Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (30 October 1563 – 14 January 1639) was a member of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg and margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Duchess of Krnov
by marriage.
(1535–1592) from his marriage to Dorothea of Denmark, a daughter of King Christian III of Denmark
.
On 3 May 1579 she married Margrave George Frederick I of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmach
(1539–1603) in Dresden
. George Frederick was the last of the older line of Frankish Hohenzollerns
and was simultaneously Margrave of the Principality of Ansbach
and Kulmbach
, Silesian duke of the Duchy of Krnov
and guardian administrator of the Duchy of Prussia. As such, he was a powerful figure of his time. His first wife, Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Küstrin
, had died in 1578, and like his first, George Frederick's second marriage remained childless, which is why his inheritance needed to be regulated by the House Treaty of Gera
. Sophie's childlessness motivated her husband to increased interest in the policy of the wider House of Hohenzollern.
After her husband died in 1604, Sophie returned to her birth family. She survived her husband by 36 years. Sophie often stayed in Nuremberg
with her sisters Clara, Countess of Schwarzburg, and Sibylle, Duchess of Brunswick-Dannenberg. She died in Nuremberg in 1639 and was buried in the St. Lorenz Church there.
The Renaissance
portal of Wülzburg Castle shows George Frederick's coat of arms next to Sophie's.
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Duchy of Krnov
Duchy of Krnov was one of the Duchies of Silesia, with its capital in Krnov, present-day Czech Republic.-History:The duchy was created in Upper Silesia in 1377 by partition from the Duchy of Opava , on lands which until 1269 had been part of Moravia...
by marriage.
Life
Sophie was the eldest child of Duke William the Younger of Brunswick-LüneburgWilliam, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Wilhelm , called William the Younger, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Lüneburg from 1559 until his death. Until 1569 he ruled together with his brother Henry of Dannenberg....
(1535–1592) from his marriage to Dorothea of Denmark, a daughter of 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:...
.
On 3 May 1579 she married Margrave George Frederick I of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmach
George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach was Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and a member of the House of Hohenzollern...
(1539–1603) in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. George Frederick was the last of the older line of Frankish Hohenzollerns
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
and was simultaneously Margrave of the Principality of Ansbach
Principality of Ansbach
The Principality of Ansbach or Brandenburg-Ansbach was a reichsfrei principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Bavarian city of Ansbach...
and Kulmbach
Principality of Bayreuth
The Principality of Bayreuth or Brandenburg-Bayreuth was a reichsfrei principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Bavarian city of Bayreuth. Until 1604 its capital city was Kulmbach; then the margraves used their palaces in Bayreuth as their residence...
, Silesian duke of the Duchy of Krnov
Duchy of Krnov
Duchy of Krnov was one of the Duchies of Silesia, with its capital in Krnov, present-day Czech Republic.-History:The duchy was created in Upper Silesia in 1377 by partition from the Duchy of Opava , on lands which until 1269 had been part of Moravia...
and guardian administrator of the Duchy of Prussia. As such, he was a powerful figure of his time. His first wife, Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Küstrin
Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Küstrin
Elizabeth of Brandenburg-Küstrin , was a princess of Brandenburg-Küstrin and margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach by marriage.- Life :...
, had died in 1578, and like his first, George Frederick's second marriage remained childless, which is why his inheritance needed to be regulated by the House Treaty of Gera
House Treaty of Gera
The House Treaty of Gera was a House law of the House of Hohenzollern on the succession in Brandenburg and in the Franconian territories at the end of the 16th Century binding rules. The Treaty and came about because Elector John George of Brandenburg had violated the requirements made in...
. Sophie's childlessness motivated her husband to increased interest in the policy of the wider House of Hohenzollern.
After her husband died in 1604, Sophie returned to her birth family. She survived her husband by 36 years. Sophie often stayed in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
with her sisters Clara, Countess of Schwarzburg, and Sibylle, Duchess of Brunswick-Dannenberg. She died in Nuremberg in 1639 and was buried in the St. Lorenz Church there.
The Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
portal of Wülzburg Castle shows George Frederick's coat of arms next to Sophie's.
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