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Catherine Of Mecklenburg
Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487 – 6 June 1561, Torgau), was a Duchess of Saxony by marriage to Henry IV, Duke of Saxony. She was the daughter of the Duke Magnus II of Mecklenburg and Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin. Life She married on 6 July 1512 in Freiberg Duke Henry the Pious of Saxony. Catherine sympathized early with Martin Luther's teachings, while her husband suppressed the Reformation until 1536 for fear of his brother, the reigning Duke George the Bearded. Later, the Freiberg area became Lutheran. When duke George tried bear down on Catherine, she told the envoy: ''You could do me a big favor by leaving Freiberg right now''. In 1539, after the death of Duke George, the couple moved to Dresden and brought the Reformation there. Duke Henry died on 18 August 1541; Catherine outlived him by 20 years. She spent her days in Wolkenstein castle. In 1560, she published a book on etiquette for ladies, which is culturally and historically very interesting. Issue She h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucas Cranach The Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder (german: Lucas Cranach der Ältere ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm. He was a close friend of Martin Luther. Cranach also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from mythology and religion. Cranach had a large workshop and many of his works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger and others continued to create versions of his father's works for decades after his death. He has been considered the most successful German artist of his time. Early life He was born at Kronach in uppe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georg, Duke Of Saxony
George the Bearded ( Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were reluctant to do so. Despite George's efforts to avoid a succession by a Lutheran upon his death in 1539, he could not prevent it from happening. Under the Act of Settlement of 1499, Lutheran Henry IV became the new duke. Upon his accession, Henry introduced Lutheranism as a state religion in the Albertine lands of Saxony. Duke George was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Life His father was Albert the Brave of Saxony, founder of the Albertine line of the Wettin family, his mother was Sidonie, daughter of George Podiebrad, King of Bohemia. Elector Frederick the Wise, a member of the Ernestine branch of the same family, known for his protection of Luther, was a cousin of Duke George. George, as the eldest son, received an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederick I, Elector Of Brandenburg
Frederick (Middle High German: ''Friderich'''','' Standard German: ''Friedrich''; 21 September 1371 – 20 September 1440) was the last Burgrave of Nuremberg from 1397 to 1427 (as Frederick VI), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1398, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach from 1420, and Elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick I) from 1415 until his death. He became the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Biography Frederick was born in Nuremberg, the second-born son of Burgrave Frederick V (1333–1398) and the Wettin princess Elisabeth of Meissen. He entered early into the service of his brother-in-law, the Habsburg duke Albert III of Austria. After Albert's death in 1395, he fought on the side of the Luxembourg king Sigismund of Hungary against invading Ottoman forces. He and his elder brother John, husband of Sigismund's sister Margaret of Bohemia, fought in the 1396 Battle of Nicopolis where they suffered a disastrous defe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catherine Of Saxe-Lauenburg, Duchess Of Mecklenburg
Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (born: circa 1400; died: 22 September 1450), was a Baroness consort of Werle-Güstrow, a Duchess consort of Mecklenburg, and Regent of the Duchy of Mecklenburg from 1422 to 1436 as the guardian of her under age sons. Life Catherine was the daughter of Eric IV and Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She married firstly, John VII of Werle. He died in 1414. She then married the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg in 1416. When John died in 1422, after six years of marriage, she ruled until 1436 as Regent for her minor sons. For a long time, a charter date July 1448 was the last known document to name Catherine. Then a charter surfaced which suggested she died in November. Around the turn of the Century, Hans Witte could finally prove she died on St. Maurice day (22 September) 1450. Issue From her marriage with John, Catherine had two sons: * Henry IV the Fat, Duke of Mecklenburg (1417 to 1477) * John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John IV, Duke Of Mecklenburg
John IV, Duke of Mecklenburg (before 1370 – 16 October 1422) was sole ruler of the Duchy of Mecklenburg from 1384 to 1395 and co-regent from 1395 to 1422. Life John IV was the only son of the Duke Magnus I of Mecklenburg and his wife Elisabeth of Pommern-Wolgast. Ernst Boll incorrectly refers to him as "John III" in his ''History of Mecklenburg'', Part 1. After the death of his father in 1384 and his cousin Albert IV in 1388, John ruled Mecklenburg jointly with his uncle Albert III (also a King of Sweden). When Albert III was captured by the Danes in 1389 in connection with his rule in Sweden, John ruled as sole Regent of Mecklenburg until Albert's release in 1395. After Albert's death in 1412, John ruled jointly with Albert's son Albert V. On 13 February 1419, John, Albert V of Mecklenburg and the Council of the City of Rostock founded the University of Rostock, the first university in northern Germany and in the entire Baltic region. He helped his uncle Albert II ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophia Of Pomerania-Stolp
Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp (1435 – 24 August 1497), was a Duchess of Pomerania by birth, and married to Eric II, Duke of Pomerania. Sophia was the daughter of Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania and Maria of Masovia. In 1446, her father died and was succeeded by his cousin, Eric of Pomerania, former King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Sophia became the heir of Eric of Pomerania's private fortune. In 1451, Sophia was married to Eric of Pomerania-Wolgast, making her spouse the heir of Eric of Pomerania's territories, while Sophia remained the heir of Eric of Pomerania's private fortune. At the death of Eric of Pomerania in 1459, Sophia's husband united Pomerania through the inheritance of Pomerania-Stolp and Pomerania-Rügenwalde by his marriage, while Sophia became the sole possessor of the vast fortune brought by Eric of Pomerania from his former kingdoms in Scandinavia, as well as the wealth he had acquired by his piracy activity on Gotland. As Eric refused to allow Sophia any of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric II, Duke Of Pomerania
