Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst

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On the 6th of October, 1577, Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst became the Electress of Brandenburg after marrying John George- The Elector of Brandenburg. John ruled in this position from 1571- 1598, a total of 27 years- He was 72 years old when he died in 1598. Even though there’s so much information about his rain, there’s not a lot about his wife.

If you want to learn more about the life of Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst, keep reading!

Bio

Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst was born on the 15th of September, 1563. She was the daughter of the prince of Anhalt, Joachim Ernest and the Countess Agnes of Barby, Mühlingen Eleonore of Württemberg. Elisabeth’s father was a German prince of the House of Ascania, which made her a prince.

Elisabeth’s grandfather was John V, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and her grandmother, Margaret who was the daughter of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg. Essentially, she had been a part of royalty all her life. Hence, it wasn’t unfamiliar terrain or a grass to grace opportunity.

Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst Siblings

Back in the day, there wasn’t a lot of accounting for every child born. With many important people having favorites and affairs that were only spoken of silently, it was difficult to tell how many kids and siblings anyone had. And this is the case of Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst- she was convinced from her father’s first marriage to the countess Agnes of Barby.

There’s no record of her father’s second marriage. Nevertheless, here are some of Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst’s siblings;

Anna Maria, Duchess of Legnica-Brzeg-Oława-Wołów
Sibylla, Duchess of Württemberg
Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg
John George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Agnes Hedwig, Electress of Saxony and Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Plötzkau
Dorothea Maria, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar
Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Anna Sophie, Countess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Sabine Joachim Christoph
John Ernest, Prince of Anhalt
Bernhard, Prince of Anhalt

It’s difficult to ascertain which of these siblings share the same mum with Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst Marriage

As indicated earlier, Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst became the third wife of John George in 1577. She was 16 years old at the time and he was nearly 40 years older than her. Unlike the typical elite weddings in the 16th century, Elisabeth’s wedding ceremony was private and mild.

For her dower, she was promised an annual compensation of 400 guilders. As for her husband’s dowry, she delivered 15,000 German silver coins (thalers). Aside from her annual pension, she also had joint ownership of the city of Crossen- Crossen Palace, the city of Züllichau and the lordship of Bobrowice.

A fair bargain at the time compared to what other people received.

Elisabeth Ulrike of Anhalt-Zerbst had 11 kids before the death of her husband. Her kids were;