August of Saxe-Weissenfels (3 December 1650 in Halle – 11 August 1674 in Halle), was a member of the Albertine branch of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

. He was a titular Duke of

Saxe-Weissenfels Saxe-Weissenfels () was a Duchy of the Holy Roman Empire from 1656 until 1746 with its residence at Weißenfels. Ruled by a cadet branch of the Albertine House of Wettin, the duchy passed to the Electorate of Saxony upon the extinction of the line ...

and a

Provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

. He is sometimes called ''August the Younger'', to distinguish him from his father.

Background

August was the second son of the Duke

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

of Saxe-Weissenfels and his first wife Anna Maria, the daughter of Duke Adolf Frederick I of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

Life

In 1659, Prince August joined the

Fruitbearing Society The Fruitbearing Society (German Die Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, lat. ''Societas Fructifera'') was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility. Its aim was to standardize vernacular German and promote it ...

, which was led by his father. He used the nickname ("the Cautious"). When he was ten years old, he was elected, at the instigation of his father, who was also Archbishop of Magdeburg, as provost of the archdiocese of Magdeburg, by the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

. After August's death, this post went to his brother

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

. August died on 11 August 1674, at the age of 23. He was buried in the ducal crypt in the church of Neu-Augustenburg Castle.

Marriage and issue

On 25 August 1673 in Halle, he married Charlotte, the daughter of Landgrave

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

of Hesse-Eschwege from his marriage to

Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken Eleonora Catherine of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken (17 May 1626 – 3 March 1692), was a cousin and foster sister of Queen Christina of Sweden and sister of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. After her brother's accession to the throne (1654), sh ...

, the daughter of

John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg (20 April 1589, Zweibrücken – 18 June 1652, Stegeborg Castle) was the son of John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and his wife, Duchess Magdalene of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. He was ma ...

. After August's death, Charlotte married Count John Adolph of Bentheim-Tecklenburg, from whom she later divorces. Charlotte and August had one child, who died at birth on 24 April 1674 in Halle.

External links

Entry at ThePeerage.com

Johann Hübners... Three Hundred and Thirty Three Genealogical Tables, table 169
Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...

1650 births 1674 deaths 17th-century German people Albertine branch Sons of dukes {{Germany-duke-stub