Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach (12 May 1529 – 2 November 1575) was a princess of

Brandenburg-Ansbach The Principality or Margraviate of (Brandenburg-)Ansbach (german: Fürstentum Ansbach or ) was a principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Franconian city of Ansbach. The ruling Hohenzollern princes of the land were known as margrave ...

and Electress of Brandenburg by marriage.

Life

Sabina was the daughter of

George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach George of Brandenburg-Ansbach (German: ''Georg''; 4 March 1484 – 27 December 1543), known as George the Pious (''Georg der Fromme''), was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from the House of Hohenzollern. Biography Early life He was bo ...

(1484–1543) from his second marriage to

Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels Hedwig of Munsterberg-Oels ( cz, Hedvika Minstrberská; 10/12 June 1508, Oleśnica – 28 November 1531, Legnica) was born Duchess of Münsterberg and Oleśnica and Countess of Kladsko and by marriage Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach. ...

(1508–1531), daughter of the Duke Charles I of Münsterberg-Oels. The princess was brought up by her stepmother Emilie of Saxony in the Lutheran faith. On 12 February 1548 Sabina married Elector

John George of Brandenburg John George of Brandenburg (german: Johann Georg von Brandenburg; 11 September 1525 – 8 January 1598) was a prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1571–1598). Early life Born as a member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was th ...

(1525–1598) in Ansbach. His first wife

Sophie of Legnica Princess Sophie of Legnica (1525 – 6 February 1546) was wife and consort of the Elector of Brandenburg. Early life Born into the House of Schlesien-Piast, she was the daughter of Frederick II, Duke of Legnica, Brzeg, and Wohlau, and h ...

was Sabina's cousin. The day before the wedding ceremony, she solemnly renounced her possible paternal inheritance. The district, city and castle of

Plauen Plauen (; Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest city in the S ...

were made over to her as 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 ...

. Since Plauen, like all districts of Brandenburg, was not free of debt, lengthy negotiations about the compensation for her dowry of 12,000 guilders led to the district and monastery of

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smallest borough by population, but the fourth largest by land ...

also being assigned to her. Sabina's husband was heir apparent to the

Electorate of Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

for 23 years. The couple spent this time on various castles in the territories of Brandenburg. The family's official residence was Zechlin castle in

Rheinsberg Rheinsberg () is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on lake and the river Rhin, approximately 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin. History F ...

near

Wittstock Wittstock/Dosse is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. Geography It is located in the eastern Prignitz region on the Dosse River near the confluence with its Glinze tributary, about east of Pritzwal ...

. Here Sabina cared for her own children and also for her stepson

Joachim Friedrich Joachim Frederick (27 January 1546 – 18 July 1608), of the House of Hohenzollern, was Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1598 until his death. Biography Joachim Frederick was born in Cölln to John George, Elector of Branden ...

, who later became Elector of Brandenburg. Sabina's thrifty life style caused Rheinsberg to prosper for a while. After Sabina's husband became Elector in 1571, she had an influence on religious affairs and was a patron of churches and schools. She supported the sick and the poor and had regular personal contact with the doctor Leonhard Thurneysser. Sabina died on 2 November 1575 and was buried in the

Berlin Cathedral The Berlin Cathedral (german: link=yes, Berliner Dom), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental German Evangelical church and dynastic tomb ( House of Hohenzollern) on the Museum Island in centra ...

Offspring

From her marriage Sabina had the following children:''Sabine Princess of Brandenburg'' in: tree.familyhistory.uk.com
etrieved 14 November 2015 # George Albert (19 February 1555 – 8 January 1557) # John (1557 – died young), twin with Albert # Albert (1557 – died young), twin with John # Magdalena Sabina (1559 – died young) # Erdmuthe (26 June 1561 – 13 November 1623), married in 1577 to Duke John Frederick of Pomerania # Marie (1562 – died young) # Hedwig (1563 – died young) # Magdalena (1564 – died young) # Margaret (1565 – died young) # Anna Maria (3 February 1567 – 4 November 1618), married in 1581 to Duke Barnim X of Pomerania # Sophie (6 June 1568 – 7 December 1622), married in 1582 to Elector Christian I of Saxony

Notes

References

* Daniel Martin Ernst Kirchner, ''The princesses and queens on the throne of the Hohenzollerns'', Part 2: ''The last eight princesses'', Berlin 1867

p. 4-31. , - {{Authority control 1529 births 1575 deaths Electresses of Brandenburg House of Hohenzollern Electoral Princesses of Brandenburg Burials at Berlin Cathedral Daughters of monarchs