Adolf Ernst of Limburg-Styrum

Coat of arms of the Counts of Limburg-Stirum

Adolf Ernst Count of Limburg-Styrum (* 1622 ; † October 3, 1657 in Skåne near Kattorp) was Count of Limburg-Styrum by descent and by inheritance from 1644 Herr von Gemen .

Political career

After the death of his father Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum , his dominions were divided among his three sons. So Otto Bronckhorst and Borkulo , Adolf Ernst Gemen and Moritz got Styrum.

In 1644 Adolf Ernst came to power in Gemen. He was also the lender of the Electoral Cologne office of Liedberg , for which the condition existed that all income from the estate had to be paid to the surviving dependents of Count Bernhard Albrecht. From 1654 Adolf Ernst was Amtsmann von Rheinberg and governor of Vest Recklinghausen . Gemens' feudal lord had been the Elector of Brandenburg since 1619 .

With the prospect of booty and fame, Adolf Ernst strove for a position as an officer in the army of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg . In the Brandenburg army, which at that time the first standing army was a prince, he was then appointed commander of the 1651 Regiment named "Jung-Styrum" whose mercenaries he recruited himself. This step was probably also a concession from Adolf to Friedrich, who always supported him in the conflict with the Münster monastery. The army was set up to be prepared for a possible war with Pfalz-Neuburg . But war did not occur and the elector also withdrew from the Northern War in 1656. In search of a new source of income, Adolf Ernst joined the Danish army with the approval of his liege lord, which was planning an attack on Sweden . Thereupon Adolf Ernst fell on October 3, 1657 in an attack on Skåne , near Kattorp.

Adolf Ernst was very strict in his court keeping, established fixed norms when he came to power and kept his officials under tight reins. In 1651, on the advice of two Capuchins, he demanded the surrender of the keys to the Lutheran Church in Gemen and when this did not happen, he had both mayors locked up with meager meals. Although he had to release the prisoners at the request of the elector, he made it clear to the community that he would persecute and condemn opponents without indulgence. He was very anxious to bring the Catholic faith to bear in his sphere of influence in the way that corresponds to the sentiments of his family. However, he failed to live up to his claims and convince his subjects of his views. The consequence of this was that there were not two but three religious communities in Gemen, the Catholic, the Lutheran and the Reformed .

Coat of arms of the Gemen rule

Conflict of independence with the Münster monastery

During his reign, Adolf Ernst consistently tried to obtain the Independent Gemens of Münster . In 1650 Christoph Bernhard von Galen was elected Bishop of Münster and he strove to subjugate the small, independent territories of the Münster Monastery and even planned wars against neighboring states, especially the Netherlands , to enlarge his territory . Likewise, the heavily fortified Gemen Castle would be of particular value to the bishop in the war against the Netherlands. To enforce the imperial immediacy of the rule Gemen, Adolf turned to his liege lord, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm . This then prompted the Clevish government to support the Gemener rule and also turned personally to the Münster government. Since then, with the help of Friedrich Wilhelm in the background, Adolf Ernst has not allowed Münster to interfere with his rights. Above all, when the creditors of the former Lords of Gemen were allowed by the officials of the Münster Monastery to use the Gemens property, the elector objected to this procedure and made it clear that these goods were fiefdoms and not in the possession of others without his consent can pass over. In order to settle the disputes, a conference was agreed upon at the endeavors of both sides. This took place on February 19, 1655 in Borken , but ultimately did not lead to any result.

