Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach
Encyclopedia
Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (13 April 1662 – 9 September 1696) was the mother of Caroline of Ansbach
, queen consort
of King George II of Great Britain
. She was the Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1681 to 1686 as the second wife of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and the Electress of Saxony from 1692 to 1694 as a result of her disastrous second marriage to John George IV, Elector of Saxony
.
, and Joanna of Sayn-Wittgenstein. One of her younger siblings was the future John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
.
In 1681, she became the second wife of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She had a son, William Frederick
, and a daughter, Caroline
. In 1686, she was widow
ed. As a widow, she and her children lived in poverty in Crailsheim
.
In Leipzig
on 17 April 1692, Eleonore Erdmuthe married Johann Georg IV
. The young Elector was forced to marry by his mother, the Dowager Electress Anna Sophie, ostensibly to produce legitimate heirs to the Electorate but truly to end the liaison between John George and his mistress, Magdalene Sibylle "Billa" of Neidschutz
. Another consideration was an alliance between Brandenburg and Saxony.
Immediately after assuming the Electorate, John George lived openly with Billa, and she became the first ever Official Mistress (Favoritin) of an Elector of Saxony. Eleonore was relegated to the Hofe (the official residence of the Elector) while John George moved into another palace with Billa.
Desperate to marry his mistress, John George tried to murder Eleonore, but was prevented by his younger brother, Frederick August
. When John George tried to stab Eleonore with a sword, the unarmed Frederick turned the impact away with his hand, leaving him with a lifelong handicap.
Electress Eleonore suffered two miscarriage
s during their marriage, in August 1692 and February 1693, and a phantom pregnancy in 1693. She confided in the English diplomat George Stepney
, who wrote extensively about her and the Saxon court. Johann Georg died on 27 April 1694 from smallpox
. As a widow, she and her children were exile
d to Pretzsch
. She died after two years, on 9 September 1696.
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Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state...
, queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
. She was the Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1681 to 1686 as the second wife of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and the Electress of Saxony from 1692 to 1694 as a result of her disastrous second marriage to John George IV, Elector of Saxony
John George IV, Elector of Saxony
John George IV was Elector of Saxony from 1691 to 1694.He was the eldest son of the Elector John George III and Anna Sophie of Denmark.-First years as elector:...
.
Biography
Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise was the firstborn daughter of John George I, Duke of Saxe-EisenachJohn George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach .He was the fifth but third surviving son of Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau....
, and Joanna of Sayn-Wittgenstein. One of her younger siblings was the future John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach , was a duke of Saxe-Eisenach.He was the third son of Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach and Johannetta of Sayn-Wittgenstein...
.
In 1681, she became the second wife of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She had a son, William Frederick
William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , was Margrave of the Principality of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1703 until his death, 1723...
, and a daughter, Caroline
Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state...
. In 1686, she was widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed. As a widow, she and her children lived in poverty in Crailsheim
Crailsheim
Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 32 km east of Schwäbisch Hall, 40 km southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district, incorporated in 1338....
.
In Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
on 17 April 1692, Eleonore Erdmuthe married Johann Georg IV
John George IV, Elector of Saxony
John George IV was Elector of Saxony from 1691 to 1694.He was the eldest son of the Elector John George III and Anna Sophie of Denmark.-First years as elector:...
. The young Elector was forced to marry by his mother, the Dowager Electress Anna Sophie, ostensibly to produce legitimate heirs to the Electorate but truly to end the liaison between John George and his mistress, Magdalene Sibylle "Billa" of Neidschutz
Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz
Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz , later Countess of Rochlitz, was a German noblewoman and the mistress of John George IV, Elector of Saxony...
. Another consideration was an alliance between Brandenburg and Saxony.
Immediately after assuming the Electorate, John George lived openly with Billa, and she became the first ever Official Mistress (Favoritin) of an Elector of Saxony. Eleonore was relegated to the Hofe (the official residence of the Elector) while John George moved into another palace with Billa.
Desperate to marry his mistress, John George tried to murder Eleonore, but was prevented by his younger brother, Frederick August
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
. When John George tried to stab Eleonore with a sword, the unarmed Frederick turned the impact away with his hand, leaving him with a lifelong handicap.
Electress Eleonore suffered two miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
s during their marriage, in August 1692 and February 1693, and a phantom pregnancy in 1693. She confided in the English diplomat George Stepney
George Stepney
George Stepney was an English poet and diplomat.Stepney was the son of George Stepney, groom of the chamber to Charles II, and was born at Westminster...
, who wrote extensively about her and the Saxon court. Johann Georg died on 27 April 1694 from smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. As a widow, she and her children were exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d to Pretzsch
Pretzsch
Pretzsch may refer to:* Pretzsch, Burgenlandkreis, a community in the Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany* Pretzsch, Wittenberg, a community in the Wittenberg district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
. She died after two years, on 9 September 1696.
Sources
- Sharp, Tony. Pleasure and Ambition: The Life, Loves and Wars of Augustus the Strong, 1670-1707. London: I.B. Tauris, 2001. Google Books. Web. 24 May 2010. google.books.com
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