Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst
Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels (also: Sophie; 23 June 1654 in Halle an der Saale – 31 March 1724 in Zerbst) was a member of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin, and a princess of Saxe-Weissenfels and Querfurt by birth and by marriage Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst.
Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst | |
 | |
| Born | 23 June 1654 Halle an der Saale |
| Died | 31 March 1724 (aged 69) Zerbst |
| Noble family | House of Wettin |
| Spouse(s) | Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst |
| Father | Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels |
| Mother | Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Family
Sophia was the third daughter of the Duke August of Saxe-Weissenfels and his wife Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Duke Adolf Frederick I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was named after her paternal great-grandmother, Sophie of Brandenburg, Electress of Saxony.
Marriage and issue
She married on 18 June 1676 in Halle with her first cousin once removed Karl William, a son of her paternal first cousin Sophie Augusta of Holstein-Gottorp to her husband John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Unlike most royal couples of the era, Charles William and Sophia shared a bedroom in their new baroque palace. This suggests that they may have married out of love.
They had the following children:
- John Augustus (1677–1742), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
- Charles Augustus (born: July 2, 1678 in Zerbst, died: 1 September 1693 ibid), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
- Magdalena Augusta (1679–1740), Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst
Death and burial
Sophia died at the age of 69 years in her rooms at Zerbst Castle and was buried on 7 June 1724 in the princely tomb in the St. Bartholomew's Church in Zerbst. In 1899 Duke Duke Frederick I of Anhalt, ordered the implementation of a princely family vault in the Castle Church in Zerbst Castle. After the destruction of the castle in 1945, the remains of the damaged coffins were transferred back to St. Bartholomew.