Catherine of Mecklenburg
Katharina zu Mecklenburg (* 1487 ; † June 6, 1561 in Torgau ), Duchess of Saxony, was the daughter of Duke Magnus of Mecklenburg . On July 6, 1512, she married Duke Heinrich the Pious of Saxony in Freiberg . The couple had six children:
- Sibylle (1515–1592)
- ⚭ 1540 Duke Franz I of Saxony-Lauenburg (1510–1581)
- Aemilia (1516–1591)
- ⚭ 1533 Margrave Georg the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1543)
- Sidonie (1518–1575)
- ⚭ 1545 Duke Erich II of Braunschweig-Calenberg (1528–1584)
- Moritz (1521–1553), Elector of Saxony
- ⚭ 1541 Princess Agnes of Hesse (1527–1555)
- ⚭ 1548 Princess Anna of Denmark and Norway (1532–1585)
Katharina sympathized early on with Martin Luther's teachings, while her husband suppressed the Reformation until 1536 out of fear of his brother, the reigning Duke Georg . The Freiberg area later became Lutheran.
Duke Georg tried to bribe Katharina, she replied to the ambassador: "You will do me a great favor if you leave Freiberg immediately." In 1539, after Duke Georg's death, the couple moved to Dresden and carried out the Reformation here. Duke Heinrich died on August 18, 1541, Katharina lived at Wolkenstein Castle for another 20 years . In 1560 she issued a women's room order for her court ladies, which is very interesting from a cultural and historical point of view.
literature
- Elisabeth Werl : Katharina, Duchess of Saxony, born Duchess of Mecklenburg. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 11, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1977, ISBN 3-428-00192-3 , p. 325 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Franz Otto Stichart: Gallery of the Saxon Princesses. Biographical sketches of all ancestors of the royal house of Saxony. Fleischer, Leipzig 1857, pp. 229-247 ( Google Book Search ).
- Theodor Distel : News about the Duchess Katharina of Saxony and her family. In: New Archive for Saxon History (NASG). Volume 15, 1894, ISSN 0944-8195 , p. 326 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Johannes Meyer: Female figures and women rulers in the Wettin house. Weller, Bautzen 1912.
- Sabine Ulbricht: Princesses in Saxon History (1382-1622). Sax, Beucha / Markkleeberg 2010, ISBN 3-86-729053-9 , pp. 99-125.
Web links
predecessor | Office | Successor |
---|---|---|
Barbara of Poland |
Duchess of Saxony 1539–1541 |
Agnes of Hesse |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Catherine of Mecklenburg |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duchess of Saxony |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1487 |
DATE OF DEATH | June 6, 1561 |
Place of death | Torgau |