Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1442 – 8 April 1512 in
Wienhausen
Wienhausen is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is known for Wienhausen Abbey
Wienhausen Abbey or Convent () near Celle in Lower Saxony, Germany, is a community of Evangelical Lutheran women, which until t ...
) was a princess of
Brunswick-Lüneburg by birth and by marriage a Duchess of
Mecklenburg-Stargard.
Life
Margaret was a daughter of the Duke
Frederick II of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1418–1478) from his marriage to
Magdalene (1412–1454), the daughter of Elector
Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I ...
of Brandenburg.
In 1452, Margaret became the third wife of the Duke
Henry of Mecklenburg-Stargard (1412–1466). As a dowry she brought with her , which her husband doubled. After her husband's death, she lived on her
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 ...
in
Plau am See
Plau am See () is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It is situated east of Parchim, and west of Waren.
Etymology
Around 1235 the town was called Plawe, that being the Pola ...
, which Henry had promised to her.
With the death of her stepson
Ulrich II the Mecklenburg-Stargard line died out and the indebted country fell to
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...
, which was not responsible for the maintenance of Stargard's widow. Margaret then lived in Celle for a while. The dispute between the houses of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Mecklenburg-Schwerin about her jointure at Plau am See dragged on until her death.
Margaret spent her 46-year-long widowhood in abject poverty. In letters to their relatives, they said that they would suffer even hunger and thirst. In 1499 she was, under pressure from the Dukes of Brunswick, admitted as a permanent resident to
Wienhausen Abbey
Wienhausen Abbey or Convent () near Celle in Lower Saxony, Germany, is a community of Evangelical Lutheran women, which until the Reformation was a Cistercian Catholic nunnery. The abbey owns significant artworks and artifacts, including a colle ...
. She was financially supported by her sister-in-law
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
, the widow of her brother
Otto V, who sent her only 12 guilders per year.
She died on 8 April 1512 in Wienhausen and was buried there in the Chapel of All Saints.
Issue
From her marriage Margaret had two daughters:
* Magdalene (1461–1532)
: married firstly, in 1475, with Duke
Wartislaw X of Pomerania (1435–1478)
: married secondly, in 1482, with Count Burkhard of Barby-Mühlingen (d. 1505)
* Anna (1465–1498), a nun in Ribnitz Monastery
Ancestors
References
* Verein für Mecklenburgische Geschichte und Alterthumskunde, Schwerin: ''Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher'', vols. 24–25, 1859, p. 33 ff.
* Martina Schattkowsky: ''Witwenschaft in der frühen Neuzeit: fürstliche und adlige Witwen zwischen Fremd- und Selbstbestimmung'', Leipziger Universitätsverlag, 2003, p. 106
External links
* http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1450.htm
* http://www.emecklenburg.de/Niklot/i0392.htm
1442 births
1512 deaths
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 ...
Duchesses of Mecklenburg-Stargard
15th-century German people
15th-century German women
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 ...
Daughters of dukes
{{Germany-duchess-stub