Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia
Encyclopedia
Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia (31 December 1586 – 12 February 1659) was an Electress
of Saxony
as the spouse of John George I, Elector of Saxony
.
, the daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
and Marie Eleonore of Cleves
. She married John George on 19 July 1607 in Torgau
.
She was a friend of the Swedish queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
, her niece, and was interested in painting, poetry and gardening. She used Swedish prisoners of war
to work on the Dresdner Festungsbau ("Dresden fortress"). As a widow in 1656, she retired to the Dresdner Frau Kurfürstin-Haus and died in Dresden in 1659.
Electress
An Electress was the consort of an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, one of the Empire's greatest princes.The Golden Bull of 1356 established by Emperor Charles IV settled the number of Electors at seven...
of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
as the spouse 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....
.
Life
She was born in KönigsbergKönigsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, the daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
Albert Frederick was duke of Prussia from 1568 until his death. He was a son of Albert of Prussia and Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was the second and last Prussian duke of the Ansbach branch of the Hohenzollern family.-Duke of Prussia:...
and Marie Eleonore of Cleves
Marie Eleonore of Cleves
Marie Eleonore of Cleves was a Duchess consort of Prussia as the wife of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia. She was the eldest child of Wilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and Maria of Austria.- Family :...
. She married John George on 19 July 1607 in Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
.
She was a friend of the Swedish queen Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was a German princess and queen consort of Sweden.She was the daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia....
, her niece, and was interested in painting, poetry and gardening. She used Swedish prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
to work on the Dresdner Festungsbau ("Dresden fortress"). As a widow in 1656, she retired to the Dresdner Frau Kurfürstin-Haus and died in Dresden in 1659.
Children
She had ten children:- StillbornStillbirthA stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
son (Dresden, 18 July 1608) - Sophie EleonoreSophia Eleonore of SaxonySophia 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...
(Dresden, 23 November 1609 – Darmstadt, 2 June 1671), married on 1 April 1627 Landgrave Georg II of Hesse-DarmstadtGeorge II, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtGeorge II of Hesse-Darmstadt, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1626 - 1661. He was the son of Ludwig V and Magdalena von Brandenburg.He married Sophia Eleonore of Saxony on April 1, 1627...
. - Marie Elisabeth (Dresden, 22 November 1610 – Husum, 24 October 1684), married on 21 February 1630 Duke Frederick III of Holstein-GottorpFrederick III, Duke of Holstein-GottorpFrederick III of Holstein-Gottorp was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.He was the elder son of Duke Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and Augusta of Denmark. His mother was a daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark....
. - Christian Albert (Dresden, 4 March 1612 – Dresden, 9 August 1612).
- Johann Georg IIJohn George II, Elector of SaxonyJohn 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....
(Dresden, 31 May 1613 – Freiberg, 22 August 1680), successor of his father as Elector of Saxony. - August (Dresden, 13 August 1614 – Halle, 4 August 1680), inherited Weissenfels as Duke.
- Christian IChristian I, Duke of Saxe-MerseburgChristian I of Saxe-Merseburg , was the first duke of Saxe-Merseburg and a member of the House of Wettin....
(Dresden, 27 October 1615 – Merseburg, 18 October 1691), inherited Merseburg as Duke. - Magdalene SibylleMagdalene Sibylle of SaxonyMagdalene Sibylle of Saxony was the Princess of Denmark from 1634 to 1647 as the wife of Prince-Elect Christian of Denmark, and the Duchess consort of Saxe-Altenburg as the wife of Duke Frederick Wilhelm II.- Biography :...
(Dresden, 23 December 1617 – Schloss Altenburg, 6 January 1668), married firstly on 5 October 1634 to Crown Prince ChristianChristian, Prince Elect of DenmarkChristian was the Prince Elect of Denmark between 1610 and his death.-Early life:He was born in Copenhagen Castle as a son of King Christian IV of Denmark and Queen-Consort Anne Catherine . He was the couple's oldest living son, an older brother Frederick having died in 1599, less than a year old...
, eldest son and heir of King Christian IV of DenmarkChristian IV of DenmarkChristian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
; and secondly, on 11 October 1652, to Duke Frederick Wilhelm II of Saxe-AltenburgFrederick William II, Duke of Saxe-AltenburgFrederick Wilhelm II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg , was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg.He was the youngest son of Frederick Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Anna Maria of the Palatinate-Neuburg, his second wife...
. - MauriceMaurice, Duke of Saxe-ZeitzMaurice 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....
(Dresden, 28 March 1619 – Moritzburg, 4 December 1681), inherited Zeitz as Duke. - Heinrich (Dresden, 27 June 1622 – Dresden, 15 August 1622).