John VII (; 7 March 1558 – 22 March 1592), sometimes called John V, was a

Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Ho ...

Biography

Johann was the son of

John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg John Albert I, in older literature known as ''John'' or'' Johann'' (23 December 1525 – 12 February 1576), was the reigning duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow from 1547 to 1556 and of Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1556 to ...

-Güstrow and Schwerin (1525–1576), and his wife Duchess

Anna Sophia of Prussia Anna Sophia of Prussia (11 June 1527 – 6 February 1591) was Duchess of Mecklenburg by marriage to John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg. Life Anna Sophie was born in Königsberg, the oldest and only surviving child of Duke Albert of Prussia ...

(1527–1591). He was eighteen years old when his father died. A

regency council In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

was appointed that ruled in his name for the next nine years. The regency handed over the actual rule of his territories to him in 1585. He immediately faced problems he was ill-equipped to deal with, including massive debt and his uncle

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

's demands for territorial concessions. After an especially harsh argument with his uncle, he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. Since suicides could not be buried in hallowed ground, a story was concocted which alleged that Johann had been killed by the devil as part of a pact with two women from

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

. The women were questioned: Katharina Wankelmuth, who died from the effects of torture, and Magdalena Rukitz, who was burned at the stake. Their condemnation as witches cleared the way for Johann's burial in

Schwerin Cathedral Schwerin Cathedral () is an Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral located in the town of Schwerin, Germany. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Along with St. Mary's Church, Lübeck and St. Nicholas' Church, Stralsund, it is one of th ...

Marriage and children

On 17 February 1588 Johann married Sophia (1 June 1569 – 14 November 1634), a daughter of

Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Adolf of Denmark or Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp (25 January 1526 –1 October 1586) was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg. He was the third son of King Frederick I of Denmark and ...

, and his wife

Christine of Hesse Christine of Hesse (29 June 1543 – 13 May 1604) was Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp as the spouse of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp. She exerted some political influence as a widow after 1586. Biography Christine was born in Kassel a ...

. They had three children: * Adolf Frederick I (15 December 1588 – 27 February 1658) * John Albert II (5 May 1590 – 23 April 1636) *Anna Sophia (19 September 1591 – 11 February 1648)

Ancestry

References

* Friedrich Wigger (1885) (in German)
"Stammtafeln des Großherzoglichen Hauses von Meklenburg"
In: ''Verein für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Altertumskunde: Jahrbücher des Vereins für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Altertumskunde''. – Band 50
p. 292
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johann 07 of Mecklenburg, Duke Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1558 births 1592 deaths Burials at Schwerin Cathedral Dukes of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Suicides in the Holy Roman Empire Royalty who died by suicide