Magnus av Mecklenburg, "Magnus 2"

Abt 1441 - 1503  (62 years)

• Name	Magnus av Mecklenburg
  Suffix	"Magnus 2"
  Birth	Abt 1441  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Abt 1477	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Tyskland   [1]
  	Hertug av Mecklenburg-Schwerin og Güstrow.
  	Magnus 2, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow (1441 – 20 November 1503) was duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1477 until his death. He was the son of Henry 4, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Dorothea of Brandenburg, daughter of Elector Frederick 1 of Brandenburg. Duke Henry 4 had re-united the Mecklenburg lands under his rule through his inheritance of the former Lordships of Werle and Stargard in 1436 and 1471, respectively. Near the end of his life, Henry 4 devoted more and more time to hedonistic luxury, while Magnus and his brothers Albert and John took over the most active share in the business of government. John died in 1474 leaving a grieving widow, Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin, daughter of Duke Eric 2 of Pomerania, whom Magnus married himself in 1478. After Henry died in 1477, Magnus ruled the Duchy jointly with Albert. After Albert died in 1483, Magnus ruled alone, as his younger brother Balthasar did not care at all about governing. Magnus reigned until his death in 1503, when he was succeeded by his sons Henry 5, Eric 2 and Albert 7, who at first ruled jointly until they split their lands into the duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Güstrow in 1520. The duchy's debt increased excessively due to the lavish court life of Henry 4. Magnus sought to reduce that debt. He curtailed his own royal household in every way, and pawned goods and regalia. He tried to restore the shattered finances through the introduction of extraordinary Beden (from Lower Saxon Beden: goods to be delivered to the manor by the serfs). This caused tensions with the Hanseatic cities of Rostock and Wismar that were trying to achieve a more independent position. In 1487 a rebellion broke out in Rostock that is known as the Rostock Cathedral Feud (German: Rostock Domfehde). The trigger was the establishment of a collegiate church (commonly known as Dom) at the Church of St. James (Jacobikirche). With this action, Magnus 2 wanted to secure the financing of the university and his position of power within the city. On 12 January 1487, the day the church was to be consecrated, Provost Thomas Rode was murdered in the street. Dignitataries present for the consecration had to flee the city. Magnus feared for his own life when his entourage was attacked. His life was saved by a bodyguard who threw himself on top of Magnus in the thick of the melee. The rebellion lasted until 1491. In the end, rebel leader Hans Runge and three other insurgents were executed and the city had to recognize the cathedral chapter, pay a substantial fine and confirm all of the Duke's privileges. The excommunication and interdict under which Magnus and Balthasar had been placed by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick 3 and Pope Innocent 8 were then rescinded. Besides these feuds in his own country, Magnus also had disputes with neighbouring princes and with his vassals, as was usual in those days, for example over inheritances, fiefs and border disputes. Magnus would participate in battles or mediate between the contending parties. Certain projects intended to benefit the economic position of his territories, such as the proposed canal connecting the Baltic Sea with the Elbe and North Sea via Lake Schwerin and the improvement of the quality of the Mecklenburg coinage had to be postponed indefinitely due to a lack of funding. In 1492, 27 Jews in Sternberg were condemned to death after being accused of desecrating bleeding communion wafers. Magnus confirmed the verdict, and the Jews were executed at the stake. In his domestic life he had the pleasure to see 2 of his daughters marry respected German princes. His daughter Anna became the matriarch of the House of Hesse and Sophie assumed the same status for the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin. After Magnus' death, his youngest daughter Catherine achieved fame in her own right as the mother of the famous Duke Maurice of Saxony. Magnus died on 20 November 1503 in Wismar and was later buried in Doberan Abbey. Magnus 2 was married to Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin. With her he had the following children: 1. Henry 5, the peaceable, (1479–1552), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 2. Dorothea (born: 21 October 1480 – died: 1 September 1537 in Ribnitz), from 24 February 1498 Abbess in the Ribnitz monastery 3. Sophie, (born: 18 December 1481 – died: 12 July 1503 in Torgau) married on 1 March 1500 with Elector John the Steadfast of Saxony Eric 2, (1483–1508), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 4. Anna, (1485–1525), Landgravine of Hesse 5. Catherine of Mecklenburg, (1487–1561), Margravine of Meissen 6. Albert 7, the Handsome (1486–1547), Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. [1]
  Death	20 Nov 1503	Wismar, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Tyskland   [1]
  Person ID	I12594	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	25 Feb 2017

  
  

  Family	Sophie av Pommern,   b. Abt 1460   d. 26 Apr 1504, Wismar, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Tyskland (Age 44 years)
  Marriage	29 May 1478  [1]
  	Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin (c.?1460 – 26 April 1504, Wismar), was Duchess of Mecklenburg by marriage from 1478 to 1504. She was the daughter of Eric 2 of Pomerania-Wolgast (d 1474) and his wife Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp (d 1497). Her brother was Bogislaw 10 (1454-1523), who ruled the country for almost fifty years as a unified territory. Under Bogislaw 10, Pomerania experienced a golden age: Szczecin was made the residence in 1491, the ducal administration was organised in a chancery, a well-regulated tax collection was introduced and peace and stability were maintained. For political reasons, the Duchy of Mecklenburg was anxious to see a merger with the House of Pomerania. Sophie of Pomerania was the fiancee of Duke John 5 of Mecklenburg, the brother of her later husband Magnus 2 of Mecklenburg. After John's death, Sophie went into a convent, and vowed of perpetual chastity. But Magnus 2 was very attached to securing the border with Pomerania and therefore interested in a marriage with Sophie. He asked several priests for advice on how to set aside the vow, but this was in vain. He married Sophie on 29 May 1478 anyway, against the ecclesiastical laws. The pope did not sentence Magnus for this transgression; instead he awarded him the Golden Rose of Virtue, the highest ecclesiastical honors. On 3 April 1486 Sophie finally got dispensation from her vow, on the condition she provide 3 poor people annually with white woolen clothes in memory of the Virgin Mary. Like her daughter Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin over 2 decades later, Sophie insisted on being buried far from home. Whereas all her relatives on the Mecklenburg side, including her husband, had been buried in Doberan Abbey, she chose the Dominican monastery in Wismar as the final resting place. Sophie's funeral was the first of the ducal house in Wismar and - apart from her sister Margaret, the widow of Balthasar, on 27 March 1526 - also the last. The bronze grave slab with the life-sized image of the Duchess resting on a Pomegranate blanket, first covered her tomb at the main altar of the church of the Black Monastery in Wismar until 1880. It was then moved to St. Mary's Church, also in Wismar, and after its destruction to the northern side chapel of the Nikolai Church, also in Wismar. [1]
  Children	+ 1. Katarina av Mecklenburg,   b. Abt 1487   d. Abt 06 Jun 1561, Torgau, Sachsen, Tyskland (Age 74 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F4937	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	4 Feb 2016

  
  

• Photos

  av Mecklenburg Magnus 2.jpg Magnus 2. av Mecklenburg (ca.1441-1503).

  
  

• Sources

  [S754] Wikipedia (Reliability: 1).