Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

Elisabeth of Denmark (14 October 1524 – 15 October 1586) was a Danish princess and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and later of Mecklenburg-Güstrow through marriage. She was the elder daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and his second spouse Sophie of Pomerania.

Elizabeth of Denmark
Portrait by Cornelius Krommeny, 1578
Born	14 October 1524 Denmark
Died	(1586-10-15)15 October 1586 (aged 62)
Spouses	Magnus III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Issue	Sophie, Queen of Denmark and Norway
House	Oldenburg
Father	Frederick I of Denmark
Mother	Sophie of Pomerania

Biography

Elizabeth was raised at the royal Danish court of her half brother and described as an extraordinary beauty. In 1542 she was engaged, and on 26 August 1543 Elizabeth was married to Duke Magnus III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4 July 1509 – 28 January 1550). This marriage was childless. She returned to Denmark in 1551 and stayed there until her second marriage in 1556.

Secondly, she married on 14 February 1556 Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and had the only daughter Sophie, who married King Frederick II of Denmark in 1572. Her relationship to Ulrich is described as a happy one.

Elizabeth made frequent visits to the Danish royal court, and also to her former sister in law queen dowager Dorothea. After her daughter became Queen of Denmark in 1572, her visits to Denmark became longer. She is described as kind, sensible, religious and practical. She was also active in Mecklenburg-Güstrow: she reconstructed the churches in Güstrow and Doberan and protected hospitals and convents. She died on return from one of her visits to Denmark.

Legacy

Elizabeth's granddaughter Anne of Denmark married King James I of England. Thus every British monarch since has been her direct descendant, with the present King Charles III being king of 15 independent nations.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg

16. Christian V of Oldenburg 8. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg 17. Agnes of Hohnstein-Heringen 4. Christian I of Denmark 18. Gerhard VI of Holstein-Rendsburg 9. Hedvig of Holstein 19. Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg 2. Frederick I of Denmark 20. Frederick I of Brandenburg 10. John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 21. Elisabeth of Bavaria 5. Dorothea of Brandenburg 22. Rudolph III of Saxe-Wittenberg 11. Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg 23. Barbara of Legnica 1. Elizabeth of Denmark 24. Wartislaw IX of Pomerania 12. Eric II of Pomerania 25. Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg 6. Bogislaw X of Pomerania 26. Bogislaw IX of Pomerania 13. Sophie of Pomerania 27. Maria of Masovia 3. Sophie of Pomerania 28. Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland 14. Casimir IV of Poland 29. Sophia of Halshany 7. Anna of Poland 30. Albert II of Germany 15. Elisabeth of Austria 31. Elizabeth of Luxembourg

References

• (in Danish) Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon

Literature

• Elisabeth, Hertuginde av Meklenborg. In: Dansk biografisk leksikon. Vol. 4, pp. 497f. (digitalised)
• Grewolls, Grete (2011). Wer war wer in Mecklenburg und Vorpommern. Das Personenlexikon (in German). Rostock: Hinstorff Verlag. p. 2457. ISBN 978-3-356-01301-6.