Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (27 October 1612 – 20 March 1687) was Electress of Saxony from 1656 to 1680 as the wife of John George II. The daughter of Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and Marie of Prussia, she was by birth a Markgräfin, or Margravine, and a member of the Brandenburg-Bayreuth branch of the House of Hohenzollern.

Life

Born in Bayreuth, she was her parents' fifth child. Her maternal grandparents were Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia, and Marie Eleonore of Cleves. One of her maternal aunts was Duchess Anna of Prussia. She had three surviving siblings: Anna Maria (1609–1680), wife of Prince Johann Anton I von Eggenberg, Duke of Krumlov; Erdmann August (1615–1651); and George Albert (1619–1666).

Magdalena Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

She was married to John George, Prince Elector of Saxony, on 13 November 1638 in Dresden. He was her first cousin, being the son of her maternal aunt and namesake, Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia. Her sister-in-law and cousin was Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony.

Magdalena Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

Magdalene Sibylle had a good relationship with the Swedish royal family (the Queen consort from 1620 to 1632, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, was her first cousin) and was able to save the city of Pirna from attack by a letter to the Swedish commander in 1639, during the Thirty Years' War. In 1680 she was widowed and retired to Freiberg-Colditz.

Magdalena Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

She died in Dresden in 1687.

Issue

She had three children:

Sibylle Marie (Dresden, 16 September 1642 – Dresden, 27 February 1643), died young; Erdmuthe Sophie (Dresden, 25 February 1644 – Schloss Bayreuth, 22 June 1670), married her cousin, Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, on 29 October 1662; died without issue; John George III (Dresden, 20 June 1647 – Tübingen, 12 September 1691), his father's successor as John George III, Elector of Saxony.

References

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1612 births

1687 deaths

Electoral Princesses of Saxony

German people of the Thirty Years' War

House of Hohenzollern

People from Bayreuth

Electresses of Saxony

⚭Margravine Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburgbayreuth

Burials at Freiberg Cathedral

Daughters of monarchs

Mothers of monarchs