She is historically extremely important. The Hohenzollern family ruled Prussia. She married Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg, converting a few minor Holy Roman entities into a force to be reckoned with. According to her Wikipedia article: "Duchess Anna of Prussia and Jülich-Cleves-Berg (3 July 1576 – 30 August 1625) was Electress consort of Brandenburg and Duchess consort of Prussia by marriage to John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg.
Anna was married to John Sigismund on 30 October 1594. Before the marriage, his mother, Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, pointed out that Anna was not beautiful, but the marriage was arranged in order to secure the incorporation of the Duchy of Prussia into the Electorate of Brandenburg through Anna, whose father had no surviving male heirs. This was a political match of exceptional importance, since Anna was not only heir to Prussia, but also the expected heir of Cleves, Jülich and Berg, as well as Mark and Ravensberg.
Anna was described as intellectually superior to her spouse, temperamental and strong-willed. She is reported to have thrown plates and glasses at her spouse during arguments. She fought on her own to secure her succession rights to various fiefs and handled negotiations with her competitors. She placed her demands before the Holy Roman Emperor in 1612. After the conversion of her spouse to Calvinism, Anna became the protector and spokesperson of the Lutherans. She continued to play an important role during the reign of her son. She opposed the Habsburgs and secured the marriage of her daughter Maria Eleonora to King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden against her son's will in 1620.
From the lost gallery’s photostream on flickr.
Anna wears an English-style wheel farthingale. Steps of folded fabric frame where her bodice emerges from the angled wheel. Her straight coiffure dates this to the early 1600s. The Spanish norm for false sleeves is they are tight, but Anna’s are full and look like they are puffed with filler.
Keywords: Anna von Preußen, Prinzessin von Preußen, Kurfürstin von Brandenburg, Hohenzollern family, Duchess, German, high straight coiffure, jeweled framing headdress, fitted bodice, high enclosing neckline, neckline ruff, jeweled surcote, jeweled hanging sleeves, full false sleeves, lace back-flared cuffs, draped necklace, bows, brooch, girdle, deep vee waistline, wheel farthingale