Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1518, in

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest c ...

– 16 May 1574, in Crossen) was a Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by birth and by marriage Margravine of

Brandenburg-Küstrin The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Calle ...

Life

Catherine was a daughter of the Duke

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1489–1568) from his first marriage to Maria of Württemberg (1496–1541), daughter of Count

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

of Württemberg. She married on 11 November 1537 in Wolfenbüttel Margrave John of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1513–1571). Catherine was instrumental in the spread of the Reformation in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Catherine was considered extremely frugal and thrifty, and she actively supported her husband. She had several outbuildings in Küstrin and a kitchen garden. She had so-called "wild garden" in a suburb of Küstrin and other goods in Schaumburg, Drew and her favorite seat

Dębno Dębno (german: Neudamm) is a town in Myślibórz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship in western Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 13,443. After the Migration Period, the area was populated by West Slavic peoples sinc ...

, a gift from her husband. Catherine settled Dutch religious refugees in Dębno, which started a vibrant cloth-making industry. She built a school and a church and in 1562, Dębno was granted a city charter. Catherine, who was described as very popular, was known by the population as ''Mother Kate''. She founded the first pharmacy in

Ośno Lubuskie Ośno Lubuskie (german: Drossen) is a town in Słubice County, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland. It has 3,951 inhabitants (2019). Geography Ośno Lubuskie is located near the river Łęcza and the lake Reczynek. It is located in the historic Lubusz ...

and built another in Küstrin from which she provided the poor with free medicine. Catherine built numerous farms and dairies, which she administered herself and she also sold the harvest herself. Catherine died in 1574. Her grave was discovered in 1999 in the ruins of the parish church in Küstrin by archaeologists from

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

. The ("Catherine Street") in Berlin-

Halensee Halensee () is a ''locality'' (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the district (''Bezirk'') of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Halensee was established as a villa and tenement settlement in about 1880, in the suburb of Wilmersdorf, which became part of Great ...

is named after her.

Issue

From her marriage to John, Catherine had two daughters: * Elisabeth (1540–1578) : married in 1558

George Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach George Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach (german: Georg Friedrich der Ältere; 5 April 1539 in Ansbach – 25 April 1603) was Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach a ...

(1539–1603) *

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

(1549–1602) : married in 1570

Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg 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 ...

(1546–1608)

References

* K. W. Kutschbach: ''Chronik der Stadt Küstrin'', Enslin, 1849, p. 45 ff * Ernst Helwing: ''Geschichte des brandenburgischen Staats'', 1834, p. 64
digitized

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Catherine of, Margravine of Brandenburg-Kustrin

Margravines of Germany 1518 births 1574 deaths Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism