Barbara of Brandenburg (1422–1481)

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Barbara von Brandenburg (excerpt from the fresco by Andrea Mantegna )
Barbara von Brandenburg in the center of the fresco The court of the Gonzaga from the fresco cycle in the Camera degli Sposi in the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua by Andrea Mantegna

Barbara von Brandenburg (born September 30, 1422 , † November 7, 1481 in Mantua ) was a princess of Brandenburg and by marriage Margravine of Mantua .

Life

Barbara was the eldest child of Margrave Johann von Brandenburg (1406–1464), called the alchemist from his marriage to Barbara (1405–1465), daughter of Duke Rudolf III. of Saxony-Wittenberg . Barbara's father renounced the rights of his firstborn and the succession to the throne in Brandenburg and received the Franconian possessions of the Hohenzollern .

On November 12, 1433, at the age of 11, she married Margrave Ludovico III in Mantua . Gonzaga of Mantua (1412-1478). The marriage with the relatives of the emperor and the Elector of Brandenburg meant a considerable appreciation of the Gonzaga family , who had only recently been elevated to Margrave of Mantua by Emperor Sigismund . Barbara, who grew up at court in Mantua with other members of the Gonzaga family, became one of the most remarkable and cultured women of the Renaissance . She spoke four languages ​​and was well versed in literature. The humanist Vittorino da Feltre was one of her instructors .

Even her husband took part in the government, the highly respected Barbara, who was responsible for government affairs on her own during his frequent absences. She paid particular attention to the relationship between Mantua and the Holy Roman Empire. She married three of her children to German princes and princesses. In the fresco The Court of Gonzaga by the Italian artist Andrea Mantegna , Barbara is also shown as the central figure. Barbara conducted extensive correspondence, some of which was diplomatic, not only with her family, but also with the Visconti , the curia and numerous personalities of the empire.

After the death of her husband, she took over the reign of Mantua for her eldest son. She personally supervised the education and upbringing of her children.

Barbara von Brandenburg is the main character in the historical novel La princesse de Mantoue by the writer Marie Ferranti.

progeny

From their marriage, Barbara had the following eleven children:

literature

  • Jane Couchman, Ann Crabb: Women's letters across Europe. 1400-1700 . Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2005, p. 104 ff.
  • Ebba Severidt: Family, Kinship And Career With The Gonzaga: Structure And Function Of Family And Kinship With The Gonzaga And Their German Relatives 1444-1519 . DRW, 2002

Web links

Commons : Barbara von Brandenburg (1422–1481)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Innsbruck historical studies , published by historians from the University of Innsbruck 1997, accessed on June 24, 2018
  2. ↑ ancestors
  3. ↑ Guido Rebecchini: Private collectors in Mantua, 1500-1630 , Ed. di Soria e Letteratura, 2002, p. 25
  4. ↑ Erika Kartschoke, Walter Behrendt: Repertory of German-Language Marriage Teachings of the Early Modern Era , Volume 1, Akademie Verlag, 1996, p. 22
  5. ^ Schwaebische.de : Novel Prize of the Academie française for Marie Ferranti , October 24, 2002
personal data
SURNAME Barbara of Brandenburg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Margravine of Mantua
DATE OF BIRTH September 30, 1422
DATE OF DEATH November 7, 1481
Place of death Mantua