Maurice Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg

Moritz Wilhelm of Saxe- Merseburg ( born February 5, 1688 in Merseburg, † April 21, 1731 in Merseburg ) was a member of a branch of the Albertine Wettin and fourth Duke of Saxe- Merseburg Saxon Sekundogeniturfürstentums. Wilhelm Moritz is also known as " violin Duke ".

Family

Maurice William was the fifth son of Duke Christian II of Saxe- Merseburg and his wife Erdmuthe Dorothea, a daughter of the Duke Moritz of Saxony- Zeitz.

Life

Government in Merseburger Principality

After his eldest brother Duke Christian Moritz died after only 25 days rule on November 14, 1694 and the fact that his other brothers, Prince Johann Wilhelm August Friedrich and Philipp Ludwig, many years before all the child's age had not survived, followed him Moritz Wilhelm after a 6- year-old in Merseburger principality.

Flare-up of the old quarrel with the Electorate of Saxony

However, Moritz Wilhelm stood until 1712 under the administration and guardianship of his next adult relatives, the Saxon Elector Friedrich August I.. , The guardianship of the young prince, and hence the actual largest share in the government, however, practiced as already under the young Christian Moritz to Moritz Wilhelm majority of the year 1709, the Duchess mother and widow Erdmuthe Dorothea and his uncle Augustus of Saxe - Merseburg - Zoerbig.

That the Saxon elector does not surrender even after the coming of age of William Moritz, the administration and the Duchy still wanted to rule from Dresden, can be derived from its political interest, secundogenitures, which in recent decades increasingly from the restrictions imposed by the Kurlinie could loosen, and loyalty of itself.

Also efforts of the cathedral chapter to explain the age of majority and the orders of Emperor Joseph I to imperial immediacy were ignored by the electors and Moritz Wilhelm instead trained at the Dresden court, where he also undertook his cavalier and educational trips.

Felt Moritz Wilhelm, who " gekräncket hertz sensitive " by this paternalism in the past ( letter to his mother, February 1706 ), finally tried even to the recognition of his majority, and fled to the court of the emperor, where in Vienna and he St. Pölten bored.

Although he finally was able to start at age 24 but still by the constant complaints, the government, however, cooled the relationship with his cousin Albertine in Dresden permanently from. He also got into things Merseburger pin government and the provincial assemblies in Lower Lusatia again soon in strife which could only be settled in 1724.

To give by improving the infrastructure and economic stimulus, he was then allowed to expand the highways in Saxony- Merseburg.

Duke Moritz Wilhelm as a patron

Duke Moritz Wilhelm was a great patron of art and culture in his principality. Even an avid player of the viola da gamba, he supported especially by the music staff. For his bass collection, known as the " violin Duke " won him, he left in 1721 even specially make a four and a half meter tall giant bass violin. The composer Johann Joachim Quantz was under his reign in Merseburg his musical training and a violinist Christian Heinrich Aschenbrenner was from 1713 to 1719 his Kapellmeister. The organ in Merseburg Cathedral he had to expand.

For in science Moritz Wilhelm had interest. The wheel of the inventor Johann Bessler he was checked by a committee of leading scientists of his time.

The writer Johann Samuel Agner and Julius Bernhard von Rohr had under his government; the sculptor families Trothe and Agner came due to the cultural prosperity to Merseburg.

The Baroque architect and sculptor Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt designed for the Duke 's apartments in the east wing of the castle from 1712 to 1715 as a residential and state rooms with the famous mirror and china cabinet (now in the Museum of Decorative Arts Berlin), and built the castle the " Castle Garden Salon", a Pavilion for the ducal garden parties.

Death and funeral

Duke Moritz Wilhelm died on April 21, 1731 43 years old and was buried in a Zinnprunksarg in the royal crypt of Merseburg Cathedral. Since he had left no male descendants himself and his next younger brother Friedrich Erdmann had already died in 1714, was succeeded by his uncle Henry, the interim founder of the branch Spremburg, on the throne.

Marriage and issue

He completed his only marriage secretly on November 4, 1711 in Idstein with Henriette Charlotte of Nassau- Idstein, daughter of George Augustus Samuels, Prince of Nassau- Idstein from his marriage to Henriette Dorothea of ​​Oettingen- Oettingen.

His wife had with Friedrich Carl von Pollnitz the daughter:

• Ulrike Friederike (* / † June 23, 1720 in Merseburg ), Princess of Saxe- Merseburg