Saxe-Weissenfels

The Duchy of Saxe - Weissenfels was a Sekundogeniturfürstentum and territory in the Holy Roman Empire. It existed from 1656/57 bis 1746. The residence was Weissenfels. The duchy was owned by a branch of the Albertine Wettin. As the founder of the line, Herzog August on ad as Administrator of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in hall Saale resided and the duke's headquarters, the Castle New Castle Augustus, only had to be built, are occasionally used for his reign also the names of Saxony and Saxony -Magdeburg -Halle. To distinguish between the two dominions is spoken, as only the latter pass to the descendants of the pen and the hereditary lands.

• 2.1 Main line Saxe- Weissenfels cross- ford ( rulers )
• 2.2 sideline Saxony- Weissenfels - Barby
• 2.3 Coat of arms of the Duchy of

History

Formation

The Saxon Elector Johann Georg I in his will of 20 July 1652 that his three younger sons, who were not entitled to a portion of Kurlande should be given to their material supply Sekundogeniturfürstentümer. After the Elector died on October 8, 1656, the " Freundbrüderliche main comparison " and in 1663 a further comparison, on April 22, 1657 in Dresden closed, in which the three territories and the related sovereign rights were finally defined and which are the brothers Johann George II succeeded to achieve a partial success to their sovereignty aspirations. It emerged the Albertine branch lines Saxony- Weissenfels, Saxony - Merseburg and Saxony- Zeitz, their own duchies justified

Herzog August, Residing in Hall, 1660 laid the foundation stone of New Castle Augustus, which should be domicile of the Dukes of Saxe- Weissenfels future. His son Duke Johann Adolf I put the finished construction in 1694 and took first in the newly designed baroque castle.

Hereditary lands of the duchy of Saxe - Weissenfels

Prince Augustus, the second son of the Elector, at this time already an administrator of the archbishopric of Magdeburg, received from the Thuringian district of the offices Weissenfels ( with the City of White Rock and Langendorf ), Freyburg ( with the city of Freyburg and the Neuenburg Castle ), Saxony castle ( with the city of Saxony Castle), Sangerhausen ( with Pölsfeld and the town and castle Sangerhausen ), Eckartsberga ( with the cities Eckartsberga and Bad Bibra ) and Weissensee ( with the city of Weissensee and the Runneburg ) and the county Office Langensalza ( with the city of Long Salza and the Dryburg Castle ) " and all the gradients, one and Belongings in team, interest, Forwergen, fields, meadows, taxes, services, Gehöltzen, mills, Schäfferreyen, lakes, ponds, Fischerreyen, courts, Wildpahnen, duties, escort, mines, state Princely authorities and other splendors ".

Since Herzog August repeatedly presented claims to the entire Thuringian district of the electorate, the Elector Johann Georg II saw also compelled later, the line Weissenfels also Thamsbrück, Röblingen, Lauchagrund, Mücheln and Kindelbrueck and the monasteries and convents Beuditz in White Rock, Bornrode, Kölleda, St. Kaltenborn, Rohrbach, Salza, St. Ulrich and Weissenfels concede.

Principality of Saxe- ford cross as another territory of Weißenfelser

A second, ownership legally other goods complex of branch line were the four so-called eximierten offices of the archbishopric of Magdeburg: cross- ford ( with town and castle of cross- ford ), Jiiterbog ( with Jiiterbog ), Dahme ( with town and castle Dahme ) and castle ( with castle ). These had been awarded the Electorate of Saxony already in the Peace of Prague of 1635 and exempted from the regulation of the Peace of Westphalia, after the archbishopric of Magdeburg should go as a replacement for the fallen in Sweden Vorpommern in the possession of Brandenburg after the death of the administrator August. 1652 transferred Elector Johann Georg I the Administrator August, his second son, these four eximierten offices. Return for its renunciation of the bishopric of Meissen The final settlement of the transition took place in boyfriend fraternal comparison of 1657 Later there were some changes. Castle was sold in 1687 to the task of Lehnsansprüchen against Dahme, Jiiterbog and cross- ford to Brandenburg; but also the Thuringian offices Wendelstein were ( Wendelstein ) Sittichenbach ( with Sittichenbach ) and hero stakes ( with hero stanchions) to acquired simultaneously.

For these areas, which were the end of the 15th century extinct rule cross- ford the core, it was the rich immediate Principality of Saxe- cross- ford, the Elector Johann Georg II national sovereign rights zubilligte and granted Emperor Leopold seat and a vote in the council of the upper -Saxon kingdom of the circle, so also frequently encountered name Saxe- Weissenfels cross- ford, though both parts of the territory had a constitutionally different status. Although Empire state, the Principality of cross- ford, however, a voice and seat right in the Reichstag was denied.

County Barby falls to Weißenfelser

Furthermore August got the documentary confirmed eligibility for the county Barby, which fell through the extinction of Barbyer Graf house at White Rock in 1659. The Barbyer Office Roseburg ( with Roseburg ) was ceded in 1679 through intermediate routes to Brandenburg. August left Barby testament to his younger son Henry and his descendants, thus again chipped a branch line of the Weißenfelsischen Sekundogenitur. However, this died out in the male line in 1739 and dropped back to the main line.

Politics and Administration

Main line of Saxe- Weissenfels cross- ford ( rulers )

None of the children Johann Adolf II reached adulthood and with his death the duchy fell back to the Electorate of Saxony.

In addition to line Saxony- Weissenfels - Barby

If returned to the childless death of Georg Albrecht to the main line.

Coat of arms of the Duchy of

The coat of arms of the duchy of Saxe - Weissenfels was inferior to changes over time.

The coat of arms of the duchy of Saxe - Weissenfels recently shown (left to right ): 1 Landgraviate Thuringia, 2 Duchy of Cleves, 3 Margraviate of Meissen, 4 Duchy of Jülich, 5th - 8th - 11th Heart shield of the Duchy of Saxony, 6 Duchy of Berg, 7th Duchy of Saxe -Lauenburg, 9th County Palatine of Saxony, 10 Margraviate of Lusatia, 12 Margraviate of Lower Lusatia, 13 Pleissenland 14 county Orlamünde 15 Margraviate of Landsberg, Landsberg 16 county 17 castle County Altenburg, 18 rule Eisenberg, 19 Ravensberg 20 County of Mark, 21 regalia plate 22 gefürstete County Henneberg, 23 county Barby (since 1660).

Related offices

Celebrities at the Saxon- yard weißenfelsischen

Georg Handel was, until his death in 1697 personal physician and valet of the Duke of Saxe- Weissenfels. The talent of his son Georg Friedrich Händel discovered the Duke of Saxe- Weissenfels, as his personal physician gave him a tag with Augustus to New Castle to audition him on the Förner Organ of the Castle Church.

Johann Sebastian Bach was from 1729 würkender until his death in high Princely Saxon- Weißenfelsisch Capellmeister and had previously a hunting cantata BWV 208, and 12 years later, a shepherd Cantata BWV 249a already composed for the Duke of Saxe- Weissenfels birthday of the Duke of Saxe- Weissenfels. In addition, he wrote specifically for the Förner organ of the castle church one of its most distinctive organ works, the Toccata and Fugue in F major BWV 540