Albrecht VII, the Handsome, Duke

Duke

A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

 of Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...

 in Gustrow

Güstrow

Güstrow is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany the capital of the district of Güstrow. It has a population of 30,500 and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has the official suffix Barlachstadt.-Geography:The town of Güstrow is located...

 (25 July 1486 – 5 January 1547), was a minor ruler in North Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 of the 16th century. He also asserted claims to Scandinavian thrones based on the royal lineage of the House of Mecklenburg

House of Mecklenburg

The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of West Slavic origin that ruled until 1918.- Origins :Niklot was a lord of the Wendish tribe of Obotrites. When the Holy Roman Empire expanded eastwards, notably to the coast of Baltic in 13th century, a portion of Obotrite lords allied with...

.

In the course of the so-called Count's Feud

Count's Feud

The Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...

, the Free City of Lübeck involved Duke Albrecht in its alliance with various parties and offered him the Danish crown. King Christian III of Denmark

Christian III of Denmark

Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...

, however, managed to keep his kingdom: Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, and Duke Albert were besieged in Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 in 1535-1536 until they capitulated.

Marriage and children

On 17 January 1524 he married Anna of Brandenburg

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...

, a daughter of Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg

Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg

Joachim I Nestor was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . A member of the House of Hohenzollern, his nickname was taken from King Nestor of Greek mythology.- Biography :...

. They had the following children:

• Magnus (19 November 1524 - ? )
• Johann Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (23 December 1525 - 12 February 1576)
• Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
  Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
  Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1555-56 to 1603.-Early life:Ulrich was the third son of Duke Albrecht VII and Anna of Brandenburg. Ulrich was educated in the Bavarian court. Later, he studied theology and law in Ingolstadt...
  
   and Schwerin (21 April 1528 - 14 March 1603)
• Georg (22 February 1529 - 20 July 1587)
• Anna
  Anna of Mecklenburg
  Anna of Mecklenburg , was a Duchess consort of Courland. She married the Duke of Courland, Gotthard Kettler, on 11 March 1566 in Königsberg. She was the daughter of Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg and Anna of Brandenburg. Anna is the first woman in Livonia, whose life story is entirely...
  
    (14 October 1533 - 4 July 1602), married Gotthard Kettler
  Gotthard Kettler
  Gotthard von Kettler was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia....
  
  , Duke of Courland
  Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
  The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is the name of a duchy in the Baltic region that existed from 1562 to 1569 as a vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569...
  
  .
• Ludwig (1535 - 1535)
• Johann (1536 - 1536)
• Christoph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch (30 June 1537 - 4 March 1592), married on 1573 to Dorothea
  Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Mecklenburg
  Dorothea of Denmark , was a Danish princess and a Duchess consort of Mecklenburg. She was the daughter of king Frederick I of Denmark and Sophie of Pomerania...
  
   (1528–November 11, 1575), daughter of Frederick I of Denmark
  Frederick I of Denmark
  Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
  
   and on May 14, 1581 to Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
  Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
  Princess Elizabeth of Sweden, , was a Swedish princess and a duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch...
  
   (April 5, 1549 - November 20, 1597)
• Sophie (10 April 1538 - 1538)
• Charles I, Duke of Mecklenburg
  Charles I, Duke of Mecklenburg
  Charles I, Duke of Mecklenburg[-Güstrow] , was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg in the Mecklenburg-Güstrow part of the country....
  
  -Güstrow and Schwerin (28 September 1540 - 22 July 1610)

Ancestry