Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken
.svg){kind=small} Territory in the Holy Roman Empire |
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| Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken | |
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| Arose from | 1410: Palatinate county near the Rhine |
| Form of rule | principality |
| Ruler / government | Prince |
| Today's region / s |
DE-RP / DE-SL / FR-67
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| Capitals / residences | Simmern , Meisenheim |
| Dynasties | 1410: Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken |
| Language / n | German
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| Incorporated into | 1453/59: Division into Pfalz-Simmern and Pfalz-Zweibrücken
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The principality of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and in the first half of the 15th century one of the most important areas of rulership between the Rhine and Moselle . It was created in 1410 when the Rhineland Palatinate County was divided into four and was divided into the two territories Pfalz-Simmern and Pfalz-Zweibrücken in 1453/59 .
Emergence
The Rhine Palatinate was around 1400 one of the most powerful secular territories of the Holy Roman Empire and presented with Ruprecht III. of the Palatinate from 1400 to 1410 the king. In May 1410, Ruprecht III. a division of the allod among his four living sons, which was carried out after his death on October 3, 1410.
The second youngest son Stefan was furnished from the property on the left bank of the Rhine. Since June 1409 Stefan was with Anna von Veldenz , daughter and sole heir of Count Friedrich III. von Veldenz, engaged and married to her since June 1410. In the marriage contract, King Ruprecht I had previously prescribed some of these possessions on the left bank of the Rhine as Wittum . The marriage was linked to the expectation that Stefan's legitimate descendants would acquire the County of Veldenz , which after the death of his father-in-law, Count Friedrich III. 1444 also entered.
development
scope
Various possessions of the Palatinate on the left bank of the Rhine belonged to Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken in its initial outfit . These included: Castle and town of Simmern , Laubach , Horn , Argenthal , the Wildburg in the Soonwald, Laubenheim , a third of the Stromburg and related property, half of the new Waldeck Castle with related property and a share in the Ehrenburg ; Remnants of the county of Zweibrücken, with the castle and town of Zweibrücken and Hornbach with accessories and parts of Kirkel Castle ; in the Palatinate: Castle Bolanden , castle Ruppertsecken , Bieblenheim , Weinheim, Trifels Castle , Annweiler , Bergzabern , castle Neukastel , half of the castle and valley Altenbamberg and old Wolfenstein , Falkenburg , Guttenberg , Hassloch and various possessions in Alsace. Half of the county of Zweibrücken was pledged to Lorraine and had to be released first. After the death of his sister-in-law Elisabeth von Sponheim , the widow of his eldest brother Ruprecht Pipan , Stefan fell to Lambsheim , Oggersheim and Wachenheim from her Wittum in 1417 in accordance with the provisions of the 1410 partition contract . In 1417 he acquired the Wegelnburg office through a settlement with his brother Ludwig . Stefan led a long and peaceful rule over his property, which he increased through acquisitions. Politically, he was close to his father-in-law Friedrich III. connected. In 1442 Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken and the County of Veldenz were administered together. After the death of Count Friedrich III. In October 1444, the Veldenzischen offices of Armsheim , Landsburg , Lauterecken , Lichtenberg , Meisenheim and Veldenz as well as shares in the county of Sponheim fell to Stefan or his sons, finally came in June 1448 with the extinction of the line of his older brother Johann von Pfalz-Neumarkt half of the Upper Palatinate to Stefan, which he gave to his youngest brother Otto von Pfalz-Mosbach for 96,000 fl (40,000 fl in cash and 56,000 fl in pledges) .
Financial regulation
Stefan and his father-in-law Friedrich III. resided together in the Landsburg in November 1442. In January 1443 they had three councilors draw up a financial regulation for their common territory. In addition to budget planning and salaries, this also contains some considerations from the three councils for improving the financial position:
- Whatever is manageable in marriage, be it man, boy, girl or woman, should marry or otherwise pay a fine. The bailiffs (bailiffs) should also help them together with seriousness and searching around, so that the people stay in the country and services and duties increase in the future.
- The high rulers should give up their residence in the Landsburg and move to the city of Meisenheim, because the many deliveries, rides, trips and walks to maintain the court in the castle cause great costs. The proposal was well received and the residence moved to Meisenheim.
division
The right of primogeniture (eldest son as preferred or sole heir) had not yet been generally accepted and the continued real divisions customary in southwest Germany led to the disintegration of many territories. The same applies to the sizable principality of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken. In 1444 an inheritance regulation was agreed according to which the two secular sons Friedrich and Ludwig of Stefan's five sons were to divide the territory between themselves in a certain way, the three spiritual sons were well looked after . With regard to the question of female succession in the Electoral Palatinate fiefdoms, which belonged to the County of Veldenz, a conflict arose with the Electoral Palatinate, which subsequently gave rise to several armed conflicts. Count Palatine Stefan handed over the rule in 1453 and died in Simmern in 1459. He is buried at Meisenheim.
The Principality of Pfalz-Simmern
→ Main article Pfalz-Simmern
The northern part of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken and the shares in the county of Sponheim fell in 1453/59 to the older son Friedrich, who assumed the title of Count of Sponheim. The principality of Pfalz-Simmern remained with his descendants until the line was extinguished in 1685.
The Principality of Pfalz-Zweibrücken
→ Main article Pfalz-Zweibrücken
The southern part of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken with the entire county of Veldenz fell to the younger son Ludwig in 1453/59, who assumed the title of Count of Veldenz. The principality of Pfalz-Zweibrücken remained with his descendants until the left bank of the Rhine was ceded to France in 1801.
Prince of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken
from the House of Wittelsbach
- 1410-1453 Stefan
- 1453–1459 Friedrich I of Pfalz-Simmern and Ludwig I of Pfalz-Zweibrücken
literature
- Hans-Walter Herrmann: The Duchy of Pfalz-Zweibrücken . In: Kurt Hoppstädter, Hans-Walter Herrmann : Geschichtliche Landeskunde des Saarlandes , Volume 2, Saarbrücken 1977, pp. 344–375. ISBN 3-921870-00-3 .
- Willi Wagner: The Wittelsbachers of the Pfalz-Simmern line. Simmern 2003