John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach


John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach, was a duke of Saxe-Eisenach, and came from the Ernestine line of the house of Wettin.

Life

John William III was born in Friedewald, the third son of John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach and Johannetta of Sayn-Wittgenstein. His twin brother, Maximilian, died at the age of two.
He succeeded his brother John George II as duke of Saxe-Eisenach when he died childless in 1698. John William III was crowned duke of Saxe-Eisenach. Saxe-Eisenach experienced a cultural boon under his reign, which was in no small part due to the duke's court band, whose most prominent member was Georg Philipp Telemann.

Family

In Oranjewoud on 28 November 1690, John William married with Amalie, a daughter of William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz. They had two children:
  1. Wilhelm Heinrich, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach.
  2. Albertine Johannetta.
In Wolfenbüttel on 27 February 1697 — two years of the death of his first wife — John William married secondly with Christine Juliane of Baden-Durlach, a daughter of Charles Gustav of Baden-Durlach. They had seven children:
  1. Johannette Antoinette Juliane, married on 9 May 1721 to Duke Johann Adolf II of Saxe-Weissenfels.
  2. Karoline Christine, married on 24 November 1725 to Landgrave Charles I of Hesse-Philippsthal.
  3. Anton Gustav.
  4. Charlotte Wilhelmine Juliane.
  5. Johannetta Wilhelmine Juliane.
  6. Karl Wilhelm.
  7. Karl August.
In Weissenfels on 28 July 1708 — one year after the death of his second wife — John William married thirdly with Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels, a daughter of Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. They had three children:
  1. Johanna Magdalene Sophie.
  2. Christiane Wilhelmine, married on 26 November 1734 to Prince Charles of Nassau-Usingen.
  3. Johann Wilhelm.
In the Schloss Philippsruhe on 29 May 1727 — one year after the death of his third wife — John William married fourthly with Marie Christine Felizitas of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim, Dowager Princess of Baden-Durlach. This union was childless. John William died at Eisenach.