Anna of Saxony

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Anna of Saxony (23 December 1544; Dresden - 18 December 1577; Dresden) was the only child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony, and Agnes, eldest daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. She was the second wife of William the Silent.

Anna was reputedly unattractive and lame, but her wealth drew many suitors. She accepted the suit of William I of Orange, and they were married on 25 August 1561. Anna was unstable, swinging wildly between melancholia, violence, and suicidal despair. William soon tired of her unpredictable personality, and she became unpopular both with his family and the citizenry. Anna and William produced five children:

Anna (1562)

Anna (1563-1588)

Maurits August Philip (1564-1566)

Maurits (1567-1625)

Emilia (1569-1629)

She took up with her lawyer, Jan Rubens, in 1570 and gave birth to their illegitimate daughter, Christina, on 22 August 1571. News of this indiscretion reached her husband, who refused to acknowledge Christina as his own. Rubens was arrested, and William removed his and Anna's children, who never saw their mother again. Later, Rubens was released and returned to his wife, by whom he was father of Peter Paul Rubens.

Anna was sent to Beilstein castle along with Christina. Her behaviour became ever more deranged, until the servants were ordered to keep all knives away from her, lest she attack someone. Anna began to suffer from hallucinations and violent outbursts. Christina was removed from her care and sent to be raised with her half-siblings. William annulled their marriage, and remarried twice. Anna lived out the rest of her days in Dresden, until her death aged thirty-two in 1577.

[edit]Genetics

As a matrilineal descendant of Barbara of Celje, she is a matrilineal relative of Nicholas II of Russia and therefore she and all her female-line descendants are members of mitochondrial haplogroup T.

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