Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Elisabeth of Denmark
Elisabeth of Denmark
Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Born	25 August 1573; Koldinghus Castle, Kolding, Kingdom of Denmark
Died	19 July 1625 (aged 51); Braunschweig, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Spouse	Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Issue	Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Sophia, Princess of Nassau-Dietz; Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Hedwig, Duchess of Pomerania; Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Christian the Younger of Brunswick ; Rudolph of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Heinrich Karl of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ; Anna Augusta, Countess of Nassau-Dillenburg
House	Oldenburg
Father	Frederick II of Denmark
Mother	Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Religion	Lutheranism

Elisabeth of Denmark (25 August 1573 – 19 July 1625) was duchess consort of Brunswick-Lüneburg as married to Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was regent of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1616-1622.

Life

She was the eldest daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and his spouse Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. First raised with her maternal grand parents, she returned to Denmark in 1579.

Scottish ambassadors had at first concentrated their suit on Elisabeth as a prospective wife for King James VI of Scotland, but King Frederick betrothed Elisabeth to the Duke of Brunswick, promising the Scots instead that "for the second daughter Anna, if the King did like her, he should have her".

She was married in 1590 to Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. When her future spouse first arrived for the wedding in 1590, he disguised himself as a jeweler; he presented her with jewelry, and stated that prize was her body. As a result, he was thrown in jail until he could prove his identity and explain that it had been a joke^{[citation needed]}. As duchess, she remained in close correspondence with her brother, the Danish monarch.

After the death of her husband in 1613, she reigned in her dowry. In 1616, she removed her son, Friederich Ulrich, from the government with the support of her brother, Christian IV of Denmark, because of his alcoholism. She resumed the regency, and she remained in charge for the next six years, assisted by Anton von Streithorst. She received a visit from her brother Christian in 1616.

In 1617, she founded the Retreat for the Poor with a chapel, Elisabeth Stift. During the Thirty Years War (1618–1648) the castle was raided and was not repaired until 1654.