family

On May 10, 1644, Adolf Ernst married Charlotte Maria Isabella Countess of Velen and Mengen zu Raesfeld , the daughter of Imperial Field Marshal Alexander II of Velen and Mengen zu Raesfeld, with whom he had nine children. It stands to reason that Adolf Ernst had a profitable ulterior motive in marrying the Countess von Velen. The considerable bridal treasure of 12,000 Reichstalers and the prospect of an inheritance settlement would consolidate Adolf's finances in the future. In addition, on January 15, 1654, Alexander von Velen stipulated in his will that if the male descendants of his line became extinct, the Counts of Limburg-Styrum should be the inheritors. Adolf Ernst himself could no longer come into this favor, but this regulation came into effect in 1733. As a result, Adolf Ernst succeeded in marrying his sister Sophie Elisabeth with the son and successor of Alexander von Velen, Count Ferdinand Gottfried. Adolf Ernst left his new brother-in-law Ferdinand Gottfried, instead of a bridal treasure of 2,500 Reichstalers, an inherited property that was isolated in Raesfeld and was thus able to ensure the best care for his sister in the future. After Adolf Ernst's death, Gemen fell under the rule of Christoph Bernhard von Galen and his father-in-law Alexander II took over the guardianship of his children.

progeny

Adolf Ernst had the following children with his wife Charlotte Maria Isabella Countess von Velen and Mengen zu Raesfeld:

• Maria Wilhelmine Amalia (* 1645; † June 26, 1730)

⚭ 1676 Karl Ludwig von Sinzendorf (* 1652; † April 7, 1722)

• Hermann Otto (April 1, 1646 - July 9, 1704)

⚭ 1678 Charlotte Amalie Countess of Vehlen and Mengen (born September 30, 1662; † October 26, 1727)

• Alexandrine Maria (August 15, 1647 - October 6, 1647)
• Charlotte Ursula (around 1651 - September 8, 1699)

⚭ May 14, 1692 Christoph Dietmar Graf zu Schallenberg (* 1646; † February 8, 1708)

• Maximilian Wilhelm (* around 1653; † 1728)

⚭ Maria Anna von Rechberg Rothenlöwen

• Anna Isabella (around 1654 - 23 May 1723)

August 1-5, 1678 Count Ernst Wilhelm von Bentheim (December 6, 1623 - August 26, 1693)

February 2 6, 1701 Johan Oxenstierna af Cronsborg (January 2, 1666 - February 16, 1733)

• Adolf (* 1655; † 1657/1658)
• Gottfried Ferdinand Moritz (* 1656; † August 5, 1677)
• Adolfine Ernestine (* 1657 - 11 July 1688)

⚭ May 12, 1686 Ferdinand Joseph von Reinstein-Tettenbach and Valley (* November 13, 1659; † October 2, 1712)

literature

• Heinrich Peter: The dispute over sovereignty over the rule of Gemen . Diss. Univ. Münster, Regensburg 1914.
• Aloys Küper: The house and economic policy over the rule Gemen . Diss. Univ. Münster, Münster 1916.
• Adam Lambert Hulshoff: The history of the counts and lords of Limburg-Styrum and their possessions: 1200-1550, Bd.1, history, regesta . Assen 1963.
• Wilhelm Kohl:  Limburg-Styrum. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-428-00195-8 , p. 566 f. ( Digitized version ).

Web links

• Coat of arms of the Counts Limburg-Styrum
• Family table

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Aloys Küper: The house and economic policy over the rule Gemen, Diss. Univ. Münster, Münster 1916, pp. 63-66.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Günter Aders: The Counts of Limburg Stirum. Introduction and final volume on the history of the Counts of Limburg Stirum and their direct ancestors, Assen 1976, pp. 177–181.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Heinrich Peter: The dispute over sovereignty over the rule of Gemen, Diss. Univ. Münster, Regensburg 1914, pp. 140-143.
4. ^ ^{A b} Günter Aders: The Counts of Limburg Stirum. Introduction and final volume on the history of the Counts of Limburg Stirum and their direct ancestors, Assen 1976, p. 178.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Aloys Küper: The house and economic policy over the rule Gemen, Diss. Univ. Münster, Münster 1916, p. 64.
6. ^ Günter Aders: The Counts of Limburg Stirum. Introduction and final volume of the history of the Counts of Limburg Stirum and their direct ancestors, Assen 1976, pp. XCVIII-XCIX.