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Duchy of Saxe-Weissenfels Herzogtum Sachsen-Weißenfels (German) | |||||||||
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| 1656–1746 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Territory of the Duchy of Saxony-Weissenfels 1657 (red) | |||||||||
 Weißenfels around 1647,copperplate engraving byMatthäus Merian, 1647 | |||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Weißenfels | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 1656–1680 | August | ||||||||
• 1680–1697 | Johann Adolf I | ||||||||
• 1697–1712 | Johann Georg | ||||||||
• 1712–1736 | Christian | ||||||||
• 1736–1746 | Johann Adolf II | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern Europe | ||||||||
| 8 October 1656 | |||||||||
• Ducal line extinct | 16 May 1746 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||
Saxe-Weissenfels (German:Sachsen-Weißenfels) was aDuchy of theHoly Roman Empire from 1656 until 1746 with its residence atWeißenfels. Ruled by a cadet branch of the AlbertineHouse of Wettin, the duchy passed to theElectorate of Saxony upon the extinction of the line.
John George I of Wettin, Saxonprince-elector from 1611 to 1656, had disposed in his testament that while his eldest sonJohn George II would succeed him as elector, his younger brothers should be vested withsecundogeniture duchies as anappanage. Therefore, upon his death the Duchies ofSaxe-Zeitz,Saxe-Merseburg and Saxe-Weissenfels arose, the latter was granted to the second eldest sonAugustus,[1] who already served as theProtestant administrator of theArchbishopric of Magdeburg since 1638, then residing atHalle. From about 1660 he had theBaroque Neu-Augustusburg residence built at Weissenfels.
Beside Weissenfels the duchy comprised theämter ofFreyburg, Sachsenburg (present-dayOldisleben),Sangerhausen,Eckartsberga,Weißensee andLangensalza. Duke Augustus enlarged its territory by several lordships originally held by the Magdeburg archbishops and adjudicated to Saxony by the 1635Peace of Prague, including theimmediate lordship ofQuerfurt as well as theexclaves ofJüterbog,Dahme andBurg.
By Querfurt, the ducal Saxe-Weissenfels line gained the status of anImperial State (at times calledSaxe-Querfurt) and member of theUpper Saxon Circle, though without a vote in theReichstag. In 1659 Augustus also acquired the County ofBarby, which upon his death in 1680 was granted to his younger sonHeinrich. He built the new baroque castle at Barby from 1687. Augustus eldest son and successor DukeJohann Adolf I sold Burg toBrandenburg in 1687.
George Frideric Handel's fatherGeorg Händel from 1657 on served as a physician to Duke Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels, the composer himself was born in the former ducal residence of Halle. According to legend it was Duke Johan Adolf I admiring George Frederic's performance on the church organ of Neu-Augustusburg Castle, who promoted his musical career. In 1713Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated his cantataWas mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 toChristian of Saxe-Weissenfels in celebration of the duke's 31st birthday, it was first performed at the ducalNeuenburg Castle at Freyburg.
Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt
| Saxe-Weissenfels-Barby
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Line extinct, fell back to the electoral House of Wettin.
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