Magnus, Duke of Holstein

Magnus of Denmark (* August 14, 1540, † March 18, 1583 at Castle Pilten in Pilten ) was Prince of Denmark and Norway, Prince and titular of Schleswig and Holstein, Bishop of Osel - Wiek ( 1560-1572 ), Kurland ( 1560 -1583 ) and Reval ( 1560-1583 ), as well as designated King of Livonia 1570-1577.

Biography

Magnus was the third son of King Christian III. of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe- Lauenburg and brother of King Frederick II of Denmark.

Johann von Behr was entrusted with the administration of goods of Magnus.

On April 12, 1573 Magnus married Marie of Russia, daughter of Prince Staritskii, niece of Tsar Ivan IV (about 1560-1617 ) in Novgorod. They had one daughter Eudoxia ( 1581-1588 ).

Magnus died in poverty, because he gave all the dowry the niece of the Tsar to his friends and named daughters. He led a wild life, leaving behind his wife and daughter in the greatest need.

King of Livonia

In the time of the Livonian War, in 1570, appointed the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible Duke Magnus of Holstein King of Livonia. A country that was a fraction of the possessions of the battered Livonian Order to protect the borders of Russia and to conquer new lands of Tsar Ivan IV built.

King Magnus was a 25,000- strong army to conquer lands for the Tsar can. Ivan was particularly interested in Reval, which belonged at the time to Sweden. The castle became the residence of Põltsamaa of King Magnus. His war camp was located on a nearby hill. This still bears the name Kuningamägi (Königsberg ).

Since Magnus a double game with the king of Poland Stefan Batory led and Reval could not conquer, Ivan the Terrible was angry, and sent his army to Estonia in order to destroy the kingdom. Magnus and his wife Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Staritskaja fled with a small boat to Riga at the poles.