Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

Elizabeth of Denmark
Portrait by Cornelius Krommeny, 1578
Born	14 August 1524 Denmark
Died	15 August 1586
Spouse	Magnus III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Issue	Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Father	Frederick I of Denmark
Mother	Sophie of Pomerania

Elisabeth of Denmark (14 October 1524 – 15 October 1586) was Danish princess and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and later of Mecklenburg-Güstrow through marriage. She was the elder daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and his second spouse Sophie of Pomerania.

Biography

Elizabeth was raised at the royal Danish court of her half brother and described as an extraordinary beauty. In 1542 she was engaged, and on 26 August 1543 Elizabeth was married to Duke Magnus III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4 July 1509 – 28 January 1550). This marriage was childless. She returned to Denmark in 1551 and stayed there until her second marriage in 1556.

Secondly, she married on 14 February 1556 Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and had the only daughter Sophie, who married King Frederick II of Denmark in 1572. Her relationship to Ulrich is described as a happy one.

Elizabeth made frequent visits to the Danish royal court, and also to her former sister in law queen dowager Dorothea. After her daughter became Queen of Denmark in 1572, her visits to Denmark became longer. She is described as kind, sensible, religious and practical. She was also active in Mecklenburg-Güstrow: she reconstructed the churches in Güstrow and Doberan and protected hospitals and convents. She died on return from one of her visits to Denmark.

Legacy

Elizabeth's granddaughter Anne of Denmark married King James I of England. Thus every British monarch since has been her direct descendant, the present Queen Elizabeth II being queen of 16 independent nations.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

16. Christian V, Count of Oldenburg               8. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg                       17. Agnes of Hohnstein-Heringen               4. Christian I of Denmark                             18. Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg               9. Helvig of Schauenburg                       19. Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg               2. Frederick I of Denmark                                   20. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg               10. John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach                       21. Elisabeth of Bavaria               5. Dorothea of Brandenburg                             22. Rudolph III, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg               11. Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg                       23. Barbara of Legnica               1. Elizabeth of Denmark                                         24. Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania               12. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania                       25. Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg               6. Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania                             26. Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania               13. Sophie of Pomerania                       27. Maria of Masovia               3. Sophie of Pomerania                                   28. Jogaila               14. Casimir IV Jagiellon                       29. Sophia of Halshany               7. Anna Jagiellon                             30. Albert II of Germany               15. Elisabeth of Austria                       31. Elizabeth of Luxembourg

References

• (Danish) Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon

Literature

• Elisabeth, Hertuginde av Meklenborg. In: Dansk biografisk leksikon. Vol. 4, pp. 497f. (digitalised)
• Grewolls, Grete (2011). Wer war wer in Mecklenburg und Vorpommern. Das Personenlexikon (in German). Rostock: Hinstorff Verlag. p. 2457. ISBN 978-3-356-01301-6.