Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach

Eleonore Erdmuthe
Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Tenure	4 November 1681 – 22 March 1686
Predecessor	Vacant
Successor	Vacant
Electress consort of Saxony
Tenure	17 April 1692 - 27 April 1694
Predecessor	Vacant
Successor	Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Spouse	John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (m. 1681; dec. 1686) John George IV, Elector of Saxony (m. 1692; dec. 1694)
Issue	Caroline of Ansbach Friedrich August William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Full name Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise
House	House of Wettin (by birth and marriage) House of Hohenzollern (by marriage)
Father	John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
Mother	Joanna of Sayn-Wittgenstein
Born	(1662-04-13)13 April 1662 Friedewald
Died	9 September 1696(1696-09-09) (aged 34) Schloss Pretzsch, Pretzsch
Religion	Lutheranism

Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (13 April 1662 – 9 September 1696) was the mother of John George IV, Elector of Saxony.

Biography

Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise was the firstborn daughter of Joanna of Sayn-Wittgenstein. One of her younger siblings was the future John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach.

In 1681, she became the second wife of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She had a son, William Frederick, and a daughter, Caroline. In 1686, she was widowed. As a widow, she and her children lived in poverty in Crailsheim.

In Magdalene Sibylle "Billa" of Neidschutz. Another consideration was an alliance between Brandenburg and Saxony.

Immediately after assuming the Electorate, John George lived openly with Billa, and she became the first ever Official Mistress (Favoritin) of an Elector of Saxony. Eleonore was relegated to the Hofe (the official residence of the Elector) while John George moved into another palace with Billa.

Desperate to marry his mistress, John George tried to murder Eleonore, but was prevented by his younger brother, Frederick August. When John George tried to stab Eleonore with a sword, the unarmed Frederick turned the impact away with his hand, leaving him with a lifelong handicap.

Electress Eleonore suffered two smallpox. As a widow, she and her children were exiled to Pretzsch. She died after two years, on 9 September 1696.

References

Sources

• Sharp, Tony. Pleasure and Ambition: The Life, Loves and Wars of Augustus the Strong, 1670-1707. London: I.B. Tauris, 2001. Google Books. Web. 24 May 2010. google.books.com

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Deutsch WorldHeritage.