Elisabeth of Brunswick-Calenberg (8 April 1526 in Nienover – 19 August 1566 in

Schleusingen Schleusingen is a town in the Hildburghausen (district), district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl. Geography The town of Schleusingen in the Henneber ...

) was a princess of Brunswick-Calenberg by birth and by marriage a Countess of Henneberg.

Life

Elizabeth was the eldest child of the Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Calenberg and his wife Elisabeth (1510-1558), the daughter of Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg. Elisabeth was raised as a strict

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

by her mother. Elisabeth married on 19 August 1543 in Münden to Count George Ernest of Henneberg (1511-1583). His brother Poppo XII had married Elisabeth's mother two years earlier. Her mother, her brother Eric II and her cousin

Joachim II Hector Joachim II ( or ''Hektor''; 13 January 1505 – 3 January 1571) was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1535–1571), the sixth member of the House of Hohenzollern. Joachim II was the eldest son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Br ...

guaranteed her

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

of . The monastery at Weende contributed 350 guilders towards this dowry. As her

jointure Jointure was a legal concept used largely in late mediaeval and early modern Britain, denoting the estate given to a married couple by the husband's family. One of its most important functions was providing a livelihood for the wife if she became ...

, she was promised the districts of

, Themar and

Suhl Suhl () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located SW of Erfurt, NE of Würzburg and N of Nuremberg. With its 37,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest of the six urban districts within Thuringia. Together with its northern neighbour-town Zella ...

. Via his marriage to Elisabeth, George Ernest came into contact with the leading Protestant dynasties in Germany. Elisabeth's marriage remained childless. She was devoted to piety and charity and was considered "peaceful". As a strictly evangelical countess consort, she played a decisive rôle in converting the county of Henneberg to Protestantism. The county provided asylum to several displaced Protestant preachers. Elisabeth died on 19 August 1566 and was buried in the castle church in Schleusingen. Her grave was decorated with an

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

which had been crafted during her lifetime. Prior to her death, the Henneberg family buried their dead in

Vessra Abbey Vessra Abbey () was a Premonstratensian monastery in the village also named Kloster Veßra in the district of Hildburghausen, Thuringia, Germany. The monastery was founded in the 1130s by Gotebold II, Count of Henneberg, and his wife Liutgard o ...

, however, George Ernest decided to move the family burial location to the Schleusingen.

References

* Johann Adolph Schultes: ''Diplomatische Geschichte des Gräflichen Hauses Henneberg'', Böhme, 1791, p. 194 ff * Carl Wernicke: ''Die Geschichte der Welt'', part 1, vol. 3, Duncker, 1855, p. 13

External links

* http://thepeerage.com/p769.htm#i7682

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth of Brunswick-Calenberg Middle House of Brunswick 1526 births 1566 deaths House of Henneberg Countesses in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century German nobility 16th-century German women Daughters of dukes