Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach was a princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Electress of Brandenburg by marriage.Life
Sabina was the daughter of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from his second marriage to Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels, daughter of the Duke Charles I of Münsterberg-Oels. The princess was brought up by her stepmother Emilie of Saxony in the Lutheran faith.
On 12 February 1548 Sabina married Elector John George of Brandenburg in Ansbach. His first wife Sophie of Legnica was Sabina's cousin. The day before the wedding ceremony, she solemnly renounced her possible paternal inheritance. The district, city and castle of Plauen were made over to her as her Wittum. Since Plauen, like all districts of Brandenburg, was not free of debt, lengthy negotiations about the compensation for her dowry of 12,000 guilders led to the district and monastery of Spandau also being assigned to her.
Sabina's husband was heir apparent to the Electorate of Brandenburg for 23 years. The couple spent this time on various castles in the territories of Brandenburg. The family's official residence was Zechlin castle in Rheinsberg near Wittstock. Here Sabina cared for her own children and also for her stepson Joachim Friedrich, who later became Elector of Brandenburg. Sabina's thrifty life style caused Rheinsberg to prosper for a while.
After Sabina's husband became Elector in 1571, she had an influence on religious affairs and was a patron of churches and schools. She supported the sick and the poor and had regular personal contact with the doctor Leonhard Thurneysser.
Sabina died on 2 November 1575 and was buried in the Berlin Cathedral.Offspring
From her marriage Sabina had the following children:
- George Albert
- John, twin with Albert
- Albert, twin with John
- Magdalena Sabina
- Erdmuthe, married in 1577 to Duke John Frederick of Pomerania
- Marie
- Hedwig
- Magdalena
- Margaret
- Anna Maria, married in 1581 to Duke Barnim X of Pomerania
- Sophie, married in 1582 to Elector Christian I of Saxony
