Elisabeth II, Abbess of Quedlinburg

Countess Elisabeth of Regenstein-Blankenburg (1542 – 20 July 1584) was Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg. As such, she is numbered Elisabeth II.

Elisabeth II
Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
Predecessor	Anna II
Successor	Anna III
Born	1542
Died	20 July 1584 (aged 41–42) Quedlinburg Abbey
House	House of Regenstein
Father	Count Ulrich of Regenstein-Blankenburg
Mother	Magdalene of Stolberg
Religion	Lutheran

Elisabeth was the daughter of Count Ulrich of Regenstein-Blankenburg, and his second wife, Magdalene of Stolberg.[1]

Reign

In 1565, with the consent of both the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope,[2] she was elected coadjutor to Anna II, the first Protestant Abbess of Quedlinburg. Abbess Anna II died on 4 March 1574;[3] a day after Anna II's death, Elisabeth was consecrated Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg,[4] and as such she was also Princess of the Holy Roman Empire. Elisabeth II was the second Protestant Abbess of Quedlinburg and the first one to be Protestant at the moment of her election.

Augustus, Elector of Saxony, was initially against her election. He eventually agreed to recognize her as abbess, on condition that he approves all the future candidates for the office of Abbess of Quedlinburg. Elisabeth II had to agree to impose taxes together with Augustus.

Abess Elisabeth II hosted a theological conference in 1583, a year before her death.[5] Elisabeth II died on 20 July 1584. Countess Anna of Stolberg-Wernigerode succeeded Elisabeth as Anna III.

References

1. "Princess-Abbess Elisabeth II zu Regenstein of Quedlinburg (Germany)". guide2womenleaders.com. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
2. Tatlock, Lynne (1994). The Graph of Sex and the German Text: Gendered Culture in Early Modern Germany 1500-1700. Editions Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-5183-470-3.
3. Voigt, Gottfried C. (1761). Geschichte des Stifts Quedlinburg (in German).
4. Fritsch, Johann H. (1828). Geschichte des vormaligen Reichsstifts und der Stadt Quedlinburg (in German). Quedlinburg.
5. Herzog; Bomberger, Johan Jakob; John Henry Augustus (1860). The Protestant Theological and Ecclesiastical Encyclopedia. USA: Lindsay & Blakiston.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)