John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg


John the Younger or John of Denmark was the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.

Biography

John was born in Haderslev as the fourth child of King Christian III of Denmark and his wife, Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. His elder brother, King Frederick II of Denmark, allotted him a portion of Schleswig-Sonderburg as his ducal seat. He acted actively in the Danish government, for example supporting his sister-in-law, the Queen, when his nephew, Christian IV of Denmark, was underage. There were plans for him to marry the Dowager Queen in 1588 or 1589, repudiating his second, young wife. John died in Glücksburg.

Family and children

John married twice. Firstly, he married in Kolding on August 19, 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, daughter of Ernest III, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. They had the following children:
  1. Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 23 November 1589 to Frederick IV, Duke of Legnica.
  2. Christian, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Ærø
  3. Ernest of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  4. Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  5. August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  6. Marie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, Abbess of Itzehoe
  7. John Adolph, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Norburg
  8. Anna of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 31 May 1601 to Bogislaw XIII, Duke of Pomerania.
  9. Sophia of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 8 March 1607 to Philip II, Duke of Pomerania-Stettin
  10. Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 19 February 1615 to Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania.
  11. Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg, married on 1 August 1627 to Juliana of Saxe-Lauenburg, daughter of Francis II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg.
  12. Margarete of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 27 February 1603 to John VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen.
  13. Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
  14. Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Secondly, he married on 14 February 1588 Princess Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt, and they had the following children:
  1. Eleonore of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  2. Anna Sabine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 1 January 1618 to Julius Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Weiltingen.
  3. Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  4. Joachim Ernest, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
  5. Dorothea Sibylle of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  6. Dorothea Marie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  7. Bernhard of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  8. Agnes Magdalene of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
  9. Eleonore Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, married on 28 February 1624 to Christian II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg.

    Ancestry