Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg
Albrecht VII, the Handsome, Duke of Mecklenburg in Güstrow, was a minor ruler in North Germany of the 16th century. He also asserted claims to Scandinavian thrones based on the royal lineage of the House of Mecklenburg.
In the course of the so-called Count's Feud, the Free City of Lübeck involved Duke Albrecht in its alliance with various parties and offered him the Danish crown. King Christian III of Denmark, however, managed to keep his kingdom: Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, and Duke Albert were besieged in Copenhagen in 1535–1536 until they capitulated.
Marriage and children
On 17 January 1524 he married Anna of Brandenburg, a daughter of Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg. They had the following children:- Magnus of Mecklenburg
- John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
- Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Schwerin
- George of Mecklenburg,
- Anna of Mecklenburg ; married Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland, and had issue.
- Louis of Mecklenburg
- John of Mecklenburg
- Christopher, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch ; married in 1573 to Dorothea, daughter of Frederick I of Denmark and on 14 May 1581 to Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
- Sophie of Mecklenburg
- Charles I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Schwerin
Literature
- Lutz Sellmer, Albrecht VII. von Mecklenburg und die Grafenfehde, Frankfurt am Main 1999.