Elisabeth of Denmark, Norway and Sweden

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Sculpture of Elisabeth, Electress of Brandenburg in the Sankt Knuds Kirke in Odense , created by Claus Berg, around 1530

Elisabeth, Electress of Brandenburg (born June 24, 1485 in Nyborg Castle on Funen , † June 10, 1555 in Berlin ) was the daughter of King John of Denmark , Norway and Sweden and his wife Queen Christine . By marrying Joachim I , she became Electress of Brandenburg in 1502 . When she confessed to Martin Luther's new teaching in the 1520s , she came into open conflict with her husband and fled to Torgau in 1528 . She only returned to Brandenburg in 1545.

Life

Since childhood, Elisabeth had a close relationship with her brother, who later became King Christian II. She could read and write in both Danish and German. At the age of 16, she was married to the 18-year-old Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg in Stendal on April 10, 1502 , while her mother was besieged in Stockholm Palace. At the same time as Elisabeth's wedding, that of her uncle Friedrich and Anna von Brandenburg took place. Elisabeth's marriage to Elector Joachim earned the House of Brandenburg the right to part of the duchies of Holstein and Schleswig , but never really took effect. Elisabeth was happily married to her husband during the first few years of her marriage and bore him five children. In 1507 she received her mother and in 1515 she attended the wedding of her brother Christian to Isabella of Austria .

Early on, around 1523, Elisabeth quietly turned to Luther's teachings. Her affection for Protestantism was probably initiated by her personal physician, Matthäus Ratzenberger , a friend of the reformer. When her brother Christian II , who was expelled from his Scandinavian empires and a staunch supporter of the new faith, was in Berlin seeking help in 1523 , he encouraged his sister to adhere to Lutheran teachings. As a result, Elisabeth remained true to her religious convictions under all circumstances and therefore came into sharp opposition to her husband, a fierce opponent of the Reformation . He did not miss his wife's change of heart, who had to fear severe punitive action on his part.

When the Brandenburg Elector was absent at Easter 1527, Elisabeth secretly received the Lord's Supper in both forms from a preacher sent from Wittenberg . This was brought to the attention of her husband, who now felt obliged to intervene immediately in order to withdraw such a prominent support from Protestantism in his country. He demanded from Elisabeth that she confess to the Catholic religion again and allowed her to think about it until Easter 1528. Later, however, he let her know that she should take the Lord's Supper with him on All Saints' Day in 1527 according to the old rite, which she refused. Thereupon the elector sought the advice of the highest clergy in the country, whether he might execute his wife, if she persisted in the Protestant faith, or divorce her or what other measures he should take. The prelates replied that it was his duty to keep Elisabeth prisoner for life.

When the Electress became aware of this recommendation from the clerical dignitaries, she decided, with the consent of her brother, who was still in Berlin, to evade all personal danger by fleeing. At her request, her maternal uncle, Elector Johann von Sachsen , agreed to accept her. During the absence of her husband, who was on a trip to Braunschweig , she managed to escape from Berlin on the evening of March 24, 1528. She managed to escape unobserved from the castle through a gate on the waterfront. In a boat she rowed across the Spree to the other bank and drove from there in a car provided by her brother to Torgau , where she arrived on March 26th.

Elector Joachim I insisted that Johann von Sachsen deliver Elisabeth to him immediately. Johann, however, demanded that Joachim first had to give his consent that Elisabeth could continue to practice her evangelical faith unhindered after her return and that two servants who had helped her escape would not be punished. Joachim did not agree to these conditions, so Elisabeth stayed in Saxony and lived alternately in Torgau, Wittenberg and Weimar . At the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, Joachim tried unsuccessfully to force his wife to return home with the support of Emperor Charles V. After the death of her uncle, Elector Johann, in 1532, Elisabeth found herself in dire financial straits and had to go into debt. She studied the Bible and Reformation works and made close acquaintance with Luther during stays in Wittenberg Castle in 1534 and 1537, when she was under his supervision for four months in poor health.

Elisabeth's economic situation only improved when her husband died in July 1535, after which her sons Joachim II and Johann granted her a sizeable annual pension. Both wanted her to return to their homeland. But Elisabeth resisted the fulfillment of this wish as long as her older son did not, above all, carry out a church reform in the way she desired in the Mark Brandenburg ; In any case, she did not agree with the church order of Joachim II. She was happier with her younger son Johann in religious terms. From 1536 she lived for nine years in Lichtenburg Castle near Prettin , which her Elector Johann Friedrich had assigned as his residence. There she kept a small farm, which she could afford with the financial contributions of her sons.

It was not until the summer of 1545 that Johann was able to persuade his mother to return to the Mark Brandenburg after she had received numerous assurances for her worship, her clergy and her servants. Elisabeth lived for ten years at her widow's residence in Spandau and, even though she was now ailing more often, took an active part in the church movement. When she felt close to death, she asked her son Joachim II to be brought to Berlin despite her poor health. Her request was granted on June 1, 1555, and ten days later she died at the age of 69 in the electoral castle. She found her final resting place in the Berlin Cathedral .

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personal data
SURNAME Elisabeth of Denmark, Norway and Sweden
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elisabeth, Electress of Brandenburg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Electress of Brandenburg
DATE OF BIRTH June 24, 1485
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 1555
Place of death Berlin