Catherine of Mecklenburg

Catherine of Mecklenburg (also Katharina von Mecklenburg) (1487 – 6 June 1561, Torgau), was a German author, and a Duchess of Saxony by marriage to Henry IV, Duke of Saxony. She was the daughter of the Duke Magnus II of Mecklenburg and Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin.

Life She married on 6 July 1512 in Freiberg Duke Henry the Pious of Saxony, and they ruled together.

Catherine sympathized early with Martin Luther's teachings, while her husband suppressed the Reformation until 1536 for fear of his brother, the reigning Duke George the Bearded. Later, the Freiberg area became Lutheran, due in a large part to her Reformation-supporting influence.

When Duke George tried bear down on Catherine, according to legend she told the envoy: You could do me a big favor by leaving Freiberg right now. In 1539, after the death of Duke George, the couple moved to Dresden and brought the Reformation there. Duke Henry died on 18 August 1541; Catherine outlived him by 20 years. She spent her days in Wolkenstein castle.

Published works In 1560, she published a book on etiquette for ladies, which is seen as culturally and historically interesting.

Issue She had six children with Henry the Pious:

Sibylle (1515–1592) married in 1540 Duke Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg (1510–1581)

Emilie (1516–1591) married in 1533 Margrave George the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1534)

Sidonie (1518–1575) married in 1545 Duke Eric II of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1528–1584)

Maurice (1521–1553), Elector of Saxony; married in 1541 Agnes of Hesse (1527–1555)

Severinus (1522–1533) Augustus (1526–1586), Elector of Saxony married in 1548 Anne of Denmark and Norway (1532–1585) Ancestry