Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau | |
House: | House of Ascania |
Father: | John George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau |
Mother: | Countess Palatine Dorothea of Simmern |
Spouse: | William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar |
Birth Place: | Dessau |
Death Place: | Weimar |
Full Name: | Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau |
Eleonore Dorothea of Anhalt-Dessau (born 16 February 1602 in Dessau – died 26 December 1664 in Weimar), was a princess of Anhalt-Dessau by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Weimar.
Eleonore Dorothea was a daughter of the prince John George I of Anhalt-Dessau (1567–1618) from his second marriage with Dorothea (1581–1631), daughter of the Count Palatine John Casimir of Simmern.
She married on 23 May 1625 in Weimar, with her cousin Duke William the Great of Saxe-Weimar (1598–1662), with whom she had been engaged before his campaign in Lower Saxony. The marriage was closed for political reasons: it should deepen the friendly relations between Anhalt and Saxe-Weimer. The marriage was nevertheless described as a very happy one.[1] Eleonore Dorothea remained faithful to the Reformed Church during her marriage, even though she came closer to the Lutheran doctrine, which her husband followed.[2]
She died in 1664 and was initially buried in the chapel of the Schloss in Weimar. In 1824, her body was transferred to the new Ducal Crypt at Weimar.[3]
From her marriage Dorothea Eleonore had the following children: