Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick

For other people with the same name, see Dorothea of Denmark.

Princess Dorothea of Denmark (29 June 1546 – 6 January 1617) was the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1561 until 1592 as the consort of Duke William the Younger.^[1] She was regent for her son George from 1592 to 1596.

Dorothea of Denmark
Detail from altarpiece attributed to Ludger Tom Ring the Younger in the chapel of Celle Castle, c. 1569
Born	(1546-06-29)29 June 1546 Kolding
Died	6 January 1617(1617-01-06) (aged 70) Winsen
Spouse	William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ​ ​ (m. 1561; died 1592)​
Issue	Sophia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach Ernest II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Elisabeth, Countess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Christian, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Augustus I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Dorothea, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld Clara, Countess of Schwarzburg-Frankenhausen Anne Ursula of Brunswick-Lüneburg Margaret, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg Frederick IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg Magnus of Brunswick-Lüneburg George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg John of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sybille, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
House	Oldenburg
Father	Christian III of Denmark
Mother	Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg

Biography

Born in Kolding, Dorothea was the youngest child of Christian III of Denmark-Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. She married William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg on 12 October 1561.

When her husband died in 1592, she became regent for her under age son George. She had a deep mistrust of the councillors because of their ill management of her husband's estates during his insanity. Dorothea was known as a capable and energetic regent.

She died in Winsen, Germany at the age of 70.

Children who reached adulthood

• Sophia (30 October 1563 – 1639), married George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
• Ernst (31 December 1564 – 2 March 1611)
• Elisabeth (19 October 1565 – 17 July 1621), married Frederick, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
• Christian (19 November 1566 – 8 November 1633)
• Augustus (18 November 1568 – 1 October 1636)
• Dorothea (1 January 1570 – 15 August 1649), married Charles, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld
• Clara (16 January 1571 – 18 July 1658), married William, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
• Anne (22 March 1572 – 5 February 1601)
• Margaret (6 April 1573 – 7 August 1643), married Johann Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg
• Friedrich (28 August 1574 – 10 December 1648)
• Marie (21 October 1575 – 8 August 1610)
• Magnus (30 August 1577 – 10 February 1632)
• Georg (17 February 1582 – 12 April 1641)
• Johann (23 June 1583 – 27 November 1628)
• Sybille (3 June 1584 – 5 August 1652), married Julius Ernest, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Ancestry

Ancestors of Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick

8. Christian I of Denmark 4. Frederick I of Denmark 9. Dorothea of Brandenburg 2. Christian III of Denmark 10. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg 5. Anna of Brandenburg 11. Margaret of Thuringia 1. Dorothea of Denmark 12. John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg 6. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg 13. Dorothea of Brandenburg 3. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg 14. Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 7. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15. Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast