John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

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John II (Danish: Hans den yngre; German: Johann II.; 25 March 1545 – 9 October 1622) was a Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.

John was born in Haderslev as the fourth son of King Christian III of Denmark and his wife Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. His elder brother king Frederick II of Denmark allotted him a portion of Schleswig, Sonderburg (today Danish Sønderborg) as his ducal seat. He acted actively in Danish government, for example supporting his sister-in-law the queen when his nephew Christian IV of Denmark was underage. There were as much as plans for him to marry the dowager queen in 1588 or 1589, him repudiating his second, young wife. John died in Glücksburg.

[edit] Family and children

John married two times. Firstly, he married in Kolding on August 19, 1568 with Elisabeth von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen. They had the following children:

1. Dorothea (9 October 1569 – 5 July 1593), married on 23 November 1589 to Duke Friedrich IV of Liegnitz
2. Duke Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Ærø (1622-33) (24 October 1570 – 4 June 1633)
3. Ernst (17 January 1572 – 26 October 1596)
4. Duke Alexander of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg (1622-27) (20 January 1573 – 13 May 1627)
5. August (26 July 1574 – 26 October 1596)
6. Marie, Abbess of Itzehoe (22 August 1575 – 6 December 1640)
7. Duke Johann Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Nordborg (1622-24) (17 September 1576 – 21 February 1624)
8. Anna (7 October 1577 – 30 January 1616), married on 31 May 1601 to Duke Bogislaw XIII of Pomerania-Barth
9. Sofie (30 May 1579 – 3 June 1618), married on 8 March 1607 to Duke Philipp II of Pomerania-Stetten
10. Elisabeth (24 September 1580 – 21 December 1653), married on 19 February 1615 to Duke Bogislaw XIV of Pomerania-Barth
11. Duke Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Nordborg (1624-58) (26 October 1581 – 22 July 1658)
12. Duke Philipp of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg (1622-63) (15 March 1584 – 27 September 1663)
13. Albrecht (16 April 1585 – 30 April 1613)
14. Margarete (24 February 1583 – 10 April 1638), married on 27 February 1603 to Count Johann II of Nassau-Siegen

Secondly, he married on 14 February 1588 to Princess Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt and they had the following children:

1. Eleonore (4 April 1590 – 13 April 1669)
2. Anna Sabine (7 March 1593 – 18 July 1659), married on 1 January 1618 to Duke Julius Friedrich of Württemberg
3. Johann Georg (9 February 1594 – 25 January 1613)
4. Duke Joachim Ernst I of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg-Plön (1622-71) (29 August 1595 – 5 October 1671)
5. Dorothea Sibylle, born and died in 1597
6. Dorothea Marie, died young in 1600
7. Bernhard, born and died in 1601
8. Agnes Magdalene, born and died in 1607
9. Eleonore Sofie (24 February 1603 – 5 January 1675), married on 28 February 1624 to Princes Christian II of Anhalt-Bernburg.