Anna Sophia of Prussia (11 June 1527 – 6 February 1591) was Duchess of

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

by marriage to

John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg, in older literature known as ''John'' or'' Johann'' (23 December 1525 – 12 February 1576), was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow from 1547 to 1556 and of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1556 to 1576. I ...

Life

Anna Sophie was born 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 named ...

, the oldest and only surviving child of Duke

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

of Prussia (1490-1568) from his first marriage with

Dorothea Dorothea (also spelled Dorothée, Dorotea or other variants) is a female given name from Greek (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift". It may refer to: People * Dorothea Binz (1920–1947), German concentration camp officer executed for war cri ...

(1504-1547), a daughter of King

Frederick I of Denmark Frederick I (Danish and ; ; ; 7 October 1471 – 10 April 1533) was King of Denmark and Norway. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over Denmark and Norway, when subsequent monarchs embraced Lutheranism after the Protestant Refor ...

. From her mother, she received an extensive education in

naturopathy Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturop ...

and

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

. Already in 1546, the estates of Prussia agreed to a so-called "dowry tax" to provide the

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

of guilders she would receive when she married. She married on 24 February 1555 in

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...

to Duke John Albert I of Mecklenburg (1525-1576). As a wedding gift, her father mediated in a dispute between her husband and his brother

Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg or Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (5 March 1527 – 14 March 1603) was Duke of Mecklenburg ( -Güstrow) from 1555-56 to 1603. Early life Ulrich was the third son of Duke Albrecht VII and Anna of Brandenburg. U ...

. On the occasion of his marriage, Duke John Albert I had the Fürstenhof Palace in

remodeled in a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

style. After the wedding, John Albert I and his bride moved into this palace. John Albert I and Anna Sophia had three sons; she was described as a loving mother.Friedrich August von Rudloff: ''Neuere Geschichte von Mecklenburg'', Stiller, 1822, S. 27 John Albert I remained a loyal ally to his father-in-law, in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

as well as 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 ...

. Since Duke Albert had no surviving sons of his own, he attempted several times, unsuccessfully, to make John Albert I his heir and successor in the Duchy of Prussia. After John Albert I died in 1576, Anna Sophia retired to her

Wittum Wittum (), Widum or Witthum is a medieval Latin legal term, known in marital and ecclesiastical law. Provide for a widow at the wedding The term referred initially to steps taken by a husband to provide for his wife if she became a widow. The wi ...

Lübz Lübz is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 12 km northeast of Parchim. It is home to the Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz, the largest local employer and on ...

, where she died in 1591. She was buried in

Schwerin Cathedral Schwerin Cathedral (german: Schweriner Dom) is an Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral located in the town of Schwerin, Germany. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Along with St. Mary's Church, Lübeck and St. Nicholas' Church, Stra ...

Issue

Anna Sophia and her husband had three sons: * Albert (1556–1561), titular Duke of Mecklenburg * John VII (1558-1592), ruling Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1576 to 1592, married in 1588 to Duchess

Sophia of Holstein-Gottorp Sophia of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1 June 1569 at Gottorf Castle – 14 November 1634 in Schwerin) was regent of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1603 to 1608. Life Sophia was the eldest daughter of Duke Adolph of Holstein-Gottorp ...

(1569-1634) *

Sigismund August Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

, (1560–1600), titular Duke of Mecklenburg, married in 1593 to Duchess Maria Clara of Pomerania-Barth (1574-1623)

References

* Karl Friedrich Pauli: ''Allgemeine preussische Staatsgeschichte'', C. P. Francken, 1762, p. 458 * Dietmar Willoweit, Hans Lemberg: ''Reiche und Territorien in Ostmitteleuropa: historische Beziehungen und politische Herrschaftslegitimation'', Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich, 2006, p. 64 f.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prussia, Anna Sophia of Anna Sophia Anna Sophia 1527 births 1591 deaths 16th-century German people Nobility from Königsberg Burials at Schwerin Cathedral