Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Duchess Anna Amalia |
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Portrait by Johann Ernst Heinsius
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| Duchess consort of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach | |
| Tenure | 1756–1758 |
| Regent of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach | |
| Regency | 1758–1775 |
| Born | 24 October 1739 Wolfenbüttel |
| Died | 10 April 1807 (aged 67) Weimar |
| Spouse | Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Issue | Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Prince Frederick Ferdinand |
| House | Brunswick-Bevern Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Father | Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Mother | Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia |
Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (24 October 1739 – 10 April 1807), was a German princess and composer. She became the duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, by marriage, and was also regent of the states of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach from 1758 to 1775. She transformed her court and its surrounding into the most influential cultural center of Germany.
Contents
Family
She was born in Wolfenbüttel, the ninth child of Karl I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia. Her maternal grandparents were Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.
Marriage
In Brunswick on 16 March 1756 she married Ernst August II Konstantin, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and they had two sons. Ernst August died in 1758 leaving her regent for their infant son, Karl August.
Regency
During Karl August's minority she administered the affairs of the duchy with notable prudence, strengthening its resources and improving its position in spite of the troubles of the Seven Years' War. In 1775, her son having attained his majority, she retired.
Cultural role
As a patron of the arts, Anna Amalia drew many of the most eminent people in Germany to Weimar, including Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Abel Seyler's theatrical company. When she succeeded in engaging the Seyler Company, this was "an extremely fortunate coup. The Seyler Company was the best theatre company in Germany at that time." Amalia von Helvig was also later to be a part of her court. She hired Christoph Martin Wieland, a poet and translator of William Shakespeare, to educate her son. She also established the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, which is now home to some 1,000,000 volumes. The duchess was honoured in Goethe's work under the title Zum Andenken der Fürstin Anna-Amalia.
Music
Anna Amalia was a notable composer who studied music with Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer and Ernst Wilhelm Wolf.
Her compositions include:
Chamber
- Divertimento (clarinet, viola, violoncello, and piano) c. 1780
Harpsichord
- sonatas
Opera
- Das Jahrmarktsfest zu Plundersweilern (text by Goethe)
- Erwin und Elmire (text by Goethe) 1776
Orchestra
- Oratorio (1768)
- Sacred Choruses (four voices and orchestra)
- Symphony (2 oboes, 2 flutes, 2 violins and double bass) 1765
Vocal
- songs
See also
In Spanish: Ana Amalia de Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel para niños
