Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg (11 September 1494 in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

– 2 April 1572 in

Geldern Geldern (; , , ; archaic English: ''Guelder(s)'') is a city in the States of Germany, federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the Kleve (district), district of Kleve, which is part of the Düsseldorf (region), Düsseldorf Reg ...

) was a Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

Life

Elizabeth was a daughter of Duke

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

of Brunswick-Luneburg (1468–1532) from his marriage to

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

(1469–1528), daughter of Elector

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

of Saxony. Elizabeth married on 7 December 1518 in Celle to

Charles II, Duke of Guelders Charles II (9 November 1467 – 30 June 1538) was a member of the House of Egmond who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492 until his death. He had a principal role in the Frisian peasant rebellion and the Guelders Wars. Life ...

(1467–1538). In the marriage contract Charles had kept open the line of succession in Lorraine. Elisabeth was promised a

jointure Jointure was a legal concept used largely in late mediaeval and early modern Britain, denoting the estate given to a married couple by the husband's family. One of its most important functions was providing a livelihood for the wife if she became ...

consisting of the distring and city of

, plus an annual pension of 4000 gold guilders. The marriage remained childless. On 1528 in Gorinchem, Charles II of Guelders reached a compromise with Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

: Charles II would retain the Duchy of Guelders for the rest of his life, however, when he died, Charles V would inherit the Duchy.Theodor Joseph Lacomblet and Woldemar Harless: ''Archiv für die geschichte des Niederrheins'', vol. 5, Heberle, 1866, p. 27 Elisabeth survived her husband by 34 years. She resided at 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 ...

in Geldern. As a devote Catholic, she supported her local parish church and the church in neighbouring

Kerken Kerken with the towns of Aldekerk, Eyll, Nieukerk and Stenden, is a municipality in the Cleves (district), district of Kleve in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 15 km no ...

generously, with monetary gifts and gifts in kind. In 1566, she suppressed an attempt to introduce the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in her territory. She died in Geldern on 2 April 1572 and was buried under the high altar of her parish church. A grave monument had been planned during her lifetime, however, it was not completed.

Life

Ancestors

References

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Further reading