Emilie Juliane was a daughter of Count Albert Frederick I of Barby-Mühlingen and his wife, Countess Sophia Ursula of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst.

During the Thirty Years' War, her father and his family were compelled to seek refuge in the castle of Heidecksburg in Rudolstadt after being persecuted for their Lutheran Protestant faith.

After the death of her father (in 1641) and mother (in 1642), she was adopted by her aunt Countess Emilie of Oldenburg, who was also her godmother and had become the wife of Count Louis Günther.

Her hymns, such as "Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende", are full of a deep love for her Saviour.

Her hymns ""Bis hierher hat mich Gott gebracht (EG 329) and "Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende" (EG 530) are contained in the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch.