Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

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Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-WeissenfelsJohann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels (b. Weissenfels, 4 September 1685 - d. Leipzig, 16 May 1746), was a duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt and member of the House of Wettin. He was also a commander in the Saxon Army.

He was the youngest of the twenty children of Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels and Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Altenburg. His mother died five months after his birth, on 22 January 1686.

Life

In the Polish Succession War, Johann Adolf led Saxon troops into Poland (October 1733). The Saxon army remained the next 3 years mainly in Southern Poland, until the coronation of the Elector Frederick August II of Saxony as King of Poland, after the defeat of the rival candidate for the Polish throne, Stanisław Leszczyński. The same year, Johann Adolf inherited Saxe-Weissenfels when his brother Christian died without children.

During the Second Silesian War Prussian troops had crossed the Saxon border, and Saxony and Austria agreed to proceed together against Prussia. Saxon troops would cut off the Prussians in northern Silesia, while Austrian troops would advance from the south . But in June 1745 they were defeated in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg. Johann Adolf planned a new offensive campaign in September 1745, but he changed his mind two weeks later. For this, he was replaced as commander-in-chief by Count Frederick August Rutowski, an illegitimate half-brother of the King-Elector.

After the Battle of Kesselsdorf, the Elector removed his half-brother Rutowski as commander-in-chief and reinstated Johann Adolf, who began his duties as commander on 1 December. Additionally, he was appointed Chief of the Saxon Government during the absence of the Elector and the Minister Heinrich of Brühl.

He retreated with the Saxon troops to Bohemia. Five months later, Johann Adolf suffered a heart attack and died, aged sixty-one.

Marriages and Issue

In Eisenach on 9 May 1721, Johann Adolf married firstly with Johannette Antoinette Juliane of Saxe-Eisenach. They had a son:

#Frederick Johann Adolf (b. Dahme, 26 May 1722 - d. Dahme, 10 July 1724).

In Altenburg on 27 November 1734 -and eight years after the death of his first wife-, Johann Adolf married secondly with Fredericka of Saxe-Gotha. They had five children:

#Karl Frederick Adolf (b. Weissenfels, 7 June 1736 - d. Weissenfels, 24 March 1737).
#Johann Adolf (b. Weissenfels, 27 June 1738 - d. Weissenfels, 21 October 1738).
#August Adolf (b. Weissenfels, 6 June 1739 - d. Weissenfels, 7 June 1740).
#Johann Georg Adolf (b. Weissenfels, 17 May 1740 - d. Weissenfels, 10 July 1740).
#Fredericka Adolfine (b. Weissenfels, 27 December 1741 - d. Langensalza, 4 July 1751).

He was the last member of the line of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt. After his death without surviving male issue, his lands passed to the Electorate of Saxony.