Elisabeth of Denmark (25 August 1573-19 June 1626) was duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg as a wife of Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

She was the eldest daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and his wife Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.

Scottish ambassadors had at first concentrated their suit on Elisabeth as a prospective wife for King James VI of Scotland, but King Frederick betrothed Elisabeth to the Duke of Brunswick, promising the Scots instead that "for the second daughter Anna, if the King did like her, he should have her".

She was married in 1590 to Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg and had ten children:

1. Frederick Ulrich (15 April 1591-21 August 1634)
2. Sophia Hedwig (20 February 1592-23 January 1642), married Ernest Casimir, Prince of Nassau-Dietz
3. Elisabeth (23 June 1593-25 Mar 1650), married Augustus, Duke of Saxony, and Johann Philipp, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
4. Hedwig (19 February 1595-26 June 1650), married Ulrich, Duke of Pomerania
5. Dorothea (8 July 1596-1 September 1643), married Christian William, Margrave of Brandenburg, son of Joachim Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg
6. Heinrich Julius(7 October 1597-11 July 1606)
7. Christian (20 September 1599- 16 July 1626)
8. Rudolph (15 June 1602-13 June 1616)
9. Heinrich Karl (4 September 1609-11 June 1615)
10. Anna Augusta (19 May 1612-17 February 1673), married George Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

When ther future spouse first arive for the wedding, he disguised mhislef as a jeweler, presented her with jewelry and said that prize was her body, and was thrown in jail until he proved his identity and that it was merely a joke.

After the death of her husband, she reigned in her dowry. After three years she removed her son, Friederich Ulrich, from the government together with her brother, Christian IV of Denmark, and she remained in charge for the next six years. In 1617 she founded the Retreat for the Poor with a chapel (Elisabeth Stift). During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) the castle was raided and was not repaired until 1654.

[edit] References

• http://runeberg.org/dbl/4/0499.html (in Danish)