Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst

Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst (9 March 1663 – 14 September 1694) was a German noblewoman, a member of the House of Ascania by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Saxe-Weimar.

Born in Zerbst, she was the eleventh of fourteen children born from the marriage of John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and Sophie Augusta of Holstein-Gottorp and the only surviving daughter. Of her thirteen older and younger siblings, only four brothers lived to adulthood: Karl William, Anthony Günther, John Adolph and John Louis.

Life

In Zerbst on 11 October 1685, Sophie Auguste married Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar. They had five children, of whom only two survived to adulthood: John William, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar (Weimar, 4 June 1686 - Weimar, 14 October 1686), died in infancy. Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (Weimar, 19 April 1688 – Eisenach, 19 January 1748), later inherited Eisenach and Jena. Eleonore Christiane (Weimar, 15 April 1689 – Weimar, 7 February 1690), died in infancy. Johanna Auguste (Weimar, 6 July 1690 – Weimar, 24 August 1691), died in early childhood. Johanna Charlotte (Weimar, 23 November 1693 – Weimar, 2 March 1751).

Sophie Auguste died in Weimar, aged only 31, and was buried in the Fürstengruft. On 4 November 1694, just under two months after Sophie Auguste's death, her widower remarried to Landgravine Charlotte of Hesse-Homburg, with whom he went on to have four more children who all died young.