Anna of Tecklenburg-Schwerin

Anna von Tecklenburg-Schwerin (* July 5, 1532 ; † August 24, 1582 ) was born on the Friday after the Annunciation in 1530 or 1532 at Rheda Castle . As an approximate date of birth, the 5th July 1532 is determined in various sources. Anna was the only child of Count Konrad von Tecklenburg-Schwerin and Landgravine Mechthild von Hessen , the daughter of Landgrave Wilhelm I (1466–1520) and Anna von Braunschweig (1460–1520). When her father died in 1557, she became sovereign of the County of Tecklenburg and the dominions of Wevelinghoven and Rheda , but not of the County of Lingen , which her father Emperor Karl had to cede as a result of the Schmalkaldic War . Due to the early death of her husband Eberwin in 1562, she also became regent for her son Arnold in the counties of Bentheim and Steinfurt until 1573 .

Marriage to Eberwin von Bentheim

The 23-year-old Tecklenburg heiress was married in 1553 to the 18-year-old young count Eberwin , the heir to Bentheim and Steinfurt . The motives for this connection were confessional and especially territorial, because both count houses had to defend themselves against claims to power by the bishops of Münster and Osnabrück . In return, the Catholic Bentheimers were ready to at least recognize the Confessio Augustana introduced in Tecklenburg .

The marriage with Eberwin had two children: the son and heir Count Arnold (* October 2, 1554 in Neuenhaus; † January 11, 1606 in Tecklenburg) and the daughter Walburga (* October 24, 1555; † April 9, 1628, ⚭ 1576 Count Hermann I von Wied).

The marriage soon shattered over questions of belief and property. Count Eberwin wanted to reverse the Reformation in Tecklenburg - which would have reduced conflicts with the mostly Catholic monastery nobility of Münster and Osnabrück. Along with this, he claimed the power of governance not only over his own, but also Anna's territories. Because the latter refused, the count had his wife thrown into the tower in their own residence, the Tecklenburg . The Tecklenburg knighthood took the side of Countess Anna and accused the Count of having "kept with women other than Countess Beylager" and thus broke the marriage. The tragedy finally ended with the death of Eberwin in 1562. The count died at the age of 26 of the "French disease", syphilis .

From 1562 to 1582 she owned the Count's Altena Castle in Schüttorf as a body breed . In 1565 she redesigned it for residential purposes, and had the Long Castle , the Cross Castle and a garden built.

Interest in medicine

In addition to her political skills, Anna also had medical knowledge. On the Tecklenburg the Countess set up a pharmacy with all kinds of medicines, tinctures, ointments and pills. Although she has left nothing in writing about her healing arts, this healing art is confirmed by Johann Weyer (Wier / Virus), a doctor from Grave an der Maas. Johannes Weyer was brought to the Tecklenburg in 1569 to heal the countess' serious illness. A long-standing friendship developed from this visit, during which Weyer lived on the Tecklenburg and finally died. Weyer was the author of the book "From the dazzling works of the demons", in which he spoke out against the persecution of witches - no witch trials have been handed down for Anna's territories.

The End

After the end of her reign in Bentheim and Steinfurt in 1573, Anna remained in the possession of her inherited estates of Tecklenburg, Rheda and Wevelinghofen. She died on August 24, 1582 in Munster in the Bentheimer Hof, called zur Kemnade, of the consequences of the plague . Her body was transferred to Bentheim, where she was buried in the grave chapel of the city church next to her husband. Johannes Weyer judged the long-forgotten ruler: Although she had become a widow at a very young age, she "ruled three counties and two rulers sampt their land and Leuthen with right and good will and in peace very cautious, whitish, calm and long."

progeny

• Arnold II. (IV.) (* October 2, 1554 in Neuenhaus; † January 11, 1606 in Tecklenburg)

• Walburga (October 24, 1555 - April 9, 1628) ⚭ 1576 Count Hermann I von Wied

Literature / sources

• Oskar Prince von Bentheim: Anna von Tecklenburg 1532–1582 - The first Protestant regent in Westphalia. In: Yearbook for Westphalian Church History. 98, 2003, pp. 77-86.
• Gerhard Arnold Rumpius: Of salvation. Rom. Imperial clock, highly praiseworthy graff work Tekelenburg. 1672, p. 105 ff.
• Müller: From the history of the county of Tecklenburg. Arnsberg 1920, p. 12 ff.

Web links

• Anna von Tecklenburg-Schwerin on his-data.de