Barbara Sophia of Brandenburg

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Sophia Duchess of Württemberg (portrait by Georg Donauer , 1618)

Barbara Sophia von Brandenburg (born November 16, 1584 in Halle (Saale) ; † February 13, 1636 in Strasbourg ) was the daughter of Katharina von Küstrin (1549–1602) and Elector Joachim Friedrich of Brandenburg . She was married to Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg and after his death guardian for her underage son, Duke Eberhard III. of Württemberg .

Life

On November 5, 1609, she married Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg (1582–1628), the eldest son of Friedrich I and Sibylla von Anhalt . On the occasion of this wedding he had the castle in Urach rebuilt, which today contains the Golden Hall, one of the most beautiful ballrooms of the Renaissance in Germany. The couple reportedly had a very happy marriage.

Princess Barbara Sophia of Brandenburg, later Duchess and Regent of Württemberg

After the death of her husband in 1628, Barbara Sophie began in 1630 to have the Brackenheim Palace , which was intended as a widow's residence, lavishly furnished. Here she also had an art chamber with 155 paintings set up - at that time the second largest collection in Württemberg - which was there until her death despite the chaos of war. During the long renovation work, she lived in Kirchheim Palace and in Stuttgart. She never lived in Brackenheim , where, in addition to the castle, she also had the city and the office for her care. Thanks to her commitment to the city during the Thirty Years' War and some foundations, she is still considered a benefactor of the city.

The reign of her 14-year-old son Eberhards III. began during the Thirty Years War. At first he was under the guardianship of his father's brother, Ludwig Friedrich von Württemberg-Mömpelgard . After his death on January 26, 1631, Julius Friedrich von Württemberg-Weiltingen took over the guardianship together with Barbara Sophie, where she was the "head guardian". She therefore moved back to Stuttgart in 1632 and was also politically active in this context. Duke Julius Friedrich took part in the Thirty Years' War on Sweden's side after the Battle of Lützen at the end of 1632 . His goal was to clear the country from enemy troops and the Catholic owners of the secularized church property. Despite his successes, he was accused of selfishness. He was therefore ousted from Eberhard's guardianship by the privy councilors and estates.

Memorial sheet for the burial in 1655

After Eberhard had been declared of legal age by Emperor Ferdinand II , he took over the government on May 8, 1633. He joined the Heilbronn Federation of Protestant Estates, which suffered a severe defeat in the Battle of Nördlingen on September 6, 1634. Wuerttemberg was then looted and pillaged. Duke Eberhard fled hastily with the entire court into exile in Strasbourg . Barbara Sophie died there in 1636. In 1655 she was buried in the Stuttgart collegiate church.

progeny

From their marriage, Barbara Sophia had the following children:

  • Henriette (1610-1623)
  • Friedrich (* / † 1612)
  • Antonia (1613–1679)
  • Eberhard III. (1614–1674), Duke of Württemberg
⚭ 1. 1637 Countess Anna Katharina Dorothea von Salm-Kyrburg (1614–1655)
⚭ 2. 1656 Countess Maria Dorothea von Oettingen (1639–1698)
  • Friedrich (1615–1682), Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadt
⚭ 1653 Princess Clara Auguste of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1632–1700)
  • Ulrich (1617–1671), Duke of Württemberg-Neuchâtel
⚭ 1. 1647 Countess Sophia Dorothea von Solms-Sonnenwalde (1622–1648)
⚭ 2. 1651 Princess Isabella von Arenberg (1623–1678)
⚭ 1647 Duke Leopold Friedrich of Württemberg-Mömpelgard (1624–1662)

literature

  • Wolfram Angerbauer : Brackenheim Castle as the widow's seat of the Württemberg rule. In: Zabergäuvereins magazine. 1, 1980, pp. 1-4.
  • Wolf Eiermann (Red.): The unknown, well-known. Artists see the historic Zabergäu. Paintings and graphics 16. – 19. Century. Art Association in the Refugee Gate / Zabergäuverein, Brackenheim 2004, DNB 975294350 , p. 5.
  • Axel Gotthard : Barbara Sophie. In: Sönke Lorenz , Dieter Mertens , Volker Press (eds.): Das Haus Württemberg. A biographical lexicon. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-17-013605-4 , p. 146.
  • Gerhard Raff : Hie good Wirtemberg all the way. Volume 2: The House of Württemberg from Duke Friedrich I to Duke Eberhard III. With the Stuttgart, Mömpelgard, Weiltingen, Neuenstadt am Kocher, Neuenbürg and Oels lines in Silesia. 4th edition. Landhege, Schwaigern 2014, ISBN 978-3-943066-12-8 , pp. 117-134.

Web links

Commons : Barbara Sophie von Brandenburg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files