherited Spremberg; later (1731) also inherited Merseburg. - Maurice (b. Merseburg, 29 October 1662 - d. Merseburg, 21 April 1664).
- Sibylle Maria (b. Merseburg, 28 October 1667 - d. BernstadtBierutówBierutów is a town in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Bierutów. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...
, 9 October 1693), married on 27 October 1683 to Duke Christian Ulrich of Württemberg-BernstadtChristian Ulrich I, Duke of Württemberg-OelsDuke Christian Ulrich I of Württemberg-Oels was Duke of the Oels-Württemberg.- Descent :...
.