Noble family Griffins Name Sophie Mecklenburg Spouse John, Elector of Saxony | Mother Sophie of Pomerania Role 1481–1503 | |
 | ||
Father Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg Born 18 December 1481 ( 1481-12-18 ) Buried City church of St. Mary in Torgau Died July 12, 1503, Torgau, Germany Children John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony Parents Sophie of Pomerania, Duchess of Mecklenburg, Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg Grandchildren John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony Similar People John Frederick I - Elector of, John - Elector of Saxony, Sibylle of Cleves | ||
Sophie of Mecklenburg, also spelled Sophia (18 December 1481 – 12 July 1503 in Torgau) was a German noblewoman. She was a Duchess of Mecklenburg by birth and by marriage Electoral Princess of Saxony.
Life
Sophie was the third of seven children and the second daughter of Duke Magnus II of Mecklenburg and his wife Sophie of Pomerania.
On 1 March 1500, she married Electoral Prince John of Saxony. John and Sophie had a son together:
Sophie died shortly after the birth of her son before her husband became Elector. She was buried in the city church of St. Mary in Torgau. Her bronze grave plate was crafted by Peter Vischer the Elder in his workshop in Nuremberg, after a design by Jacopo de' Barbari.
Her widow and his brother Frederick the Wise found an altar in her memory. It was decicated to Saint Anne and the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and was inaugurated on 18 July 1505. The brother commissioned an altar piece from Lucas Cranach the Elder. A triptych which is now on display at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and is known as the Torgau Altarpiece, is generally believed to be this altarpiece. Another painting by Cranach, a compact representation of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, remained in Torgau, and is now placed behind her grave.