Elisabeth of Denmark (25 August 1573 – 19 July 1625) was duchess consort of Brunswick-Lüneburg as married to Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was regent of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in place of her incapacitated son Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1616–1622.

Life

She was the eldest daughter of King

Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark-Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1559 until his death in 1588. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Fre ...

and his spouse

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King ...

. First raised with her maternal grandparents, she returned to Denmark in 1579. Scottish ambassadors had at first concentrated their suit on Elisabeth as a prospective wife for King

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

, but King Frederick betrothed Elisabeth to the Duke of Brunswick, promising the Scots instead that "for the second daughter

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

, if the King did like her, he should have her". There were also other suitors for the princess. In addition to James VI of Scotland,

Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

Matthias of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(later Emperor Matthias) also had plans for a marriage to her, and during a visit to Denmark in February

1587 Events January–March * January 7 – Sir Walter Raleigh appoints John White to be the Governor of the Roanoke Colony, to be established later in the year by English colonists on Roanoke Island off the coast of what is now the U ...

, he had spoken to Frederick II about this, but nothing came of it, unknown for what reason. Presumably there have been religious concerns about this. She was married on 19 April 1590 at

Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...

to Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. James VI gave gifts of jewels at the wedding worth 4,000 Danish dalers. When her future spouse first arrived for the wedding in 1590, he disguised himself as a jeweler; he presented her with jewelry, and stated that prize was her body. As a result, he was thrown in jail until he could prove his identity and explain that it had been a joke. As duchess, she remained in close correspondence with her brother, the Danish monarch. In September 1598 Scottish ambassadors David Cunningham and

Peter Young Peter or Pete Young may refer to: Sports * Peter Dalton Young (1927–2002), English rugby union player * Peter Young (cricketer, born 1961), Australian cricketer * Pete Young (born 1968), American baseball player * Peter Young (rugby league) (fl. ...

came to

Gröningen Priory Gröningen Priory () was a Benedictine monastery, located west of Gröningen in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The abbey church is part of the Romanesque Road scenic route. History

The monastery was founded upon the death of King Henry t ...

seeking support for James VI's succession to the English throne. Henry Julius gave a cautious reply and in a separate letter Elizabeth replied that she had been ill for several months and had made a moderate recovery.Annie I. Cameron, ''Warrender Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1932), pp. 374-7. After the death of her husband in 1613, she reigned in her dowry. In 1616, she removed her son, Frederick Ulrich, from the government with the support of her brother, Christian IV of Denmark-Norway, because of his alcoholism. She resumed the regency, and she remained in charge for the next six years, assisted by Anton von Streithorst. She received a visit from her brother Christian in 1616. In 1617, she founded the Retreat for the Poor with a chapel, ''Elisabeth Stift''. During the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

(1618–1648) the castle was raided and was not repaired until 1654.

Issue

Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Frederick Ulrich (German Friedrich Ulrich, 5 April 1591 – 11 August 1634), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1613 until his death. Life Frederick Ulrich was the son of Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel a ...

(15 April 1591 – 21 August 1634) # Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (20 February 1592 – 23 January 1642), married

Ernest Casimir, Prince of Nassau-Dietz Ernest Casimir (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. Biography He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and Countess Elisabeth of Leuch ...

Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ( ...

(23 June 1593 – 25 March 1650), married Augustus, Duke of Saxony, and John Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg # Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (19 February 1595 – 26 June 1650), married Ulrich, Duke of Pomerania # Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (8 July 1596 – 1 September 1643), married

Christian William of Brandenburg Christian Wilhelm of Brandenburg (28 August 1587 – 1 January 1665) was a titular Margrave of Brandenburg, and from 1598 to 1631 Archbishop of Diocese of Magdeburg, Magdeburg. Life Christian Wilhelm was a son of Elector Joachim Frederick, ...

, son of

Joachim III 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 Brand ...

# Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (7 October 1597 – 11 July 1606) # Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (20 September 1599 – 16 July 1626) # Rudolph of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (15 June 1602 – 13 June 1616) # Heinrich Karl of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (4 September 1609 – 11 June 1615) # Anna Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (19 May 1612 – 17 February 1673), married George Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

Ancestry

References

Dansk biografisk Lexikon / IV. Bind. Clemens - Eynden
(in Danish) {{Authority control Middle House of Brunswick Princesses from Denmark–Norway Duchesses of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1573 births 1626 deaths 17th-century women regents 17th-century regents Children of Frederick II of Denmark Daughters of kings Mothers of German monarchs Regents in the Holy Roman Empire Duchesses in the Holy Roman Empire