Anna Gonzaga

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Anna Gonzaga

Anna Gonzaga (French Anne de Gonzague , Anne Gonzague de Clèves-Nevers ) (* 1616 , † July 6, 1684 in Paris ) was a noblewoman from the French branch of the Gonzaga family . She married Eduard von der Pfalz and played a certain role during the time of the Fronde as an opponent of Jules Mazarin . She later played a key role in the marriage of Liselotte von der Pfalz to Philippe I. de Bourbon, duc d'Orléans .

Life

She was the daughter of Carlo I. Gonzaga , Duke of Nevers and Mantua and the mother Catherine de Lorraine. One of her sisters was the Queen of Poland Luisa Maria Gonzaga , one brother was Carlo II Gonzaga .

She was raised by Francisca von Chàtre, the abbess of Faremoutiers Abbey . At first she, like her younger sister Benedicte, was intended for a life as a nun. After her father's death in 1637, Anna left the monastery.

She then lived at the court of Louis XIII. and Anna of Austria . She had a secret love affair with Henri II. De Lorraine, duc de Guise . Various claims have been made that she even married him, despite his clerical status as elected Archbishop of Reims . In fact, he did not receive a papal dispensation. In 1645 she married Eduard von der Pfalz , a son of Friedrich V , the former "Winter King" of Bohemia. Her husband converted to Catholicism for this reason.

During the reign of Queen Anna for the underage Louis XIV and in the time of the Fronde, she played an influential role at court. At times she acted for Louis II. De Bourbon, prince de Condé even against Mazarin. After Conde and others were arrested, she is said to have sparked an uprising in Paris together with supporters of the Fronde, which led to Mazarin and Anna of Austria having to release the prisoners. This marked the beginning of the second phase of the Fronde.

Cardinal Jean-François Paul de Gondi rated her as a political talent. Her brother-in-law, Karl Ludwig von der Pfalz , used her diplomatic skills to negotiate at the French court. When she was not appointed by Louis XIV as chief stewardess to Queen Marie-Thérèse , she left the court and only returned in 1663 after her daughter Anna Henriette married Henri III. Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé back.

In 1670 she was instrumental in bringing about the marriage of Liselotte von der Pfalz to Philippe I. de Bourbon, duc d'Orléans , the brother of Louis XIV. She picked up her niece in Heidelberg and accompanied her to Paris.

She was moved by a dream to give up her court life. Instead, she lived a withdrawn, pious life, devoting herself to charity and penance.

progeny

Her marriage to Eduard von der Pfalz had the following children:

⚭ 1671 Prince Karl Theodor zu Salm (1645–1710), imperial field marshal
⚭ 1663 Henri III. Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1643–1709)
⚭ 1668 Duke Johann Friedrich of Braunschweig and Lüneburg (1625–1679)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pierer's Universal-Lexikon, Volume 4. Altenburg 1858, pp. 346-348. Online version
  2. ↑ Gertrude Aretz: Famous women in world history. Online version

literature

  • Damen Conversations Lexikon, Volume 4. Leipzig, 1835, pp. 468-470 online version
  • General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts. 1st section, part 74. Leipzig, 1862 p. 159
personal data
SURNAME Gonzaga, Anna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Anna of the Palatinate
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French nobles
DATE OF BIRTH 1616
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1684
Place of death Paris