Anna, Duchess of Prussia
| Anna of Prussia | |
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Electress consort of Brandenburg Duchess consort of Prussia |
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Anna of Prussia
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| Spouse(s) | John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg |
| Noble family | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia |
| Mother | Marie Eleonore of Cleves |
| Born |
3 July 1576 Königsberg |
| Died | 30 August 1625 (aged 49) Berlin |
Duchess Anna of Prussia and Jülich-Cleves-Berg (3 July 1576 – 30 August 1625) was the daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia, and Marie Eleonore of Cleves. She became the spouse of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg.
Anna was married to John Sigismund on 30 October 1594. Before the marriage, his mother, Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, pointed out that Anna was not beautiful, but the marriage was arranged in order to secure the incorporation of the Duchy of Prussia into the Electorate of Brandenburg through Anna, whose father had no surviving male heirs. This was a political match of exceptional importance, since Anna was not only heir to Prussia, but also the expected heir of Cleves, Jülich and Berg, as well as Mark and Ravensberg.
Anna was described as intellectually superior to her spouse, temperamental and strong-willed. She is reported to have thrown plates and glasses at her spouse during arguments. She fought on her own to secure her succession rights to various fiefs and handled negotiations with her competitors. In 1612, she placed her demands before the Emperor. After the conversion of her spouse to Calvinism, Anna became the protector and spokesperson of the Lutherans. She continued to play an important role during the reign of her son. She opposed the Habsburgs and secured the marriage of her daughter Maria Eleonora to the King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden against her son's will in 1620.
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