Life
In order to give his three younger sons lands to generate income for their support, Duke Christian I assigned to each of them small territories as appanages before he died. Their administration remained under the control of the Saxe-Merseburg main line, however, and they were only able to exercise limited powers over their territories. In 1694 August received the town of Spremberg and founded the line of Saxe-Merseburg-Spremberg.
Heinrich's rule in Spremberg led to an exceptional period of artistic patronage when he had Schloss Spremberg expanded to serve as his summer residence. Two magnificent three-story wings were built in the east and west connected by a wooden gallery on the court side whose tower was provided with a tent roof.
He also established a pleasure park where he could indulged his love the hunt. His notorious preference for hunting was later immortalized in a part of Spremberg that is named after him: "Heinrichsfeld."
The city was rebuilt with Heinrich's support after the big fire of 30 July 1705. For the craftsmen he bestowed privileges which led to the blossoming of their trade. Heinrich is also regarded as a major patron of the arts. He appointed Johann Theodor Roemhildt in 1726 as his "Hofkapellmeister" (head of the court musical establishment) a post he also held later in Merseburg. From the sculptor Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt he ordered a Medaillenkabinett on his own design which represents today the single piece of original furniture in the museum in the Schloss Merseburg.
The death of his young nephew Frederick Erdmann in 1714 left Heinrich as the next in line to succeed to the duchy of Saxe-Merseburg. After Heinrich's nephew Maurice Wilhelm died without male issue on 21 April 1731, the sixty-nine-year-old Heinrich inherited the duchy.
He continued to foster economic and artistic activities on the model of his late nephew. In 1735 he initiated the building of a duke's pavilion in Lauchstädt and in 1738 he had built the so-called High Water Art (German: Oberen Wasserkunst), a well-house and commercial house in Merseburg-Oberaltenburg. His sculptor and architect Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt was responsible for the designs.
Read more about this topic: Heinrich, Duke Of Saxe-Merseburg
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“A moment that gave not only itself, but
Also the means of keeping it, of not turning to dust
Or gestures somewhere up ahead
But of becoming complicated like the torrent
In new dark passages, tears and laughter which
Are a sign of life, of distant life in this case.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Innocence is lovely in the child, because in harmony with its nature; but our path in life is not backward but onward, and virtue can never be the offspring of mere innocence. If we are to progress in the knowledge of good, we must also progress in the knowledge of evil. Every experience of evil brings its own temptation and according to the degree in which the evil is recognized and the temptations resisted, will be the value of the character into which the individual will develop.”
—Mrs. H. O. Ward (1824–1899)
“The wind sprang up at four o’clock
The wind sprang up and broke the bells
Swinging between life and death”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)