Background
He was the fifth (but second surviving) son of Christian II, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, and Erdmuthe Dorothea of Saxe-Zeitz.
He was the fifth (but second surviving) son of Christian II, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, and Erdmuthe Dorothea of Saxe-Zeitz.
As he was only six years of age at the time, his mother, the dowager duchess Erdmuthe Dorothea, acted as regent until he reached his majority in 1712. Until then, the administration of the duchy was supervised by the Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. An enthusiastic violinist, he was known as the "Geigenherzog" (the violinist duke).