Eric II or Erich II (between 1418 and 1425 – 5 July 1474) was a member of the House of Pomerania (also known as the House of Griffins) and was the ruling Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia, daughter of Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg. Life In 1451, Wartislaw IX arranged his son's marriage to Sophia, daughter of Bogislaw IX of Pomerania-Stolp and heiress of Eric I of Pomerania-Stolp, who had also been king of the Kalmar Union. The marriage of these distant relatives granted Eric II access to Eric I's lands in Farther Pomerania. Also, Eric I arranged the Lauenburg-Bütow Land at the Pomerelian border to be granted by the Polish king to Eric II on 3 January 1455 as a reward for aiding Poland in her struggles with the Teutonic Knights. In 1456, Eric took over Maszewo Land in Farther Pomerania, despite Wassow being not included in his share of Pomerania. This led to conflicts with Otto III, Duke of Pomera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorothea Of Brandenburg, Duchess Of Mecklenburg
Dorothea of Brandenburg (9 February 1420 – 19 January 1491) was a princess of Brandenburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of Mecklenburg. Life Dorothea was born in Berlin, a daughter of the Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg (1371–1440) from his marriage to Elisabeth (1383–1442), daughter of Duke Frederick of Bayern-Landshut. Dorothea's brothers were Electors Frederick II and Albert Achilles, who successively ruled Brandenburg. In May 1432, Dorothea married Duke Henry IV of Mecklenburg (1417–1477). She received as dowry Dömitz and Gorlosen, which her sister Margaret had also received when she married into the House of Mecklenburg. Margaret's husband, Albet V, however, had died shortly after the marriage. When a dispute arose later between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg about the inheritance of the principality of Wenden, the family ties between Duke Henry and Elector Frederick made it easier to reach a settlement. Henry IV died in 1477. After 1485 Dorothea li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry IV, Duke Of Mecklenburg
Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg (1417 – 9 March 1477) was from 1422 to 1477 Duke of Mecklenburg. Life Henry IV of Mecklenburg, because of his obesity and lavish lifestyle also called the "Henry the Fat", was the son of the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg. He inherited Mecklenburg when his father died in 1422. His mother, Catherine, and his uncle, Albert V, acted as Regents until 1436. He then ruled jointly with his brother John V, until his brothers death in 1442. In May 1432, he married Dorothea of Brandenburg, the daughter of Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg. With the death of Prince William of Werle in 1436, the male line of the Werle branch of the House of Mecklenburg died out, and Werle fell to the Duchy of Mecklenburg. After Duke Ulrich II of Mecklenburg-Stargard died in 1471, Mecklenburg was again united under one ruler. The Stettin War of Succession between the Pomeranian Dukes and the Brandenburg Electors ended in late May 1472 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magnus II, Duke Of Mecklenburg-Schwerin And Güstrow
Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow (1441 – 20 November 1503) was duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1477 until his death. Biography He was the son of Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Dorothea of Brandenburg, daughter of Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg. Duke Henry IV had re-united the Mecklenburg lands under his rule through his inheritance of the former Lordships of Werle and Stargard in 1436 and 1471, respectively. Near the end of his life, Henry IV devoted more and more time to hedonistic luxury, while Magnus and his brothers Albert and John took over the most active share in the business of government. John died in 1474 leaving a grieving widow, Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin, daughter of Eric II of Pomerania, whom Magnus married himself on 29 May 1478. After Henry died in 1477, Magnus ruled the Duchy jointly with Albert. After Albert died in 1483, Magnus ruled alone, as his younger brother Balthasar did not care at all about governing. Magnu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Of Denmark, Electress Of Saxony
Anne of Denmark (Danish and German: Anna; Haderslev, 22 November 1532 – Dresden, 1 October 1585) was a Danish princess from the House of Oldenburg. Through her marriage with Augustus of Saxony she became Electress of Saxony. She was renowned for her knowledge of plants and her skill in the preparation of herbal remedies, and contributed to the development of farming and horticulture in Saxony. She was a major influence in the introduction of orthodox Lutheranism and played a role in the decision to persecute Calvinists. Childhood Anna of Denmark was a daughter of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and his wife Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Her mother taught her the basic principles of gathering medicinal plants and preparing herbal remedies. After the introduction of Protestantism in Denmark-Norway in 1537, she was raised as a strict orthodox Lutheran. In March 1548 she became betrothed to Augustus of Saxony, the younger brother and possible heir of Elector Maurice of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agnes Of Hesse
Agnes of Hesse (31 May 1527 – 4 November 1555) was a princess of Hesse by birth and by marriage Electress of Saxony. Life Agnes was a daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, and his first wife, Christine of Saxony. She married Maurice, Duke (and later Elector) of Saxony, on 9 January 1541. From this marriage, she had two children: Anna of Saxony (23 December 1544 – 18 December 1577) and Albert (28 November 1545 – 12 April 1546). The marriage between the two was not arranged by their parents but was initiated by Maurice and Agnes themselves, which at the time was highly unusual. Their surviving letters document the continuing friendship and mutual trust between the spouses. Agnes was also informed about the political plans of her husband. After her mother Christine's death in 1549, she took on the education of her younger siblings. Elector Maurice died on 9 July 1553 from his injuries in the Battle of Sievershausen. On 26 May 1555, Agnes married her second hu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
