Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg (died 1327)

Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
Lady of Mecklenburg
Illustration of Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg from a 1321 record in the Mecklenburgisches Urkundenbuch.
Bornc. 1290
Died(1327-11-22)22 November 1327
Wismar, Lordship of Mecklenburg
Spouse
(m. 1308)
Issue
HouseAscania
FatherAlbert II, Duke of Saxony
MotherAgnes of Austria
ReligionCatholicism

Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg (died 22 November 1327) was a German noblewoman of the House of Ascania. By her marriage to Henry II, Lord of Mecklenburg, she served as the Lady of Mecklenburg during a period of significant territorial expansion for the House of Mecklenburg.[1]

Family

Anna was the daughter of Albert II, Duke of Saxony and Agnes of Austria, a daughter of King Rudolf I of Germany.[2] Her lineage connected the Saxon ducal house with the rising House of Habsburg, which significantly enhanced the political prestige of her husband's court.

Marriage and issue

In 1308, Anna married Henry II, Lord of Mecklenburg as his second wife.[3].The union produced the following children:

  • Ludgarda (c. 1310 – 1362); married Władysław of Bytom.
  • Henry (1316 – 1321); died in childhood.
  • Anastasia (1317 – 1321); died in childhood.
  • Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg(1318 – 1379); known as "the Great," he succeeded his father and became the first Duke of Mecklenburg.
  • Agnes (1320 – 1340); married Nicholas III, Lord of Werle.
  • Beatrix (1324 – 5 August 1399); served as the Abbess of Ribnitz Monastery from 1348 to 1395.

Death

Anna died in November 1327. Following her death, Henry II contracted a third marriage with Anna of Brandenburg-Stendal to further consolidate political ties between the Ascanian and Mecklenburg houses.[4]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg (died 1327)
8. Bernhard III, Duke of Saxony
4. Albrecht I, Duke of Saxony
9. Judith of Poland
2. Albert II, Duke of Saxony
10. Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
5. Helene of Brunswick-Lüneburg
11. Matilda of Brandenburg
1. Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
12. Albert IV, Count of Habsburg
6. Rudolf I, King of Germany
13. Heilwig of Kiburg
3. Agnes of Austria
14. Burchard V, Count of Hohenberg
7. Gertrude of Hohenberg
15. Mechtild of Tübingen

References

  1. ^ Nugent, Thomas (1766). The History of Vandalia: Containing the Ancient and Present State of the Country of Mecklenburg. Nourse. p. 312.
  2. ^ Anderson, James (1732). Royal Genealogies, Or the Genealogical Tables of Emperors, Kings and Princes. James Bettenham. p. 447.
  3. ^ "Mecklenburg: Anna of Saxony". Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  4. ^ L'Art de vérifier les dates des faits historiques. Vol. 12. Valade. 1818. p. 438.