Agnes of Hesse

Agnes was a princess of Hesse (1527–1555)

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Agnes of Hesse

Electress consort of Saxony
Duchess consort of Saxony
Born| 31 May 1527
Marburg
Died| 4 November 1555(1555-11-04) (aged 28)
Weimar
Spouse|

Maurice, Elector of Saxony

(m. 1541; died 1553)​

John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony

(m. 1555)​

Issue|

* Anna, Princess of Orange
* Prince Albert

House| Hesse
Father| Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Mother| Christine of Saxony

Agnes of Hesse (31 May 1527 - 4 November 1555) was a princess of Hesse by birth and by marriage Electress of Saxony.

## Life

[edit]

Agnes was a daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, and his first wife, Christine of Saxony. She married Maurice, Duke (and later Elector) of Saxony, on 9 January 1541. From this marriage, she had two children: Anna of Saxony (23 December 1544 – 18 December 1577) and Albert (28 November 1545 – 12 April 1546). The marriage between the two was not arranged by their parents but was initiated by Maurice and Agnes themselves, which at the time was highly unusual. Their surviving letters document the continuing friendship and mutual trust between the spouses. Agnes was also informed about the political plans of her husband. After her mother Christine's death in 1549, she took on the education of her younger siblings. Elector Maurice died on 9 July 1553 from his injuries in the Battle of Sievershausen.

On 26 May 1555, Agnes married her second husband, John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony. She was already of poor health at the time, and died six months later from a miscarriage. In the choir of the church St. Peter und Paul in Weimar, however, an unknown author states her death was due to poisoning. The actual cause of her death can only be speculative. The fact that Agnes of Hesse had married into a rival family is consistent with the murder theory: members of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin may have suspected her of revealing state secrets to the rival Ernestine branch.[1]

## References

[edit]

* Political correspondence of the Duke and Elector Maurice of Saxony, 6 vols, Berlin 1902-2006

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Thüringische Landeszeitung of 28 April 2009, page 2, "Wurde die Kurfürstin ermordet?", article by Karl Braun, reporting on a thematic guided tour of Weimar with Dieter Kunkel (the theme was Crimes and serious tales) on 25 April 2009 in the St. Peter and Paul church in Weimar

Agnes of Hesse

House of Hesse

Born: 31 May 1527 Died: 4 November 1555

German royalty
Preceded by

Catherine of Mecklenburg

|  Duchess consort of Saxony
(Albertine)
18 August 1541 - 24 April 1547  | Succeeded by

Sybille of Cleves

Preceded by

Sybille of Cleves

|  Electress consort of Saxony
24 April 1547 - 9 July 1553  | Succeeded by

Anne of Denmark

Preceded by

Catherine of Mecklenburg

|  Duchess consort of Saxony
(Ernestine)
26 May 1555 - 4 November 1555  | Vacant

Title next held by

Elisabeth of the Palatinate

* v
* t
* e

Electresses of Saxony

* Elisabeth of Hesse (1356–1370)
* Cecilia of Carrara (1376–1388)
* Anna of Thuringia (1388–1395)
* Barbara of Legnica (1396–1419)
* Euphemia of Oleśnica (1420–1422)
* Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1423–1428)
* Margaret of Austria (1431–1464)
* Elisabeth of Bavaria-Munich (1464–1486)
* Sibylle of Cleves (1532–1547)
* Agnes of Hesse (1547–1553)
* Princess Anna of Denmark (1553–1585)
* Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt-Dessau (1586)
* Sophie of Brandenburg (1586–1591)
* Princess Hedwig of Denmark (1602–1611)
* Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia (1611–1656)
* Margravine Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1656–1680)
* Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark (1680–1691)
* Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach (1694–1694)
* Margravine Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1694–1727)
* Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (1733–1757)
* Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria (1763)
* Countess Palatine Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1769–1806)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States

People|

* Deutsche Biographie
* DDB

*[m.]: married
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