Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg

Magnus II of Mecklenburg
Magnus II of Mecklenburg
	Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg
Born	1441
Died	20 November 1503; Wismar
Burial	Doberan Minster
Father	Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg
Mother	Dorothea of Hohenzollern

Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow (1441 – 20 November 1503) was duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1477 until his death.

He was the son of Henry IV the Fat, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Dorothea of Hohenzollern, daughter of Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg. Duke Henry IV had re-united the Mecklenburg lands under his rule by inheritance of the former Lordships of Werle and Stargard in 1436 and 1471 respectively. Near the end of his life, Henry IV devoted more and more time to hedonistic luxury, while Magnus and his brothers Albert and John took over the most active share in the business of government. John died in 1474, leaving a grieving widow, Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin, daughter of Duke Eric II of Pomerania, whom Magnus married himself in 1478.

After Henry died in 1477, the Magnus ruled the Duchy jointly with Albert. After Albert died in 1483, Magnus ruled alone, as his younger brother Balthasar did not care at all about government business. He reigned until his death in 1503, when he was succeeded by his sons Henry V, Eric II and Albert VII, who at first ruled jointly until in 1520 they split the lands into the duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Güstrow.

The duchy's debt had excessively, due to the lavish court life of Magnus's father and he sought to reduce that debt. He curtailed his own royal household in every way, and pledged goods and regalia. He tried to restore the shattered finances by the introduction of extraordinary ["Beden"] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (from Lower Saxon Beden: goods to be delivered to the manor by the serfs). This caused tensions between him and the Hanseatic cities of Rostock and Wismar, that tried to achieve a more independent position.

In 1487 rebellion broke out in Rostock. It is known as the "Rostock Cathedral Feud" (German: Rostock Domfehde). The trigger was the establishment of a collegiate church (commonly known as Dom) at the Church of St. James ([Jacobikirche] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). With this, Magnus II wanted to secure the financing of the university and his position of power within the city. On 12 January 1487, the day the church was to be consecraged, Provost Thomas Rode was murdered in the street. Rulers who were present for the consecration, had to flee the city. Magnus had to fear for his life when his company was attacked. His skin was saved by a body guard, who threw himself on top of Magnus in the thick of the melee. The rebellion lasted until 1491. Rebel leader hans Runge and three other insurgents were executed and the city had to recognize the cathedral chapter and pay a substantial fine, confirm all of the Duke's privileges. The excommunication and interdict, which Magnus and Balthasar had obtained from the Emperor and the Pope, were then rescinded.

Besides these feuds in his own country, Magnus also had disputes with neighbouring princes and with his vassals, as was usual in those days. There were disputes over inheritances and fiefs and border disputes. Magnus would participate in battles, or mediate between the contending parties. Some other activities for the good of his country, such as the proposed canal connecting the Baltic Sea with the Elbe and North Sea via Lake Schwerin, as well as improving the metal content of the Mecklenburg coins, had to be postponed indefinitely, due to lack of funding. In 1492, 27 Jews in Sternberg were convicted to death after allegetions that they had desecrated bleeding communion wafers. Magnus confirmed the verdict and the Jews were executed at the stake.

Magnus died on 20 November 1503 in Wismar and is buried at the Doberan Minster.