Background
She was born in Ratzeburg to Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine, daughter of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
She was born in Ratzeburg to Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine, daughter of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
King Gustav married Catherine for political reasons. Negotiations began in 1528. The marriage also gave Gustav closer connections to the throne of Denmark, as Catherine"s older sister Dorothea was engaged to Christian, the Crown Prince of Denmark.
Catherine was 18 years old when Gustav"s proposal was accepted, and she travelled to Sweden in the company of her mother.
Catherine never learned to speak Swedish, and as her husband"s German was less than perfect, they had difficulty in communicating and did not spend much time together. At a castle ball, she and Christian fell while dancing, which caused her to have a miscarriage.
She died soon after Christian"s departure, on 23 September 1535, two weeks after her fall, and was eventually buried in Uppsala Cathedral after Gustav died in 1560. After her death, rumors about the cause of it were spread by Gustav"s enemies, claiming that he had killed Catherine with a silver hammer he used to summon servants.
Number formal accusation was made by Catherine"s family, and an analysis of her remains, made during the 20th century, showed no damage to her skull or to the rest of her skeleton.