Anna of Mecklenburg (14 October 15334 July 1602), was a

Duchess consort of Courland Duchess of Courland House of Kettler, 1561–1737 House of Biron, 1737–1740 * Council of the Duke, 1740–58 House of Wettin, 1758–1763 *Charles of Saxony, Duke of Courland, None, although Charles of Saxony was morganatically marrie ...

by marriage to the Duke of Courland,

Gotthard Kettler Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland (also ''Godert'', ''Ketteler'', german: Gotthard Kettler, Herzog von Kurland; 2 February 1517 – 17 May 1587) was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia. Biography ...

. She was the daughter of

Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg Albrecht VII, the Handsome, Duke of Mecklenburg in Güstrow (25 July 1486 – 5 January 1547), was a minor ruler in North Germany of the 16th century. He also asserted claims to Scandinavian thrones based on the royal lineage of the House of ...

and

Anna of Brandenburg Margravine Anna of Brandenburg (27 August 1487 – 3 May 1514) was a German noblewoman. Margravine Anna was the daughter of John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia. She was born in Berlin, Brandenburg, and died in Kiel ...

. Anna is the first woman in

Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...

whose life story is entirely historically confirmed.

Biography

Anna was raised in the Lutheran faith in Mecklenburg, where the reformation had recently been introduced. She married the Duke of Courland,

, on 11 March 1566 in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

. Her marriage was very late for a princess of her period. The marriage was initiated in 1564, and the alliance between Courland and Mecklenburg brought both wealth and important foreign connections to Germany to the recently founded Duchy of Courland. Anna and Gotthard lived with their household in Riga from their wedding until 1578, when the first Ducal Palace of Mitau was ready to live in. Anna of Mecklenburg was described as a well educated cultural patron, who is credited for having played an important role in the development of art in the new state of Courland. In this role, she is credited with having commissioned the art of local churches from local artists rather than foreign artists, which had been the normal in Courland. She is also credited with having organized the first Ducal court. She corresponded with her relatives in Germany, maintaining foreign diplomatic connections to the Duchy. She was widowed in 1587. In 1598, she visited her brother in Gustrow.

Children

She had the following children: * Anna Kettler (1567–1617); married in 1586 to Albrecht Radziwiłł. *

Friedrich Kettler Friedrich Kettler ( Latvian: Frīdrihs Ketlers, 25 November 1569 in Mitau (now Jelgava) – 17 August 1642) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia (Latvian: ''Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste'', now part of Latvia) from 1587 to 1642. He was the son ...

(1569–1642); married in 1600

Elisabeth Magdalena of Pomerania Elisabeth Magdalena of Pomerania (14 June 1580 – 23 February 1649), was a Duchess consort of Courland by marriage to Friedrich Kettler. Elisabeth Magdalena was the daughter of Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Pomerania and of Princess Sophie Hedwig ...

, no issue. *

Wilhelm Kettler Wilhelm Kettler (20 June 1574 – 7 April 1640) was the Duke of Courland, a Baltic German region in today's Latvia. Wilhelm ruled the western Courland portion of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, while his brother Friedrich ruled the ea ...

(1574–1640); married in 1609 Sophia of Brandenburg-Prussia: **

Jacob Kettler Jacob Kettler (german: link=no, Jakob von Kettler) (Latvian: Hercogs Jēkabs Ketlers) (28 October 1610 – 1 January 1682) was one of the greatest Baltic German Dukes of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1642–1682). He was intelligent, sp ...

; succeeded as

Duke of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

. Married Margravine Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg and had issue.

References

* Julia Trinkert,
Herzogin Anna von Mecklenburg–Kurland (1533–1602) – Ambitionierte Kunstvermittlerin Am Kurländischen Hofe Des Ausgehenden 16. Jarhundrets?
' {{Authority control 1533 births 1602 deaths 16th-century Latvian people Duchesses of Courland Burials in the Ducal Crypt of the Jelgava Palace 16th-century Latvian women Daughters of monarchs