Elisabeth of Denmark and Norway

Elisabeth of Denmark and Norway, portrait (1578) by Cornelius Krommeny , Güstrow Castle Museum

Elisabeth's sculpture in Ulrich's wall grave of Mecklenburg

Elisabeth of Denmark and Norway (born October 14, 1524 , † October 15, 1586 in Gedser ) was a Danish princess and by marriage Duchess of Mecklenburg.

Life

Elisabeth was the second child and eldest daughter from the (for him second) marriage of King Frederick I of Denmark and Norway to Sophia of Pomerania .

After the death of her father in 1533, she grew up at the court of his heir, her half-brother, King Christian III. on. In 1542 she was with Duke Magnus III. betrothed by Mecklenburg ; their wedding took place on August 26, 1543 in Kiel Castle . The marriage remained childless, and after Magnus' death in 1550, Elisabeth returned to Denmark.

In 1556 she married Duke Ulrich von Mecklenburg , who had followed his cousin Magnus as administrator of the Schwerin monastery . The couple had an only daughter, Sophie , who, through marriage to her cousin Frederick II of Denmark , became Queen of Denmark and Norway at the age of 14.

Memorial stone in the Everstorfer Forest to the reforestation by Elisabeth in 1559

Elisabeth got involved socially and built poor houses in Grabow , Stargard , Bützow , Güstrow and Stavenhagen . In the Everstorfer Forst near Plüschow (1559) and on the Güstrower Heidberg she had forests planted. In the religious field, she promoted the renovation of the Güstrow Cathedral (1565–1568) and the Doberan Minster . Together with Ulrich, she set up a school for noble daughters in the Rühn monastery in 1575 .

She died on a trip to her daughter in Gedser and was buried in Güstrow Cathedral.

Elisabeth is remembered by her coat of arms in the gate of Güstrow Castle , the altar in Rühn, which shows her as the donor, and the monumental wall tomb in Güstrow Cathedral, which Ulrich had Philipp Brandin put for her, his second wife Anna von Pomerania and himself .

literature

• Elisabeth, Hertuginde av Meklenborg . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 4 : Clemens – Eynden . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1890, p. 497-498 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
• Carsten Neumann: The art at the court of Ulrichs to Mecklenburg . Verlag Ludwig, Kiel 2009, ISBN 978-3-937719-64-1 (Building + Art, Volume 15)
• Grete Grewolls: Who was who in Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania. The dictionary of persons . Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 2011, ISBN 978-3-356-01301-6 , p. 2457 .

Web links

Commons : Elisabeth of Denmark and Norway  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Literature on Elisabeth of Denmark and Norway in the national bibliography MV