Elisabeth of Ungrace
Elisabeth Freiin von Ungnad , from 1646 Elisabeth von Mahrenholtz , from around 1652 Elisabeth Ungnad von Weissenwolff (* 1614 in Vienna ; † June 12, 1683 in Bremen ) was a German noblewoman, lady-in-waiting of Juliane von Ostfriesland and mother of the imperial count and governor of the counties Oldenburg and Delmenhorst for the Danish king, Anton I. von Aldenburg (1633–1680).
Life
origin
Ungnad came from the original in Franconia resident Ministerialengeschlecht Ungnad of Weissenwolffstraße that later to Austria moved, was elevated to the status of baron there in 1505 and some important statesmen of the Habsburg monarchy brought forth.
She was the daughter of Andreas Ungnad, Freiherr von Sonneck († after 1634) and Margaretha Barbara von Prag († 1669 in Linz ), a daughter of Friedrich von Prag († 1600), a descendant of Ladislaus Prager . Her father had been a decree of the Upper Austrian gentry since 1617 and, after converting to Calvinism, belonged to the anti-Habsburg opposition of the mostly Protestant estates there. In 1620 the family had to flee to Bohemia and the family's - indebted - goods were confiscated. After the troops of the Bohemian estates had been defeated by the imperial and Bavarian troops of the Catholic League in the Battle of the White Mountain , the family moved on to East Frisia as exiles and settled in Emden . Elisabeth's brother David (1604–1672) remained in the Catholic faith and later joined Austrian government services.
In Oldenburg
Since she was the godchild of Elisabeth von Oldenburg (1541–1612, daughter of Count Günther von Schwarzburg ), Elisabeth von Ungnad apparently came to the court of the County of Oldenburg as a child. There she became the lover of Elisabeth von Oldenburg's son, Count Anton Günther (1583–1667). There were numerous legends about the relationship between her and Anton Günther, such as the imaginatively embellished story about a promise of marriage signed in the blood of the Count, which was allegedly taken from Elisabeth by one of his councilors under a pretext and dropped into the fireplace. In 1633 she gave birth to Anton Günther a son, who later became Count Anton I. von Aldenburg, whom the count, although illegitimate, accepted, generously cared for and trained appropriately. After Anton Günther's marriage to Sophie von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, a daughter of Duke Alexander von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg in 1635, Elisabeth left Oldenburg and returned to East Frisia.
In East Frisia
In East Friesland, Elisabeth von Ungnad lived for some time in Schirum near Aurich, where she bought an estate and ran a brewery. In addition, she became a close friend and confidante of Juliane von Ostfriesland, the wife of Count Ulrich II. , Who she finally accepted as a lady-in-waiting in her suite.
At the East Frisian court in Aurich she got to know the court master there, Freiherr Johann von Marenholtz , the son of the Oldenburg bailiff Eberhardt von Marenholz († 1633) and Enna Aldringa nee. from Nesse. Juliane von Ostfriesland made Marenholtz Drosten von Berum and arranged for the marriage to Elisabeth von Ungnad in 1646.
While the widowed Juliane von Ostfriesland ruled the country as a guardian for her son Enno Ludwig from 1648, the Marenholtz Secret Council and his wife were among the most influential people in East Frisia, but were hated by the people, among other things because of the accusation that Marenholtz was the lover of Juliane of East Frisia. When Julian's son finally took office in 1651, Marenholtz was arrested on May 10, 1651. As a result, a lawsuit was initiated against the von Marenholtz couple. After a confession of his love affair with Juliane von Ostfriesland, forced under torture, Johann von Marenholtz was beheaded by the sword on July 21, 1651.
Elisabeth was banished to her estate in Shirum. But she went to Groningen and later to Vienna. The property in Shirum was then confiscated. In the meantime, Elisabeth's brother David had made a career as a Habsburg civil servant in Vienna and had risen to become President of the Court Chamber and Count von Weissenwolff. With his help she sued Enno Ludwig with Emperor Ferdinand III. on surrender of the confiscated goods. Enno Ludwig followed suit in 1652. As a result, Elisabeth dropped the name of Marenholtz and, with imperial permission, assumed the title of Countess von Weissenwolff. She retired to Bremen, where she lived until her death in 1683. In the meantime she took care of the upbringing of her granddaughters in the castle in Varel, where her body was finally buried.
literature
- Hans Friedl: Ungnad, Elisabeth Freiin von. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , pp. 763-764 ( online ).
- Charlotte Amelie de la Tremoille: The life of Princess Charlotte Amelie de la Tremoille, Countess of Aldenburg (1652–1732) - told by herself. Introduced, translated and explained by Reinhard Mosen. Schulzesche Hof bookstore and Hof book printing. Oldenburg and Leipzig, 1892. Pages 351-362. Digitized.
Web links
- Literature from and about Ungnad, Elisabeth von in the catalog of the German National Library
Remarks
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Injustice, Elisabeth von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ungnad, Elisabeth Freiin von (full name); Mahrenholz, Elisabeth von (married name); Disgrace of Weissenwolf, Elisabeth (later adopted name); Weißenwolf, Elisabeth Ungnad von (alternative spelling) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German lady-in-waiting at the East Frisian royal court |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1614 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vienna |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 12, 1683 |
| Place of death | Bremen |