Sophia Eleonore of Saxony

Sophia Eleonore of Saxony
Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt
Sophia Eleonore as Dowager Landgravine with her Palatine grandsons, Alexander Sigismund, Francis Louis, and Frederick Wilhelm, by Johannes Spilberg, 1667
Born	(1609-11-23)23 November 1609
Died
Spouse	George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Issue Detail	Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Elisabeth Amalie, Electress Palatine Sophia Eleonore, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg Louise Christine, Countess of Stolberg-Stolberg Anna Sophia, Abbess of Quedlinburg Marie Hedwig, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
House	Wettin
Father	John George I, Elector of Saxony
Mother	Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia
Religion	Lutheranism

Sophia Eleonore of Saxony (23 November 1609 – 2 June 1671) was a Duchess (Herzogin) 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. Her daughter Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt became Electress of the Palatinate.

Life

She was born in Dresden. Her two sisters were Marie Elisabeth and Magdalene Sibylle. Her brothers were Johann Georg, August, Christian, and Maurice.

She married Landgrave Georg II of Hesse-Darmstadt on April 1, 1627 in Torgau, aged seventeen. They had fifteen children; she raised them as strict Lutherans. However, her daughter Elisabeth Amalie, later Electress Palatine, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1653.

She survived her husband by ten years and died in Darmstadt.

Children

She had the following children with George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt:

• Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1630–1678)
• George, married Dorothea Augusta, Duchess of Holstein-Sonderborg; died in 1676 in Vöhl
• John
• Magdalene Sibylle
• Sophia Eleonore, married William Christoph, Landgrave of Hessen-Homburg
• Elisabeth Amalie, married Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
• Louise Christine (1636–1697), married Christoph Louis, Count of Stolberg-Stolberg
• Anna Maria
• Anna Sophia, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
• Amalia Juliana
• Stillborn daughter
• Henrike Dorothea
• Augusta Philippina
• Agnes
• Marie Hedwig (1647–1680), married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

Ancestry

16. Henry IV, Duke of Saxony

8. Augustus, Elector of Saxony

17. Catherine of Mecklenburg

4. Christian I, Elector of Saxony

18. Christian III of Denmark

9. Anna of Denmark

19. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg

2. John George I, Elector of Saxony

20. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg

10. John George, Elector of Brandenburg

21. Magdalena of Saxony

5. Sophie of Brandenburg

22. George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

11. Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach

23. Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels

1. Sophia Eleonore of Saxony

24. Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

12. Albert, Duke of Prussia

25. Sophia of Poland

6. Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia

26. Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

13. Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg

27. Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen

3. Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia

28. John III, Duke of Cleves

14. Wilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg

29. Maria of Jülich-Berg-Ravensburg

7. Marie Eleonore of Cleves

30. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

15. Maria of Habsburg, Archduchess of Austria

31. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary

References

Sophia Eleonore of Saxony House of Wettin Born: 23 November 1609 Died: 2 June 1671
German royalty
Vacant Title last held by Magdalene of Brandenburg	Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt 1 April 1627 - 11 June 1661	Succeeded by Maria Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp