Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen
Encyclopedia
Margaret of Anhalt was a member of the House of Ascania and was a princess of Anhalt
by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxony
.
from his marriage to Margaret of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (1464–1539), a daughter of Count Günther XXXVI of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg.
On 13 November 1513 she married in Torgau
, the later Elector John the Steadfast
of Saxony (1468–1532). She was his second wife. His brother Frederick III
was unhappy about John marrying Margaret, because she was from a relatively minor princely family. For Frederick, this was his reason to their joint rule and divide the country. Margaret's brother, Wolfgang
, was the second prince in the Empire, after Frederick III, who converted to Lutheranism
. The poet Philip Engelbrecht dedicated an epithalamium
to John and Margaret in 1514. John was devoted his wife and loved her dearly.
Margaret died in 1521 in her residence in Weimar, four years before her husband became Elector of Saxony. She was buried in the City Church of St. Peter and Paul in Weimar
.
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
.
Life
Margaret was a daughter of Prince Waldemar VIWaldemar VI, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Waldemar VI, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen....
from his marriage to Margaret of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (1464–1539), a daughter of Count Günther XXXVI of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg.
On 13 November 1513 she married in Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
, the later Elector John the Steadfast
John, Elector of Saxony
John of Saxony , known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant, was Elector of Saxony from 1525 until 1532...
of Saxony (1468–1532). She was his second wife. His brother Frederick III
Frederick III, Elector of Saxony
Frederick III of Saxony , also known as Frederick the Wise , was Elector of Saxony from 1486 to his death. Frederick was the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Albert III, Duke of Bavaria...
was unhappy about John marrying Margaret, because she was from a relatively minor princely family. For Frederick, this was his reason to their joint rule and divide the country. Margaret's brother, Wolfgang
Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen...
, was the second prince in the Empire, after Frederick III, who converted to Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
. The poet Philip Engelbrecht dedicated an epithalamium
Epithalamium
Epithalamium refers to a form of poem that is written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber...
to John and Margaret in 1514. John was devoted his wife and loved her dearly.
Margaret died in 1521 in her residence in Weimar, four years before her husband became Elector of Saxony. She was buried in the City Church of St. Peter and Paul in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
.
Issue
From her marriage, Margaret and John had the following children:- MariaMaria of Saxony, Duchess of Pomeraniathumb|Croÿ Carpet of 1554 or 1556Maria of Saxony was a member of the Ernestine line of the house Wettin and a Princess of Saxony by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
(b. Weimar, 15 December 1515 – d. Wolgast, 7 January 1583), married on 27 February 1536 to Duke Philip I of Pomerania-WolgastPhilip I, Duke of PomeraniaPhilip I of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.- Life :Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George, from his first marriage to Amalie of the Palatinate. After his mother died, on 6 January 1525, he received his education at the court of his maternal grandfather in Heidelberg...
. - Margaret (b. Zwickau, 25 April 1518 – d. Weimar, 10 March 1535).
- John (b. and d. Weimar, 26 September 1519).
- John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Ernest, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Ernest was a Duke of Saxe-Coburg.John Ernest was born in Coburg as the third son of John, Elector of Saxony, and his second wife Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen...
(b. Coburg, 10 May 1521 – d. Coburg, 8 February 1553).