Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin | |
---|---|
Spouse(s) | Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg |
Noble family | Hohenzollern |
Father | John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin |
Mother | Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Margravine of Brandenburg-Küstrin |
Born |
Küstrin |
10 August 1549
Died | 30 September 1602 Cölln |
(aged 53)
Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin (10 August 1549 – 30 September 1602) was a Margravine of Brandenburg-Küstrin by birth and Electress of Brandenburg by marriage.
Catherine was the younger of two daughters of John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1513–1571) from his marriage to Catherine (1518–1574), daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
On 8 January 1570, she married Joachim of Brandenburg, later Elector Joachim III Frederick of Brandenburg (1546–1608) in Küstrin. Due to the marriage, her husband no longer had a legitimate claim on the position of bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Magdeburg and Pope Pius V put in a request to Emperor Maximilian for his dismissal.
Catherine tried to improve the fate of the poor and the needy. She built a dairy in Wedding and sold its produce on the Molkenmarkt ("Milk Market"), a square in Berlin. She used the proceeds to finance a pharmacy in the Stadtschloss that provided medicine free of charge to those in need.
Catherine died on 30 September 1602. On 13 October, she was buried in the Hohenzollern crypt (now part of the Berliner Dom).
From her marriage with Joachim Frederick, Catherine had the following children: