Maria of Saxony (; 15 December 1515 in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

– 7 January 1583 in

Wolgast Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast that can be accessed ...

) was a member of the Ernestine line of the house Wettin and a Princess of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Pomerania.

Life

Mary was the eldest daughter of the Elector John "the Steadfast" of Saxony (1468–1532) from his second marriage to

Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen Margaret of Anhalt (12 November 1494, Köthen – 7 October 1521, Weimar) was a member of the House of Ascania and was a princess of Anhalt by birth and by marriage Duchess of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony. Life Margaret was a daughter of P ...

(1494–1521), daughter Prince of Waldemar VI of Anhalt-Zerbst. She married on 27 February 1536 in

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

Duke

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) ( ...

of Pomerania (1515–1560). The marriage of the couple is depicted on the so-called Croÿ Tapestry, which shows, in addition to the bridal couple and their families, the Reformers

Johannes Bugenhagen Johannes Bugenhagen (24 June 1485 – 20 April 1558), also called ''Doctor Pomeranus'' by Martin Luther, was a German theologian and Lutheran priest who introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th ...

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

, and

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...

. The tapestry comes from Cranach's workshop and is now in the

Pomerania State Museum The Pomeranian State Museum () in Greifswald, Western Pomerania, is a public museum primarily dedicated to Pomeranian history and arts. The largest exhibitions show archeological findings and artefacts from the Pomerania region and paintings, ...

in Greifswald. During the ceremony, Martin Luther is reported to have dropped one of the rings, whereupon he exclaimed, "Hey, devils, this is none of your business!" The marriage of Philip with Maria was meant to ally Pomerania with Saxony, which was leading the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

faction in the

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

. The marriage had been mediated by the Reformer Johannes Bugenhagen. Later that year, Pomerania joined the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheranism, Lutheran Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, principalities and cities within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. It received its name from the town of Schm ...

. After her husband's death Mary, who had been promised the district of the

Pudagla Pudagla is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Geography and Transport Pudagla is located between the Achterwasser lagoon about 1500 metres to the west, the Schmollensee lake directly to t ...

as 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 ...

, initially continued living at Wolgast Castle. In 1569, her son Ernest Louis, took over the business of government in the Duchy and granted her the income from the land of the former monastery Pudagla as

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 ...

and in 1574, he built her

Pudagla Castle Pudagla is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Geography and Transport Pudagla is located between the Achterwasser lagoon about 1500 metres to the west, the Schmo ...

using materials from the demolished monastery buildings.Dirk Schleinert: ''Die Geschichte der Insel Usedom'', Hinstorff, Rostock, 2005, , p. 67f

Issue

From her marriage with Philip, Maria had the following children: # George (1540–1544) #

John Frederick I John Frederick I (, 30 June 1503 – 3 March 1554), called the Magnanimous (), was the Elector of Saxony (1532–1547) until he was deprived of this title in the Capitulation of Wittenberg by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was leading the Sch ...

(1542–1600), Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, married in 1577 Princess Erdmuthe of Brandenburg (1561–1623) #

Bogislaw XIII Bogislaw XIII (Bogusław XIII) of Pomerania (9 August 1544 – 7 March 1606), son of Philip I and Maria of Saxony, was a prince of Stettin and Wolgast, and a member of the Griffins. Bogislaw studied at the University of Greifswald at the age of ...

(1544–1606), Duke of Pomerania-Barth, married firstly, in 1572 Princess Claire of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1550–1598), married secondly, in 1601 Princess Anne of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1577–1616) # Ernest Louis (1545–1592), married in 1577 Princess Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1561–1631) # Amalie (1547–1580) # Barnim X (1549–1603), Duke of Pomerania-Rügenwalde married

Anna Maria of Brandenburg Anna Maria of Brandenburg (3 February 1567 in Zechlin Palace, Rheinberg – 14 November 1618 in Wolin) was a Princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Pomerania. Life Anna Maria was a daughter of the John George, Elector of Bran ...

(1567–1618) # Eric (1551–1551) # Margaret (1553–1581), married in 1574 Duke Francis II of Saxe-Lauenburg (1547–1619) # Anna (1554–1626), married in 1588 Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1528–1603) # Casimir VI (1557–1605), bishop of Cammin

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Krause, Gerhard Müller: ''

Theologische Realenzyklopädie The ' (''TRE'') is a German encyclopedia of theology and religious studies. It contains some 2000 articles in 36 volumes. The first installment was published in 1977, the last in 2004. Genesis and editors The ' is published by Walter de Gruyter ...

'', vol. 27,

De Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

, Berlin, 1997, p. 44
Digitized
* Carola Jäggi,

Jörn Staecker Jörn is a locality situated in Skellefteå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 797 inhabitants in 2010. The locality developed around a train station along the Main line through upper Norrland. Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Il ...

: ''Archäologie der Reformation'', de Gruyter, Berlin, 2007, p. 355 ff
Digitized
* Heinrich Karl Wilhelm Berghaus: ''Landbuch des Herzogthums Pommern und des Fürstenthums Rügen'', vol. 1, Anklam, 1865, p. 544
Digitized

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria of Saxony, Duchess of Pomerania House of Griffins House of Wettin 1515 births 1583 deaths 16th-century German nobility Daughters of prince-electors Duchesses of Pomerania Mothers of German monarchs