Anna of Denmark (1532–1585) was a Danish princess from the House of Oldenburg who became Electress of Saxony through her marriage to Augustus of Saxony in 1548. As one of the most influential women in post-Reformation Europe, she played a vital role in preserving and promoting Orthodox Lutheranism in the years following Martin Luther’s death in 1546.

In this “Story Time with Sarah” episode, the Lutheran Ladies revisit the life and times of the energetic electress, celebrating Anna’s prowess as a horticultural and proto-pharmaceutical scientist, her faithfulness as a wife and mother, and — especially — her staunch advocacy and support for Lutheran theology and practice in the Holy Roman Empire.

Listen to last year’s Women of the Reformation trivia challenge, or learn more about Anna of Denmark, Electress of Saxony.

Sources listed in this episode:

Brian J. Hale: “Anna of Saxony and Her Library.” Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Vol. 9, No. 1. Fall 2014, p. 101-114

Pernille Arenfeldt: “Gendered Patronage and Confessionalization.” Renaissance Women as Patrons of Art and Culture. Renaessanceforum 4. 2008. www.renaessanceforum.dk.

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