Maria Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (6 June 1634, in
Gottorp Castle – 17 June 1665, in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
), was by marriage
landgravine of
Hesse-Darmstadt
Life
Mary Elizabeth was a daughter of the
Frederick III of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1597–1659) from his marriage to
Duchess Marie Elisabeth of Saxony (1610–1684), a daughter of
John George I, Elector of Saxony.
She married on 24 November 1650 at Gottorp Castle, Louis, who later became
Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1630–1678), whom she had engaged on his birthday in 1649. On the occasion of the wedding, the last
sword dance in Hesse was performed at a festival in
Lollar.
His father drew Louis into the government business in the year after their marriage in 1651. Louis succeeded his father in 1661. Louis tied extensive political relations with Sweden via Maria Elizabeth's sister
Hedvig Eleonora
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (23 October 1636 – 24 November 1715) was Queen of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 as the wife of King Charles X Gustav. She served as regent during the minority of her son, King Charles XI, from 1660 until 1672, ...
, Queen of Sweden. Marie Elisabeth had eight children; she died in 1665 in child birth. Her death plunged Louis into deep mourning. He wrote some poems in memory of his wife.
Offspring
From her marriage, Marie Elisabeth had the following children:
*
Magdalena Sybille (1652–1712)
: married in 1673 Duke
William Louis of Württemberg (1647–1677)
* Sophie Eleonore (born and died 1653)
* George (1654–1655)
*
Marie Elisabeth (1656–1715)
: married in 1676 Duke
Henry of Saxe-Römhild (1650–1710)
*
Auguste Magdalene (1657–1674)
*
Louis VII
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
(1658–1678),
Landgrave of
Hesse-Darmstadt
*
Frederick (1659–1676)
*
Marie Sophie (1661–1712)
: married in 1681 Duke
Christian of Saxe-Eisenberg (1653–1707)
Sources
Heinrich Zehfu: ''antiquity of the royal capital Darmstadt'', p. 60(in German)
magazine for German cultural history, p. 345(in German)
Georg Friedrich Teuthorn: ''extensive history of Hesse'', p. 582(in German)
{{Authority control
1634 births
1665 deaths
People from Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein
House of Holstein-Gottorp
Deaths in childbirth
Daughters of monarchs