[1] She was the daughter of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony and his wife Barbara.

Magdalena's maternal grandparents were Casimir IV of Poland and Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II of Germany.

Joachim (1505–1571), the future elector of Brandenburg, was the eldest son and heir of their current claimant of Luxembourg, Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg (1484–1535), the eldest son and heir of Margaret of Thuringia (1449–1501), Dowager Electress of Brandenburg, herself the eldest daughter and heiress of Anna, Duchess of Luxembourg and William of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia.

Magdalena was thus married, at Dresden, on 6 November 1524, to her second cousin's son Joachim II Hector, the future Elector of Brandenburg.

After Magdalena's death which occurred well before Joachim ascended the electorate, Joachim II Hector married Hedwig Jagiellon, daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland.