Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz
| Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz | |
|---|---|
Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz
|
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| Spouse(s) |
Sophie Hedwig of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Weimar Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg |
| Noble family | House of Wettin |
| Father | John George I, Elector of Saxony |
| Mother | Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia |
| Born |
28 March 1619 Dresden |
| Died | 4 December 1681 (aged 62) Zeitz |
Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz (28 March 1619 – 4 December 1681) was a duke of Saxe-Zeitz and member of the House of Wettin.
Born in Dresden, he was the youngest surviving son of John George I, Elector of Saxony, and his second wife Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia.
Together with his brothers, Maurice was educated at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. Among his teachers, Field Marshal Kurt of Einsiedel took an outstanding role. From August 1642 until September 1645, Maurice and his brother Christian took a Grand Tour through northern Germany and the Netherlands.
In 1645, shortly after his return home, Maurice was selected by Prince Ludwig I of Anhalt-Köthen to be a member of the Fruitbearing Society.
In 1650, he was appointed Bailiwick of Thuringia by the Teutonic Knights. He selected as his chancellor and president to his consistory the noted state scientist and theologian Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff. As Hofprediger he chose the dramatist Johann Sebastian Mitternacht.
The Elector Johann Georg I, in his will 20 July 1652, ordered a division of the Albertine territories that was carried out on 22 April 1657 in Dresden. Maurice inherited the town of Zeitz and became its first duke.
In order to have an appropriate official residence, Maurice decided to renove the old bishop's castle and build a splendid new residence in baroque style that was called Schloss Moritzburg. The construction began in 1657 and was finished in 1678. The duke died there.
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