John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

John the Younger
Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Born	25 March 1545 Haderslev
Died	9 October 1622 (aged 77) Glücksburg
Spouse	Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt
House	House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Father	Christian III of Denmark
Mother	Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg

John the Younger (Danish: Hans den yngre; German: Johann der Jüngere; 25 March 1545 – 9 October 1622) was a Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.

John was born in Haderslev as the fourth child (third son) of King Christian III of Denmark and his wife Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. His elder brother king Frederick II of Denmark allotted him a portion of Schleswig, Sonderburg (today Danish Sønderborg) as his ducal seat. He acted actively in the Danish government, for example supporting his sister-in-law the queen when his nephew Christian IV of Denmark was underage. There were plans for him to marry the dowager queen in 1588 or 1589, repudiating his second, young wife. John died in Glücksburg.

Family and children

John married twice. Firstly, he married in Kolding on August 19, 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (20 March 1550 Salzderhelden – 11 February 1586 Østerholm), daughter of Ernest III, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. They had the following children:

1. Dorothea (9 October 1569 Kolding– 5 July 1593 Legnica), married on 23 November 1589 to Duke Frederick IV of Legnica
2. Duke Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Ærø (1622–33) (24 October 1570 – 4 June 1633)
3. Ernest (17 January 1572 – 26 October 1596)
4. Duke Alexander of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg (1622–27) (20 January 1573 – 13 May 1627)
5. August (26 July 1574 – 26 October 1596)
6. Marie, Abbess of Itzehoe (22 August 1575 – 6 December 1640)
7. Duke John Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Nordborg (1622–24) (17 September 1576 – 21 February 1624)
8. Anna (7 October 1577 – 30 January 1616), married on 31 May 1601 to Duke Bogislaw XIII of Pomerania-Barth
9. Sophia (30 May 1579 – 3 June 1658, in Treptow an der Rega, her dower), married on 8 March 1607 to Duke Philip II of Pomerania-Barth^[1]
10. Elisabeth (24 September 1580 – 21 December 1653), married on 19 February 1615 to Duke Bogislaw XIV of Pomerania-Rügenwalde
11. Duke Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Norburg (1624–58) (26 October 1581 – 22 July 1658), married on 1 August 1627 Juliana of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (Lauenburg), daughter of Duke Francis II
12. Margarete (24 February 1583 – 10 April 1638), married on 27 February 1603 to Count John VII of Nassau-Siegen
13. Duke Philipp of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1622–63) (15 March 1584 – 27 September 1663)
14. Albrecht (16 April 1585 – 30 April 1613)

Secondly, he married on 14 February 1588 Princess Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt (12 March 1573 Dessau – 3 November 1616 Sønderborg) and they had the following children:

1. Eleonore (4 April 1590 – 13 April 1669)
2. Anna Sabine (7 March 1593 – 18 July 1659), married on 1 January 1618 to Duke Julius Frederick of Württemberg-Weiltingen
3. Johann Georg (9 February 1594 – 25 January 1613)
4. Duke Joachim Ernst I of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg-Plön (1622–71) (29 August 1595 – 5 October 1671)
5. Dorothea Sibylle (13 July 1597 – 21 August 1597)
6. Dorothea Marie (23 July 1599 – 27 March 1600)
7. Bernhard (12 April 1601 – 26 April 1601)
8. Agnes Magdalene (17 November 1602 – 17 May 1607)
9. Eleonore Sofie (24 February 1603 – 5 January 1675), married on 28 February 1624 to Christian II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg

Ancestry

Ancestors of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

16. Theodoric, Count of Oldenburg               8. Christian I of Denmark                       17. Helvig of Schauenburg               4. Frederick I of Denmark                             18. John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach               9. Dorothea of Brandenburg                       19. Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg               2. Christian III of Denmark                                   20. Albrecht III, Elector of Brandenburg               10. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg                       21. Margaret of Baden               5. Anna of Brandenburg                             22. William III of Saxony and Thuringia, Duke of Luxembourg               11. Margaret of Thuringia                       23. Anne, Duchess of Luxembourg               1. John the Younger, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg                                         24. Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg               12. John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                       25. Adelheid of Pomerania               6. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                             26. Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg               13. Dorothea of Brandenburg                       27. Catherine of Saxony               3. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg                                   28. William IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               14. Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                       29. Elisabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode               7. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg                             30. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania               15. Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast                       31. Sophia of Pomerania-Stargard

Notes

1. N.N., "VII. Sophie von Schleswig-Holstein, Witwe Herzog Philipps II. von Pommern, auf dem Schlosse in Treptow an der Rega", in: Baltische Studien (1832 to date), vol. 1, Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Alterthumskunde and Historische Kommission für Pommern (eds.), vol. 1: Stettin: Friedrich Heinrich Morin, 1832, pp. 247–258, here p. 259.