Emilie of Saxony
Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1516–1591)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emilie of Saxony (27 July 1516 – 9 April 1591) was Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach as the third wife of Margrave George the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach. As her husband's prior wives died before his accession, Emilie of Saxony was the only spouse to hold the title of Margravine.
| Emilie of Saxony | |
|---|---|
| Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach | |
 Lucas Cranach the Elder - Emilie of Saxony, detail of a painting from 1535, oil on a poplar panel, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna | |
| Tenure | 1536–1543 |
| Born | 27 July 1516 Freiberg |
| Died | 9 April 1591 (aged 74) Ansbach |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Sophie, Duchess of Legnica Barbara Dorothy Catherine, Burgravine of Meissen George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach |
| House | Wettin |
| Father | Henry IV, Duke of Saxony |
| Mother | Catherine of Mecklenburg |
Life
Emilie was the daughter of the Duke Henry IV of Saxony and his wife Catherine of Mecklenburg. She was a member of the House of Wettin.
On 25 August 1533 Emilie of Saxony married the much older George of Brandenburg, the future Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, who had been recognised as the duke of Silesia. She was sixteen years old.[1] He also administered Brandenburg-Kulmbach on behalf of Albert, the son of his deceased brother Casimir. The marriage produced the heir he had hoped for, a son, George Frederick, later Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
After the death of her husband in 1543, Emilie was the legal guardian of her son, George Frederick, who was a minor, until 1556. She provided George Frederick with a humanistic education. However, the regency of Brandenburg-Ansbach was administered jointly by the reigning Electors of Saxony, Electors of Brandenburg, and the Landgrave of Hesse, Philip I.
Emilie was described as wise, virtuous and pious. She was a strict Lutheran and actively opposed Catholicism in the territories of her husband and son.[2][3] In later life she retired to her widow seat.
Children
Her children with George the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach included the following:
- Sophie (1535–1587), married in 1560 Duke Henry XI of Legnica (1539–1588)
- Barbara (1536–1591)
- Dorothy Catherine (1538–1604), married in 1556 Henry V, Burgrave of Plauen, Burgrave of Meissen
- George Frederick (1539–1603),[4] Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach; married first, in 1558, Princess Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1540–1578), second, in 1579, Princess Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1563–1639)