Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

Elizabeth of Denmark
Portrait by Cornelius Krommeny, 1578
Born	(1524-10-14)14 October 1524 Denmark
Died	15 October 1586(1586-10-15)
Spouse	Magnus III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Issue	Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
House	Oldenburg
Father	Frederick I of Denmark
Mother	Sophie of Pomerania

Elisabeth of Denmark (14 October 1524 – 15 October 1586) was Danish princess and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and later of Mecklenburg-Güstrow through marriage. She was the elder daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and his second spouse Sophie of Pomerania.

Biography

Elizabeth was raised at the royal Danish court of her half brother and described as an extraordinary beauty. In 1542 she was engaged, and on 26 August 1543 Elizabeth was married to Duke Magnus III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4 July 1509 – 28 January 1550). This marriage was childless. She returned to Denmark in 1551 and stayed there until her second marriage in 1556.

Secondly, she married on 14 February 1556 Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and had the only daughter Sophie, who married King Frederick II of Denmark in 1572. Her relationship to Ulrich is described as a happy one.

Elizabeth made frequent visits to the Danish royal court, and also to her former sister in law queen dowager Dorothea. After her daughter became Queen of Denmark in 1572, her visits to Denmark became longer. She is described as kind, sensible, religious and practical. She was also active in Mecklenburg-Güstrow: she reconstructed the churches in Güstrow and Doberan and protected hospitals and convents. She died on return from one of her visits to Denmark.

Legacy

Elizabeth's granddaughter Anne of Denmark married King James I of England. Thus every British monarch since has been her direct descendant, the present Queen Elizabeth II being queen of 16 independent nations.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

16. Christian V, Count of Oldenburg

8. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg

17. Agnes of Hohnstein-Heringen

4. Christian I of Denmark

18. Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg

9. Helvig of Schauenburg

19. Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg

2. Frederick I of Denmark

20. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg

10. John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach

21. Elisabeth of Bavaria

5. Dorothea of Brandenburg

22. Rudolph III, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg

11. Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg

23. Barbara of Legnica

1. Elizabeth of Denmark

24. Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania

12. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania

25. Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg

6. Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania

26. Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania

13. Sophie of Pomerania

27. Maria of Masovia

3. Sophie of Pomerania

28. Jogaila

14. Casimir IV Jagiellon

29. Sophia of Halshany

7. Anna Jagiellon

30. Albert II of Germany

15. Elisabeth of Austria

31. Elizabeth of Luxembourg

References

(in Danish) Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon

Literature

Elisabeth, Hertuginde av Meklenborg. In: Dansk biografisk leksikon. Vol. 4, pp. 497f. (digitalised)
Grewolls, Grete (2011). Wer war wer in Mecklenburg und Vorpommern. Das Personenlexikon (in German). Rostock: Hinstorff Verlag. p. 2457. ISBN 978-3-356-01301-6.

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