Hedwig of Sulzbach

Marie Hedwig Auguste of Sulzbach (Marie Hedwig Auguste von Sulzbach; born: 15 April 1650 in Sulzbach; died: 23 November 1681 in Hamburg) was a Countess Palatine of Sulzbach by birth and by marriage, Archduchess of Austria and by her second marriage, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg.

Early life
Hedwig was a daughter of the Duke and Count Palatine Christian August of Sulzbach (1622–1708) from his marriage to Countess Amalie of Nassau-Siegen (1613–1669), daughter of Count John VII of Nassau-Siegen.

First marriage
She was married on 3 June 1665 per cura in the court chapel of Sulzbach to Archduke Sigismund Francis of Austria-Tyrol (1630–1665), who after his brother's unexpected death had resigned from his ecclesiastical positions in order to marry. The marriage was never consummated: while travelling to meet his bride, the Archduke fell seriously ill and died in Innsbruck twelve days after the marriage.

Second marriage
Hedwig's second marriage, in Sulzbach on 9 April 1668, was with Duke Julius Francis of Saxe-Lauenburg (1641–1689). Her father had a memorial stone erected in the Sulzbach parish church to commemorate the event. Hedwig had been assured an annual income of 20 000  guilders at her first marriage; Julius Francis made a deal with the imperial court, in which Hedwig would receive a lump sum instead.

Death
Hedwig died in 1681 and was buried in the White Castle at Ostrov (Schlackenwerth).

Issue
Hedwig from her second marriage had the following children:
 * Anna Maria Theresia (1670–1671)
 * Anna Maria Franziska (1672–1741)
 * married firstly in 1690 Count Palatine Philip William of Neuburg (1668–1693)
 * married secondly 1697 Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici of Tuscany (1671–1737)


 * Sybille (1675–1733)
 * married in 1690 Margrave Louis William of Baden-Baden (1655–1707)

References and sources

 * Theologische Quartalschrift, vol. 50, H. Laupp, 1868, p. 106 Digitized
 * Johann Samuel Ersch: Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste, section 2 part 28, J. f. Gleditsch, 1851, p. 363