Sidonie of Bohemia

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Marriage to Albrecht; Mural from the 19th century in the Albrechtsburg Castle in Meißen
Portrait of Zedena from the 19th century in the Albrechtsburg Castle in Meißen
Fantasy representation of the couple from the Saxon Chronicle 1492
Grave slab of the Duchess in the Princely Chapel in Meissen Cathedral

Sidonie von Bohemia (also: Zdeňka von Podiebrad ; Czech: Zdeňka z Poděbrad ; born November 14, 1449 in Poděbrady (Podebrady); †  February 1,  1510 in Tharandt ) was a Saxon duchess .

Life

Sidonie, also called Zdeňka or Zedena , was the daughter of the Bohemian King George of Podebrady . Her mother Kunigunde von Sternberg died shortly after Sidonie and her twin sister Katharina were born .

On November 11, 1459, the ten-year-old from Eger was married to the Saxon Duke Albrecht , which sealed the Eger Treaty of April 25, 1459 . Zdeňka followed her bridegroom to Meissen . The consummation of the marriage ( supplement ) took place on May 11, 1464 at Tharandt Castle .

The brothers Ernst and Albrecht, also known for their prince robbery , lived together with their wives in Dresden Castle , and later in Meißner Castle . In 1485 the country was divided. Albrecht waged war against the Netherlands. Zdeňka refused to follow him and withdrew to what would later become the Albrechtsburg Castle in Meißen, the first European palace to be built, and from 1476 also to her marriage property, Tharandt Castle. They had eight children, four of whom died early.

In 1495 she founded the church festival of the Holy Lance after she had been freed from suffering from stones. After 1500 she arranged for editions of works by the mystics and theologians Mechthild von Magdeburg (around 1207–1284 / 92), Gertrud von Helfta (1256–1301 / 02) and Mechthild von Hackeborn (1241–1298 / 9) from the Helfta monastery . In 1503, Marcus von Weida (1450–1516), a Dominican from the Pauline monastery in Leipzig and “folk writer”, printed the mystical work “Liber specialis gratiae” by Mechthild von Hackeborn at Melchior Lotter in Leipzig . In the preface he reports that Duchess Zedena had received him in Tharandt and that they were studying a German translation of the book together, whereupon the Duchess expressed the wish that such an excellent book should be printed.

About a hundred letters from Zdeňka have survived (edited in 2009). In one she praises a book by the mystic Johannes Tauler .

Widowed on September 12, 1500, she moved into her widow's residence at Tharandt Castle, where she died ten years later. Her grave is in the Meissen Cathedral .

To commemorate their virtuous and pious life, the Kingdom of Saxony founded the Sidonia Order in 1870 . The pharmacy in Tharandt is named after her today. The Tharandt Sidonia spring was a healing spring (Sauerbrunnen) that was named after it. A street in Tharandt also bore her name (today Pienner Straße).

progeny

Of the eight children from the marriage with Duke Albrecht survived childhood:

literature

Web links

Commons : Sidonie of Poděbrady  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Thomas Döring: The Leipzig book printing before the Reformation. In: Books, Printers, Libraries in Central Germany. Edited by Enno Bünz, p. 95 f.
predecessor Office Successor
Margaretha of Austria Duchess of Saxony
1485–1500 		Barbara of Poland
personal data
SURNAME Sidonie of Bohemia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sidonie from Podebrady; Zděnka from Podebrady; Zděnka z Poděbrad; Zedena
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Saxon Duchess
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1449
PLACE OF BIRTH Poděbrady
DATE OF DEATH February 1, 1510
Place of death Tharandt