Maria, Abbess of Quedlinburg

Princess-Abbess Maria

Duchess Maria of Saxe-Weimar (7 October 1571 - 7 March 1610) was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg from 1601 until her death.

Born in Weimar, Maria was the daughter of John William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Susanne of Simmern.

Princess-Abbess Anna III of Quedlinburg died on 12 May 1601. The provost of the congregation had died of plague and had not been replaced. Dorothea was suggested as Anna III's successor by the guardian of the abbey, her brother, Frederick William I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II confirmed her election on 2 July.

Her reign was calm. She proved to be unwilling to confront the abbey's protectors, the Dukes of Saxony, which led to the decrease in her own temporal authority. She died suddenly in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, on her way to Dresden, and was buried in Quedlinburg. She was succeeded by Princess Dorothea of Saxony.

References

• Lorenz, H. (1922). Werdegang von Stift und Stadt Quedlinburg (in German). Quedlinburg.

Ancestry