Sophia Jagiellon, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Sophia Jagiellon
Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Reign	1556–1568
Born	13 July 1522 Krakow, Poland
Died	28 May 1575(1575-05-28) (aged 52) Schöningen, Germany
Burial	Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wolfenbüttel
Spouse	Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Dynasty	Jagiellon
Father	Sigismund I the Old
Mother	Bona Sforza
Religion	Lutheranism prev. Roman Catholicism

Sophia Jagiellon of Poland (Polish: Zofia Jagiellonka) (13 July 1522 – 28 May 1575) was a Polish Lithuanian Princess and Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was a daughter Sigismund I the Old and his second wife Bona Sforza.

Family

The Jagiellon family, Sophia is second to last on the bottom row

Sophia was born in Krakow, the third of her parents' six children. Her siblings included: Isabella Jagiellon, Sigismund II Augustus, Anna Jagiellon, Catherine Jagiellon and Albert Jagiellon.

Sophia's maternal grandparents were Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Isabella of Naples, daughter of Alfonso II of Naples and Ippolita Maria Sforza. Sophia's paternal grandparents were Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II of Germany and his wife Elisabeth (II) of Bohemia.

Life

Between 22 and 25 February 1556 she married Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.^[1] He had previously been married to Mary of Württemberg, with whom he had eight children. This marriage proved childless. On June 11, 1568 Sophia was widowed. After the death of her husband Sophia moved to the families house in Schöningen. Shortly after, she fell into dispute with her stepson Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; the conflict, which concerned the scope of princely rule in Schöningen, ended on January 17, 1572 when they signed an agreement. Julius did not honor the terms of the agreement and 1573, Sophia had to ask for help from Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.

In the spring of 1570 Sophia converted to Lutheranism and was the only Lutheran in the Jagiellonian dynasty.

She died on 28 May 1575 at Schöningen. She was buried in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wolfenbüttel.

Ancestry

References