Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Brandenburg

For other people named Elisabeth of Bavaria, see Elisabeth of Bavaria (disambiguation).

Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut (1383 – 13 November 1442), nicknamed "Beautiful Beth", was an Electress of Brandenburg by marriage to Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg. She acted as regent of Brandenburg during the absence of her spouse.

Elisabeth of Bavaria
Electress consort of Brandenburg
Tenure	30 April 1415 – 20 September 1440
Born	1383
Died	13 November 1442 Ansbach
Spouse	Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg ​ ​ (m. 1401; died 1440)​
Issue	Elisabeth, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach Cecilia, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Margaret, Duchess of Mecklenburg Magdalene, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg Dorothea, Duchess of Mecklenburg Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg
House	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Frederick, Duke of Bavaria
Mother	Maddalena Visconti

Life

Elizabeth was a daughter of Duke Frederick "the Wise" of Bavaria-Landshut and his second wife Maddalena Visconti.

On 18 September 1401 she married Frederick VI of Hohenzollern, Burgrave of Nuremberg, who was promoted to Elector of Brandenburg in 1415 and ruled as "Elector Frederick I".

During her husband's long journeys to Italy, Hungary, and to the Council of Constance, she represented him wisely despite the great political problems Brandenburg was experiencing at the time.

She is the ancestress of the royal line of the House of Hohenzollern by her third son Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg.

Issue

With Frederick she had ten children:

1. Elisabeth (1403–31 October 1449, Liegnitz), married:
   1. in Konstanz 1418 Duke Louis II of Brieg and Legnica (1380/5–1436);
   2. in 1438 Duke Wenzel I of Teschen (1413/18–1474).
2. John "the Alchemist" (1406–1465), Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
   1. married in 1416 Princess Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg (1405–1465)
3. Cecilia (c. 1405–4 January 1449), married:
   1. in Berlin 30 May 1423 Duke William I of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1392–1482).
4. Margaret (1410–27 July 1465, Landshut), married:
   1. in 1423 to Duke Albert V, Duke of Mecklenburg (1397–1423);
   2. in Ingolstadt 20 July 1441 to Louis VIII, Duke of Bavaria (1403–1445);
   3. in 1446 to Count Martin of Waldenfels (d. 1471).
5. Magdalene (c. 1412 –27 October 1454, Scharnebeck), married:
   1. in Tangermünde 3 July 1429 to Duke Frederick of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1418–1478).
6. Frederick II (1413–1471), Elector of Brandenburg
   1. married in 1446 Princess Catherine of Saxony (1421–1476)
7. Albrecht Achilles, (1414–1486), Elector of Brandenburg, married:
   1. in 1446 Princess Margarete of Baden (1431–1457)
   2. in 1458 Princess Anna of Saxony (1437–1512)
8. Sofie, born and died 1417.
9. Dorothea (9 February 1420–19 January 1491, Rehna), married:
   1. in 1432 Duke Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg (1417–1477)
10. Frederick "the Fat" (c. 1424–6 October 1463, Tangermünde), Lord of Altmark, married:
    1. in 1449 Princess Agnes of Pomerania (1436–1512)

References

• Bernard Glasauer (2009), Herzog Heinrich XVI. (1393–1450) der Reiche von Bayern-Landshut. Territorialpolitik zwischen Dynastie und Reich, Munich contributions to history, vol. 5, Munich: Herbert Utz Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8316-0899-7 also dissertation, Munich University, 2009