Background
Agnes was a daughter of Landgrave Philip of Hesse and his first wife Christine of Saxony.
Agnes was a daughter of Landgrave Philip of Hesse and his first wife Christine of Saxony.
From this marriage, she had two (born: 23 December 1544 – died 18 December 1577) and Albert (born: 28 November 1545 – died: 12 April 1546). Their surviving letters document the continuing friendship and mutual trust between the spouses. Elector Maurice died on 9 July 1553 from his injuries in the battle of Sievershausen.
She was already of poor health at the time, and died six months later from a miscarriage.
In the choir of the church Saint Peter und Paul in Weimar, however, an unknown author states her death was due to poisoning. We can only speculate about the actual cause of her death.
The fact that Agnes of Hesse had married into a rival family is consistent with the murder theory: members of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin may have suspected her of revealing state secrets to the rival Ernestine branch.