John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar

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Biography

He was the second son of Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Dorothea Susanne of Simmern.

His father died in 1573, when Johann was only three years old. Since at the time his older brother Frederick Wilhelm I was also under age, the duchy of Saxe-Weimar (originally appointed to Johann) was governed by a regency. In 1586 his older brother reached adulthood and took full control of the duchy, including Weimar. However, he died in 1602 and the full duchy was inherited by Johann, because his nephews (the sons of his deceased brother) were under age.

Johann was more interested in natural sciences and art than politics, and therefore only against his will took over the regency of the duchy on behalf of his nephews. But when they demanded their own inheritance in 1603, he resisted their demands. Finally, Johann and his nephews made a treaty dividing the duchy: Altenburg was taken by the sons of Frederick Wilhelm I, and Weimar-Jena was retained by Johann.

This line of Saxe-Altenburg became extinct in 1672, and all the inheritance passed by marriage to the line of Saxe-Weimar, the descendants of Johann.

Ancestry

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1= 1. John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
2= 2. Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
3= 3. Dorothea Susanne of Simmern
4= 4. John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
5= 5. Sybille of Cleves
6= 6. Frederick III, Elector Palatine
7= 7. Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
8= 8. John, Elector of Saxony
9= 9. Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
10= 10. John III, Duke of Cleves
11= 11. Maria of Jülich-Berg
12= 12. John II of Pfalz-Simmern
13= 13. Beatrice of Baden
14= 14. Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
15= 15. Susanna of Bavaria
16= 16. Ernest, Elector of Saxony
17= 17. Elisabeth of Bavaria-Munich
18= 18. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow
19= 19. Sophie of Pomerania-Wolgast
20= 20. John II, Duke of Cleves
21= 21. Matilda of Hesse
22= 22. Wilhelm IV, Duke of Jülich-Berg
23= 23. Sibylle of Brandenburg
24= 24. John I of Pfalz-Simmern
25= 25. Johanna of Nassau-Saarbrücken
26= 26. Christopher I, Margrave of Baden-Baden
27= 27. Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen
28= 28. Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
29= 29. Sofie of Poland
30= 30. Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria
31= 31. Kunigunde of Austria

Family

In Altenburg on 7 January 1593, Johann married Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. They had twelve children:
# Johann Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (b. Altenburg, 21 February 1594 - d. Sankt Martin, Hungary, 6 December 1626).
# Christian Wilhelm (b. and d. Altenburg, 6 April 1595).
# Frederick (b. Altenburg, 1 March 1596 - killed in battle, Fleury, Belgium, 19 August 1622).
# Johann (b. Weimar, 31 March 1597 - d. Weimar, 6 October 1604).
# Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (b. Altenburg, 11 April 1598 - d. Weimar, 17 May 1662).
# stillborn son (Altenburg, 11 April 1598), twin of William.
# Albrecht, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach (b. Altenburg, 27 July 1599 - d. Eisenach, 20 December 1644).
# Johann Frederick (b. Altenburg, 19 September 1600 - d. Weimar, 17 October 1628).
# Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg (b. Altenburg, 25 December 1601 - d. Schloß Friedenstein, Gotha, 26 March 1675).
# Frederick Wilhelm (b. Weimar, 7 February 1603 - d. Georgenthal, 16 August 1619).
# Bernhard (b. Weimar, 6 August 1604 - d. Neuenburg, 18 July 1639), Count of Franken (1633).
# Johanna (b. posthumously, Weimar, 14 April 1606 - d. Weimar, 3 July 1609).

Male Line of Descendants

Following only Johann Wilhelm's male line of descendants, he is the direct male ancestor to the Belgian royal family. The current King of the Belgians is Albert II, King of the Belgians.

* Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
* John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
* Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
* John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
* Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
* Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
* Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
* Leopold I, King of the Belgians
* Philip, Count of Flanders
* Albert I, King of the Belgians
* Leopold III, King of the Belgians
* Albert II, King of the Belgians
* His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Brabant
* Elizabeth, Princess of Belgium

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