Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg

Elisabeth Sophia Hohenzollern von Brandenburg, commonly known as Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg (13 July 1589 – 24 December 1629), was a Princess of Brandenburg and the daughter of John George, Elector of Brandenburg, and his third wife, Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst. Elisabeth Sophia married twice, with her second marriage giving her the title Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg. She lived to the age of forty, dying on Christmas Eve 1629.[2]

Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg
Princess of Brandenburg Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg
Portrait of Elisabeth Sophia completed in 1593, around the age of four.[1]
Full name Elisabeth Sofie Hohenzollern von Brandenburg
Born	13 July 1589 Berlin or Colln, Margraviate of Brandenburg
Died	24 December 1629 (age 40) Frankfurt an der Oder, Margraviate of Brandenburg
Nationality	Margraviate of Brandenburg
Noble family	Hohenzollern
Spouse(s)	Janusz Radziwill (m. 1613 - his death in 1620) Julius Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg (m. 1628 - Elisabeth's death in 1629)
Issue Boguslaw Radziwill Elizabeth Eleanor Radziwill John Jerzy Radziwill Sophia Agnes Radziwill Francis Erdmann
Father	John George
Mother	Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst

Biography

Early life

Elisabeth Sophia was born on 13 July 1589, either in Berlin or in the adjacent city of Cölln, both of which were then located in the Margraviate of Brandenburg.[2]

First marriage

On 27 March 1613, Elisabeth Sophia was married in Berlin to Janusz Radziwiłł, a Polish noble who had been widowed the previous year by his wife, Zofia Olelkowicz Słucka.[3][2] On 3 May 1620, Elisabeth Sophia gave birth to Bogusław Radziwiłł, who would go on to govern the Duchy of Prussia.[4][5] Elisabeth Sophia bore another three children during this marriage, Elizabeth Eleanor Radziwiłł, John Jerzy Radziwiłł, and Sophia Agnes Radziwiłł, but records of these children are not available, and it is likely that all but Bogusław died in infancy. Her husband, Janusz, died on 3 December 1620, leaving behind the 31-year old mother widowed.[6][7]

Second marriage

On 27 February 1628, Elisabeth Sophia entered into another marriage, this time with Julius Henry, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg.[2] On 25 February 1629, Elisabeth Sophia gave birth to another son, Francis Erdmann, Julius Henry's heir to the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg.[4]

Death and burial

Elisabeth Sophia died in Frankfurt an der Oder on 24 December 1629, at the age of forty.[2][6]

References

1. "Brandenburg Court miniaturist (c. 1593) - Elizabeth Sophia, Margravine of Brandenburg (1589-1629)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
2. "Elisabeth Sophie (Hohenzollern) von Brandenburg (1589-1629) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree". www.wikitree.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. "Short history of the Radziwill Family by Peter Paul Bajer". web.archive.org. 31 December 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
4. "Person:Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg (1) - Genealogy". www.werelate.org. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
5. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1919.
6. "Elisabeth Sophie von Brandenburg". geneee.org. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
7. Skiepjan, Anastazja A. (29 September 2017). "Pogrzeb Janusza Radziwiłła (1579–1620)". Klio - Czasopismo Poświęcone Dziejom Polski i Powszechnym (in Polish). 40 (1): 3–30. doi:10.12775/KLIO.2017.001. ISSN 1643-8191.