View source for Balthasar, Duke of Mecklenburg

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{{Infobox royalty
| name = Balthasar of Mecklenburg
| house = [[House of Mecklenburg]]
| father = [[Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg]]
| mother = [[Dorothea of Brandenburg (1420–1491)]]
| spouse = Margaret of Pomerania
| birth_date = 1451
| death_date = 16 March 1507
| death_place = [[Wismar]]
}}
[[File:13-06-21-muenster-bad-doberan-by-RalfR-041 cropped left.jpg|thumb]]
'''Balthasar of Mecklenburg''' (1451 &ndash; 16 March 1507) was a [[Duke of Mecklenburg]] and [[Coadjutor]] of the [[Diocese of Hildesheim]] between 1471 and 1474 and the [[List of bishops, prince-bishops, and administrators of Schwerin|Diocese of Schwerin]] between 1474 and 1479.
Balthasar was the youngest son of [[Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg]] and [[Dorothea of Brandenburg (1420–1491)|Dorothea of Brandenburg]], the daughter of the Margrave [[Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick I]] of Brandenburg.  When he came of age, Balthasar chose an ecclesiastical career.  He was coadjutor of the [[Diocese of Hildesheim]] in the years 1471-1474 and then in the Diocese of Schwerin from 1474 to 1479.  He probably was not satisfied with ecclesiastical life and returned to lay status in 1479.  After mediation by his mother, an agreement was reached on 13 January 1480 between him and his older brothers to divide the duchy.  His brother [[Albert VI, Duke of Mecklenburg|Albert VI]] received the larger part of the former Principality of [[Werle]], while Balthasar and his brother [[Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Magnus II]] jointly administered the rest of the Duchy.  After Magnus died, Balthasar ruled jointly with Magnus' sons.
He married Margaret, daughter of Duke [[Eric II, Duke of Pomerania|Eric II of Pomerania]], in 1487.  They had no children. After the deaths of Balthasar and his nephews [[Eric II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Eric II]], the rule of Mecklenburg was divided among Magnus' surviving sons.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Netherlands) |first1=Mauritshuis (Hague |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSLrAAAAMAAJ |title=Portraits in the Mauritshuis: 1430-1790 |last2=Broos |first2=B. P. J. |last3=Suchtelen |first3=Ariane van |date=2004 |publisher=Royal Picture Gallery |isbn=978-90-400-9000-4 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref>
Balthasar was a scholarly man and served as the rector of the [[University of Rostock]] three times.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fvJKAAAAYAAJ |title=German literature pamphlets |date=1938 |pages=8 |language=de, en}}</ref> He was a promoter of the ''Dresdner Heldenbuch'', created by [[Kaspar von der Rhön]];<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books-google-com.translate.goog/books?id=Jxph2yVLnC8C&pg=PA229&dq=%22BALTHASAR+von+Mecklenburg%22+-wikipedia+1507&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc#v=onepage&q=%22BALTHASAR%20von%20Mecklenburg%22%20-wikipedia%201507&f=false |title=Allgemeine encyclopädie der wissenschaften und künste in alphabetischer folge von genannten schrifts bearbeitet und herausgegeben von J. S. Ersch und J. G. Gruber ... |date=1883 |publisher=J. f. Gleditsch |pages=229 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Classen |first=Albrecht |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=STn0so3H-IkC |title=Sexual Violence and Rape in the Middle Ages: A Critical Discourse in Premodern German and European Literature |date=2011-06-30 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-026338-1 |pages=199 |language=en}}</ref> this support likely influenced [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Maximilian I]] in his support of the ''[[Ambraser Heldenbuch]]'', a highly significant manuscript in the history of German literature.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s91bAAAAMAAJ |title=Amsterdamer Publikationen zur Sprache und Literatur |date=1973 |publisher=Rodopi NV |pages=192 |language=en}}</ref>
Balthasar died on 16 March 1507 (or, less likely, on 17 March) in [[Wismar]] and was buried in the [[Doberan Abbey]] in [[Bad Doberan]].
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208091810/http://portal.hsb.hs-wismar.de/pub/lbmv/mjb/jb050/350367779.html genealogical table of the House of Mecklenburg]
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou | [[House of Mecklenburg]] || 1451 || 1507}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Werner Wolmer]]|as=prince-bishop }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Diocesan administrator#Administrators of prince-bishoprics|Administrator]] of the <br>[[List of bishops, prince-bishops, and administrators of Schwerin#Catholic Administrators and Prince-bishops (1474–1532)|Prince-Bischopric of Schwerin]] | years = 1474–1479}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Nicholas of Pentz|Nicholas II]]|as=prince-bishop }}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Albert VI, Duke of Mecklenburg|Albert VI]] and| before2 = [[Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Magnus II of Mecklenburg]]}}
{{s-ttl | rows=2|title = [[Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]| years=1479&ndash;1507|regent1=[[Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Magnus II]] (brother)|years1=1479&ndash;1503|regent2=[[Albert VII, Duke of Mecklenburg|Albert VII]] (nephew)|years2=1503&ndash;1520|regent3=[[Eric II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Eric II]] (nephew)|years3=1503&ndash;1508|regent4=[[Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg|Henry V]] (nephew)|years4=1503&ndash;1520}}
{{s-aft | rows=2|after = [[Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg|Albert VII]], | after2 = [[Eric II, Duke of Mecklenburg|Eric II]] and| after3 = [[Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg|Henry V of Mecklenburg]]}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Albert VI, Duke of Mecklenburg|Albert VI of Mecklenburg-Güstrow]]<br>{{small|'''in 1483 M.-Güstrow reverted to M.-Schwerin'''}} }}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balthasar, Duke of Mecklenburg}}
[[Category:1451 births]]
[[Category:1507 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century German nobility]]
[[Category:16th-century German nobility]]
[[Category:Lutheran prince-bishops of Schwerin]]
[[Category:Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
[[Category:German Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:House of Mecklenburg]]
[[Category:People from Mecklenburg]]
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