Eleonore Sophie of Saxe-Weimar


Eleonore Sophie of Saxe-Weimar, was a German noblewoman member of the House of Wettin and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Merseburg-Lauchstädt.
Born in Weimar, she was the third of five children born from the marriage of John Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Christine Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.

Life

In Weimar on 9 July 1684 Eleonore Sophie married Prince Philipp of Saxe-Merseburg, third surviving son of Duke Christian I. Shortly after the wedding, he received the town of Lauchstädt as his appanage, and took his residence there.
The marriage produced two children, neither of whom survived to adulthood:
  1. Christiana Ernestina.
  2. John William, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Merseburg-Lauchstädt.
Eleonore Sophie died in Lauchstädt aged 26, eight days after the birth of her son, probably from childbirth complications. She was buried in Merseburg Cathedral.