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Wilhelm II Duke Sachsen–Weimar (Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. He was the fifth (but third surviving) son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. He was brother to Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, a successful Protestant general in the Thirty Years' War, and to Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (later Altenburg), a successful and well regarded ruler known as "The Pious". Like his brothers Johann Ernst and Friedrich, Wilhelm studied at the University of Jena. Later, he accompanied his brothers in their studies abroad. Their educational tour began at the end of August 1613; the brothers visited France, Great Britain and the Netherlands before returning home in 1614. Some years later, on August 24, 1617, during his mother's funeral, Wilhelm helped found the Fruitbearing Society. In 1651 he became the second head of the society.
In 1620 Wilhelm became regent of all the estates of his older brother, Johann Ernst, after the latter was subject to the ban of the Empire for refusing to submit to the emperor. When Johann Ernst died in 1626, Wilhelm assumed the title duke of Saxe-Weimar. One year later, Wilhelm was created a member of the Order of the Stability. During the years 1622-1623, he created a patriotic federation, the German Friedbund, for the promotion of the German states and religious liberties. Wilhelm's maternal uncle, Louis I of Anhalt-Köthen, provided the Friedbund with a generous endowment.
Wilhelm allied himself with his brothers in the Thirty Years' War, serving under Ernst von Mansfeld and Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach. Later he was promoted under the service of Christian the Younger of Brunswick. During the division of the paternal states in 1640, Wilhelm retained Weimar and Jena, and his younger brother Albrecht received Eisenach. When Albrecht died childless in 1644, Wilhelm assumed control of the entire inheritance. King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden was responsible for Wilhelm's quick rise through the ranks of the military. After Gustav II Adolf's death however, Count Axel Oxenstierna successfully prevented Wilhelm from assuming another command as lieutenant general, and Wilhelm acceded to the Peace of Prague in 1635. When Prince Louis I of Anhalt-Köthen died on January 7, 1650, the members of the Fruitbearing Society decided that Wilhelm should become his uncle's successor as head of the society. After the obligatory mourning period, Wilhelm became the new head of the society on 8 May 1651, a position that he retained to the end of his life. In contrast to his predecessor, however, he was essentially limited to representative tasks.
In Weimar on May 13 1625, Wilhelm married Eleonore Dorothea, daughter of John George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. They had nine children: Wilhelm (March 26, 1626-November 1, 1626); Johann Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (September 11, 1627-May 15, 1683); Johann Wilhelm (August 16, 1630-May 16, 1639); Adolf Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach (May 14, 1632-November 22, 1668); Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Marksuhl, later of Saxe-Eisenach (July 12, 1634-September 19, 1686), Grandfather of Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Queen Consort of George II of Great Britain; Wilhelmine Eleonore (June 7, 1636-April 1, 1653); Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena (October 14, 1638-May 3, 1678); Frederick (March 19, 1640 August 19, 1656); Dorothea Marie (October 14, 1641-June 11, 1675), married on July 3, 1656 to Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz.
Wilhelm wrote the words for the hymn Herr Jesu Christ! dich zu uns wend in 1648. The hymn was sung on Sundays in Thüringen after the priest had entered the pulpit to give his sermon. With a melody that dates back to 1628, it has entered modern German hymnody. In Weimar J.S. Bach and his cousin Johann Gottfried Walther, the organists at the Schloss and the Stadtkirche, both composed several settings of the hymn, as chorale preludes and chorale variations. Among the five settings by J.S. Bach are BWV 632, from the Orgelbüchlein, and BWV 655a, which became part of the Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes.
Wilhelm is portrayed positively as a figure in the fictional 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, an alternate history book series, created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by historian Eric Flint. |
