Balthasar, Duke of Mecklenburg
Encyclopedia
Balthasar of Mecklenburg (1451 – 16 March 1507, Wismar
) was Duke of Mecklenburg, Coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim (1471–1474) and the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479.
Balthasar was the youngest son of Henry IV
and Dorothea, the daughter of the Margrave Frederick I
of Brandenburg. When he came of age, he chose an ecclesiastical career. He was coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim in the years 1471-1474 and then in the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479. He probably was not satisfied and returned in 1479 to the lay state. After mediation by his mother, on 13 January 1480, an agreement was reached on 13 January 1480 between him and his older brothers to divide the duchy. His brother Albert VI
received the larger part of the former Principality of Werle
, while Balthasar and his brother Magnus II jointly administered the rest of the Duchy. After Magnus died, Balthasar ruled jointly with Magnus's sons.
He died on 16 March 1507 (or, less likely, on 17 March) in Wismar, and was buried in the Doberan Abbey
in Bad Doberan
.
He married in 1487 to Margaret, daughter of Duke Eric II of Pomerania
. They had no children.
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
) was Duke of Mecklenburg, Coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim (1471–1474) and the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479.
Balthasar was the youngest son of Henry IV
Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg
Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg was from 1422 to 1477 Duke of Mecklenburg.- Life :Henry IV of Mecklenburg, because of his obesity and lavish lifestyle also called the "Henry the Fat", was the son of the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg.He inherited Mecklenburg when his...
and Dorothea, the daughter of the Margrave Frederick I
Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick was Burgrave of Nuremberg as Frederick VI and Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I. He was a son of Burgrave Frederick V of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Meissen, and was the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- Biography :Frederick entered...
of Brandenburg. When he came of age, he chose an ecclesiastical career. He was coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Hildesheim in the years 1471-1474 and then in the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479. He probably was not satisfied and returned in 1479 to the lay state. After mediation by his mother, on 13 January 1480, an agreement was reached on 13 January 1480 between him and his older brothers to divide the duchy. His brother Albert VI
Albert VI, Duke of Mecklenburg
Albert VI, Duke of Mecklenburg was a Duke of Mecklenburg.Albert was the son of Henry IV and Dorothea, the daughter of the Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg. In 1464, he and his brother John VI received from their father the bailiwicks of Güstrow, Plau, Laage and Stavenhagen as a source of...
received the larger part of the former Principality of Werle
Werle
Werle was a fiefdom, or Herrschaft in German, in the Holy Roman Empire that was founded in 1235. It was created in the partition of territories in Mecklenburg that followed the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg ....
, while Balthasar and his brother Magnus II jointly administered the rest of the Duchy. After Magnus died, Balthasar ruled jointly with Magnus's sons.
He died on 16 March 1507 (or, less likely, on 17 March) in Wismar, and was buried in the Doberan Abbey
Doberan Abbey
Doberan Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The church continues in use as Doberan Minster ....
in Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan is a town in the district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Bad Doberan. As of 2010 its population was 11,325.-Geography:...
.
He married in 1487 to Margaret, daughter of Duke Eric II of Pomerania
Eric II, Duke of Pomerania
Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania , , was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1457 to 1474. He was the son of Wartislaw IX of Pomerania-Wolgast and Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg Eric II or Erich II, of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), (between 1418 and 1425 – 1474), was Duke of...
. They had no children.