Sophie was born at Zechlin castle,
Rheinsberg, a daughter of the Elector of Brandenburg
John George (1525–1598) by his second marriage with
Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1548–1575), daughter of Margrave
George of Brandenburg-Ansbach. On 25 April 1582 in
Dresden, Sophie married Elector
Christian I of Saxony (1560–1591). Sophie was 14 years old at her wedding, and after a year she had her first child.
Regency After the death of her husband, who died at age 31, Sophie, together with Duke
Frederick William I of
Saxe Weimar, became Regent of the Electorate for her eldest son. Sophie was an orthodox Lutheran, and fought against
crypto-Calvinism in Saxony. After Christian I's death in 1591, she had the Calvinist Chancellor
Nikolaus Krell, an opponent of Lutheran orthodoxy, imprisoned at the
Königstein Fortress, and in 1601 had him executed at the Dresden
Neumarkt. In allusion to the pious widow Judith in the
Book of Judith, the orthodox Lutherans thereafter celebrated her as "Judith of Saxony". As a widow, Sophie lived in the so-called "Fraumutterhaus" in Dresden or in Castle Colditz. She had her own gold coins ("Sophie ducats",
Sophiendukaten) minted; she also had the old Franciscan church in Dresden again readied for divine service (1599–1610), which after her was called the
Sophienkirche. The "Duchess's Garden" (
Der Herzogin Garten) also takes its name from Duchess Sophie. She died at
Colditz Castle. == Issue ==