Catherine of Mecklenburg

Catherine of Mecklenburg
Duchess consort of Saxony, Margravine consort of Meissen and Lady of Freiberg
Portrait of Catherine of Mecklenburg by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
Tenure	1464–1500
Born	1487
Died	6 June 1561 (aged 73–74) Torgau
Burial	Freiberg
Spouse	Henry the Pious
Issue	Sybille, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg Emilie, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach Sidonie, Duchess of Brunswick-Kalenberg Maurice, Elector of Saxony Prince Severinus Augustus, Elector of Saxony
House	House of Mecklenburg
Father	Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Mother	Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin
Religion	Lutheranism

Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487 – 6 June 1561, Torgau), Duchess of Saxony, was the daughter of the Duke Magnus II of Mecklenburg and Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin. She married on 6 July 1512 in Freiberg Duke Henry the Pious of Saxony. The couple had six children:

• Sibylle (1515–1592)

married in 1540 Duke Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg (1510–1581)

• Aemilia (1516–1591)

married in 1533 Margrave George the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1534)

• Sidonie (1518–1575)

married in 1545 Duke Eric II of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1528–1584)

• Maurice (1521–1553), Elector of Saxony

married in 1541 princess Agnes of Hesse (1527–1555)

• Severinus (1522–1533)
• Augustus (1526–1586), Elector of Saxony

married in 1548 princess Anne of Denmark and Norway (1532–1585)

Catherine sympathized early with Martin Luther's teachings, while her husband suppressed the Reformation until 1536 for fear of his brother, the reigning Duke George the Bearded. Later, the Freiberg area became Lutheran.

When duke George tried bear down on Catherine, she told the envoy: You could do me a big favor by leaving Freiberg right now. In 1539, after the death of Duke George, the couple moved to Dresden and brought the Reformation there. Duke Henry died on 18 August 1541; Catherine outlived him by 20 years. She spent her days in Wolkenstein castle. In 1560, she published a book on etiquette for ladies, which is culturally and historically very interesting.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Catherine of Mecklenburg

16. Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               8. John IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                       17. Elizabeth of Pomerania-Wolgast               4. Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                             18. Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg               9. Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg                       19. Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg               2. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow                                   20. Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg               10. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg                       21. Elisabeth of Meissen               5. Dorothea of Brandenburg                             22. Frederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut               11. Elisabeth of Bavaria                       23. Maddalena Visconti               1. Catherine of Mecklenburg                                         24. Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania               12. Wartislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast                       25. Veronica of Hohenzollern               6. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania                             26. Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg (= 18)               13. Sophie of Saxe-Lauenburg-Ratzeburg                       27. Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (= 19)               3. Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin                                   28. Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania-Stargard               14. Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania-Stargard                       29. Sophia of Holstein-Rendsburg               7. Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp                             30. Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia               15. Maria of Masovia                       31. Alexandra of Lithuania

References

• Elizabeth Werl (1977), "Catherine, Duchess of Saxony, born Duchess of Mecklenburg", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German), 11, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 325 – 326
• Franz Otto Stichart: Gallery of the Saxon princesses. Biographical sketches of all the ancestress of the royal house of Saxony, Fleischer, Leipzig, 1857, p. 229-247 (Google Book Search).
• Theodor Distel: News on the Duchess Catherine of Saxony and her people In: New archive for Saxon history (NASG), Volume 15, 1894, ISSN 0944-8195, p. 326 ff. (digitized).
• John Meyer: Female characters and women's sway in the House of Wettin, Weller, Bautzen, 1912.
• Sabine Ulbricht: princesses in the Saxon History (1382-1622), Sax, Beucha/Markham, 2010, ISBN 3-86729-053-9, p. 99-125.

See also

• Portraits of Henry IV of Saxony and Catherine of Mecklenburg