Dorothea of Denmark (1 August 1504 – 11 April 1547), was a Duchess of Prussia by marriage to Duke

Albert, Duke of Prussia Albert of Prussia (; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th grand master of the Teutonic Knights and, after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the secularized state that emerged fr ...

. She was the 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 Catholic monarch to reign over Denmark and Norway, when subsequent monarchs embraced Lutheranism after the Protestant Reformatio ...

and

Anna of Brandenburg Margravine Anna of Brandenburg (27 August 1487 – 3 May 1514) was a noblewoman from the Holy Roman Empire. Margravine Anna was the daughter of John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia. She was born in Berlin, Branden ...

Life

After her father's accession to the throne in 1523 a marriage was suggested to the English claimant to the throne, Duke Richard of Suffolk, who was supported by King Francis of France, but without success. In 1525, she received a proposal from the newly made Duke of Prussia. The marriage was arranged by her father's German

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Wolfgang von Utenhof. The wedding was conducted 12 February 1526 and Dorothea arrived with a large entourage in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

in June. Dorothea had a very good relationship with Albert and this contributed to a good and active contact between Denmark and Prussia which continued during her brother's reign and until her death. Dorothea and her spouse corresponded with her brother, the king of Denmark, and acted as his political advisors. Dorothea and Albert were present at the coronation of

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in 1537; they also acted as foster-parents of her nephew Duke Hans of Denmark in 1536–1542. The

Königsberg Cathedral Königsberg Cathedral (; ) is a Brick Gothic-style monument in Kaliningrad, Russia, located on Kneiphof island in the Pregolya river. It is the most significant preserved building of the former city of Königsberg, which was largely destroyed in ...

has a monument of her.

Issue

* Anna Sophia (11 June 1527 – 6 February 1591), married John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. *Katharina (b. and d. 24 February 1528). *Frederick Albert (5 December 1529 – 1 January 1530). *Lucia Dorothea (8 April 1531 – 1 February 1532). *Lucia (3 February 1537 – May 1539). *Albert (b. and d. March 1539).

References

Dansk biografisk Lexikon / IV. Bind. Clemens - Eynden
(in Danish)

External links

, - {{Authority control House of Oldenburg in Denmark Princesses of Denmark 1547 deaths 1504 births Duchesses of Prussia House of Hohenzollern Daughters of kings Children of Frederick I of Denmark Daughters of dukes