Marie Elisabeth, Abbess of Quedlinburg
Duchess Marie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (21 March 1678 – 17 July 1755) was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg from 1718 until her death.
Duchess Marie Elisabeth was born in Hamburg as the youngest child of Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and his wife, Princess Frederica Amalia of Denmark. She was considered for marriage to Charles XII of Sweden, but he declined.
In 1718, she was elected Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg. However, the Kings in Prussia, who obtained the guardianship of the abbey-principality as electors of Brandenburg in 1698, tried to impose their authority over this small state of the Holy Roman Empire by attempting to influence the election of new princess-abbess in favour of their own relatives. Marie Elisabeth was elected several times during the interregnum, while the abbey-principality was ruled by the provost Maria Aurora von Königsmarck, but King Frederick William I of Prussia refused to consent to each election and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI consequently refused to confirm the elections. The election, however, eventually went ahead but the selection of a duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp instead than a princess of Prussia caused quite a stir. Due to her territorial disputes with the King in Prussia, Marie Elisabeth turned to the Holy Roman Emperor, but without success.
As the ruler, Princess-Abbess Marie Elisabeth restored the castle, the abbey and the Abbey Church of St. Servatius, where she was buried upon her death in Quedlinburg. After her death, a princess of Prussia was finally elected and Marie Elisabeth was succeeded by Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia.
Ancestry
| Marie Elisabeth, Abbess of Quedlinburg | Father: Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp |
Paternal grandfather: Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp |
Paternal great-grandfather: John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp |
| Paternal great-grandmother: Augusta of Denmark | |||
| Paternal grandmother: Marie Elisabeth of Saxony |
Paternal great-grandfather: John George I, Elector of Saxony | ||
| Paternal great-grandmother: Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia | |||
| Mother: Frederica Amalia of Denmark |
Maternal grandfather: Frederick III of Denmark |
Maternal great-grandfather: Christian IV of Denmark | |
| Maternal great-grandmother: Anne Catherine of Brandenburg | |||
| Maternal grandmother: Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Maternal Great-grandfather: George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | ||
| Maternal great-grandmother: Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt |
Bibliography
- H. Lorenz: Werdegang von Stift und Stadt Quedlinburg. Quedlinburg 1922.
External links
| Marie Elisabeth Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Office of provost held by Maria Aurora von Königsmarck Title last held by Anna Dorothea |
Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg 1718–1755 |
Succeeded by Anna Amalia |
| Roman Catholic abbesses (966–1540) |
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| Lutheran abbesses (1540–1803) | ||
