Christine Of Hesse

Christine was born in Kassel, the daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, and his wife Christine, Duke of Saxony. She received a strict Protestant education by her aunt, Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Saxony. Christine received a marriage proposal from King Eric XIV of Sweden, but she did not go through with it. A scandal broke out because guests at her wedding reception drank too much alcohol. In 1565, Gottorf Castle was destroyed by fire, and her personal belongings were lost. As a duchess, Christine supported churches and schools and provided scholarships to poor theology students. She was interested in medicine and even manufactured her own medicine. After 1586, her widow Christine defended the rights of her son Philip to the Council. Christine composed her psalm book Geistliche Psalmen und Lieder (1590).

On December 17, 1564, Christine married Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and they had the following children: Frederick II (April 21, 1568 - June 15, 1587). Sophia (June 1, 1569 - November 14, 1634) married John VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, on February 17, 1588. Philip (August 10, 1570 - October 18, 1590). Christina (April 13, 1573 - December 8, 1625) married Charles IX of Sweden on August 27, 1592. John Adolphus (February 27, 1575 - March 31, 1616). Anna (February 27, 1575 - April 24, 1625) married Enno III, Count of Ostfriesland, on January 28, 1598. Christian died young in 1577. Agnes (December 20, 1578 – 1627). John Frederick, Prince Bishop of Bremen, Lübeck and Verden (1 September 1579 - 3 September 1634). Through his daughters Sophia and Anna, she is an ancestor of the British monarch Charles III.

Media related to Christine von Hesse on Wikimedia Commons (German) ABD article