Elisabeth of Saxony (1552–1590)

Elisabeth of Saxony, Countess Palatine von Simmern

Elisabeth of Saxony (born October 18, 1552 in Selva ; † April 2, 1590 in Heidelberg ) was a Saxon princess from the House of Wettin and by marriage, Countess Palatine von Simmern .

Life

Elisabeth was a daughter of the Elector August of Saxony (1526–1586) from his marriage to Anna (1532–1585), daughter of King Christian III. from Denmark .

She married Count Palatine Johann Kasimir von Simmern (1543–1592) on June 4, 1570 in Heidelberg during the Speyer Diet . Through his daughter's marriage, August tried to win Johann Kasimir over to his side as an opponent of his France-friendly Calvinist policy, but this did not succeed. Marriage was seen by Catholics in Germany as a provocation against the Habsburgs , as the “counter-Reichstag” of the united Evangelicals .

The Calvinist Johann Kasimir tried with "ignoble severity" to break the religious resistance of his Lutheran wife. In October 1589 he had his wife arrested on the pretext of adultery and conspiracy to commit murder against her husband. Elisabeth's brother, the Saxon Elector Christian I , was also convinced of her guilt. She died shortly afterwards, now a Calvinist, in her husband's captivity and was buried in the Heidelberg Church of the Holy Spirit.

progeny

Elisabeth had the following children from their marriage:

Son (* / † 1573)
Marie (1576–1577)
Elisabeth (1578–1580)
Dorothea (1581-1631)

⚭ 1595 Prince Johann Georg I of Anhalt-Dessau (1598–1618)

Daughter (* / † 1584)
Daughter (* / † 1585)

ancestors

Pedigree of Elisabeth of Saxony
Great-great-grandparents	Elector Friedrich II. (1412–1464) ⚭ 1431 Margaretha of Austria (1416–1486)	King George of Podebrady (1420–1471) ⚭ 1441 Kunigunde von Sternberg (1425–1449)	Duke Heinrich IV of Mecklenburg (1417–1477) ⚭ 1432 Dorothea of Brandenburg (1420–1491)	Eric II of Pomerania (1425–1474) ⚭ 1451 Sophia of Pomerania	King Christian I (1426–1481) ⚭ 1449 Dorothea of Brandenburg (1430–1495)	Elector Johann Cicero of Brandenburg (1455–1499) ⚭ 1476 Margaret of Saxony (1449–1501)	Johann IV of Saxony-Lauenburg (1439–1507) ⚭ 1464 Dorothea of Brandenburg (1446–1519)	Heinrich I of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1463–1514) ⚭ 1486 Catherine of Pomerania
Great grandparents	Duke Albrecht the Courageous (1443–1500) ⚭ 1464 Sidonia of Bohemia (1449–1510)		Duke Magnus II (1441–1503) ⚭ 1478 Sophie of Pomerania (1460–1504)		King Friedrich I (1471–1533) ⚭ 1502 Anna of Brandenburg (1487–1514)		Duke Magnus I of Saxony-Lauenburg (1470–1543) ⚭ 1509 Katharina von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1488–1563)
Grandparents	Duke Heinrich the Pious (1473–1541) ⚭ 1512 Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487–1561)				King Christian III (1503–1559) ⚭ 1525 Dorothea von Sachsen-Lauenburg (1511–1571)
parents	Elector August of Saxony (1526–1586) ⚭ 1548 Anna of Denmark (1532–1585)
Elisabeth of Saxony

literature

August von Kluckhohn : Elisabeth (Countess Palatine near the Rhine) . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 7 f.
Peter Fuchs: Elisabeth, Countess Palatine near the Rhine. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 446 f. ( Digitized version ).
August von Kluckhohn: The marriage of the Count Palatine Johann Casimir with Elisabeth of Saxony . Treatises of the historical class of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Volume 12 (1873), 2nd section, pp. 81–165 ( Online , Google Books ).
Friedrich von Bezold : The last years of the Countess Palatine Elisabeth . Treatises of the historical class of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Volume 14 (1879), 3rd section, pp. 1–26 ( online , DNB archive ).
Bettina Braun: The Palatinate Electresses in the 16th Century. Shapers or marginal figures in a changeful religious policy? In: Vera von der Osten-Sacken, Daniel Gehre (Hrsg.): Fürstinnen und Konfession . Contributions of aristocratic women to religious politics and creed formation. Publications of the Institute for European History Mainz, Volume 104, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-525-10136-0 , pp. 169–200 (especially on Elisabeth: pp. 192–200).

Remarks

^ Friedrich von Bezold: Johann Casimir, Count Palatine near Rhine . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 308.
^ Friedrich von Bezold: Johann Casimir, Count Palatine near Rhine . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 312.

personal data
SURNAME	Elisabeth of Saxony
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Countess Palatine of Simmern
DATE OF BIRTH	October 18, 1552
PLACE OF BIRTH	Wolkenstein Castle (Ore Mountains)
DATE OF DEATH	April 2, 1590
Place of death	Heidelberg

[1] Friedrich von Bezold: Johann Casimir, Count Palatine near Rhine . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 308.

[2] Friedrich von Bezold: Johann Casimir, Count Palatine near Rhine . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 312.