| John | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Holstein | |
 | |
| Born | (1583-07-09)9 July 1583 |
| Died | 28 October 1602(1602-10-28) (aged 19) |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Frederick II of Denmark and Norway |
| Mother | Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Johan of Schleswig-Holstein (9 July 1583 – 28 October 1602) was the youngest son of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He went to Russia in 1602 as the bridegroom of Boris Godunov's daughter Ksenia (Xenia), but fell ill and died before the marriage could take place. It is possible that Boris Godunov's ministers may have poisoned him. The cancelled marriage between John and Ksenia was an attempt to ally Denmark-Norway with the Russian Empire.
Other notable facts
- In Alexander Pushkin's chamber drama Boris Godunov and the Mussorgsky opera based on it, Johan is referred to in Boris's monologue "I have attained the highest power":
I thought to make my daughter happy
By wedlock. Like a tempest Death took off
Her bridegroom—and at once a stealthy rumour
Pronounced me guilty of my daughter's grief--
Me, me, the hapless father!
Ancestry
References
- Carl Frederik Bricka. "Hans, 1583-1602, yngste Søn af Kong Frederik II og Dronning Sophie". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
Other sources
- "The Muscovite Embassy of 1599 to Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg," by Isaiah Gruber (1999): page 86 (with footnote 3)
- Büsching, Anton Friedrich (1773). Magazin für die neue Historie und Geographie, VII Theil: VII Archiv-Nachrichten von alten Unterhandlungen welche zwischen dem russischen und danischen hofe von 1554 bis 1677. Halle: Johann Jacob Curt. pp. 316–317.
- Büsching, Anton Friedrich (1773). Magazin für die neue Historie und Geographie, VII Theil: Johannis des jüngern, Herzogs von Denmark Reussische Reise und Einzug zu Moskau 1602. Halle: Johann Jacob Curt. pp. 255–298.
External links
- Boris Godunov: a drama in verse at Project Gutenberg
- The Muscovite Embassy of 1599 to Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg (pdf) by Isaiah Gruber