Ulrich (Württemberg)

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Duke Ulrich von Württemberg on an oil painting by an unknown master , created in the second half of the 16th century. Collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Signature Ulrich (Württemberg) .PNG

Ulrich von Württemberg (born February 8, 1487 in Reichenweier (Riquewihr) , Alsace ; † November 6, 1550 in Tübingen ) was 1498–1519 and 1534–1550 the third ruling Duke of Württemberg . He was the first Protestant prince on his territory.

Life

Birth and childhood

Ulrich was born under the name Eitel Heinrich as the son of Count Heinrich von Württemberg in Reichenweier, Württemberg. His mother died in childbed a few days after he was born. Ulrich was brought up at the court of Duke Eberhard im Bart , the cousin and later guardian of his father, in Stuttgart. At confirmation he was given the name Ulrich. He is not the only ruler of Württemberg with this name, but a census is only added for the counts named Ulrich.

Decree of Emperor Maximilian I.

Memorial plaque to Ulrich von Württemberg in his hometown Reichenweier today France

At the instigation of the German King Maximilian I , the reigning Duke of Württemberg Eberhard II (Ulrich's uncle) was deposed in 1498 and Ulrich was installed in his place as the third Duke of Württemberg at the age of eleven. His guardianship was assumed by representatives of the estates under the direction of the Hereditary Marshal and Burgvogt on Hohenneuffen , Konrad Thumb von Neuburg . At the same time, Ulrich was betrothed to Maximilian's six-year-old niece Sabina of Bavaria , which resulted in a strategic alliance between the Duchy of Bavaria and the poorer house of Württemberg. In 1503 Ulrich was declared of age ahead of time and in 1504 distinguished himself as a military leader in the Landshut War of Succession , which enabled him to win some of the former Palatinate territories.

Wedding celebrations with Sabina von Bayern

Sabina of Bavaria

After 13 years of engagement , at the insistence of Maximilian I, the wedding to Sabina von Bayern took place on March 2, 1511 with a pomp that was hardly imaginable for the time. The festival lasted 14 days and more than 7,000 guests were invited. Around the Stuttgart Palace, the citizens were fed free of charge. The wedding was not a love marriage. Ulrich had other affairs - including one with the daughter of his guardian Ursula Thumb von Neuburg - and both spouses were described as irascible and quick-tempered. Ulrich is said to have been hereditary, as mental illness is suspected in the family until the 14th century. In 1513 the daughter Anna was born.

Debt burdens

Military campaigns and Ulrich's lavish courtly lifestyle swallowed up large sums of money from the state treasury, which was completely desolate. In 1514 the deficit was about 70 percent of government revenue. In order to be able to finance the planned campaign against Burgundy , Ulrich levied new extraordinary taxes. The planned wealth tax was converted into a consumption tax on meat, wine and fruit (grain) on the intervention of the honesty of Stuttgart and Tübingen . The poor population now bore the burden of costs. The type of tax collection caused the biggest protests. It was not added to the goods, but the weights were reduced.

Uprising of poor Konrad

The popular protests against his style of rule led to the uprising of poor Konrad in 1514 . With the help of honesty, Ulrich managed to put down the uprisings. In the Treaty of Tübingen of July 8, 1514, Duke Ulrich had to make extensive concessions to the honor of Württemberg for himself and his successors. No state ruler of Württemberg was allowed to wage war or levy taxes without the consent of the estates in which the respectability was organized. With this, the estates gained a position as a powerful opponent of the sovereigns. At the same time, the nobility completely lost its political influence at the Württemberg court.

Conflicts with the Reich, the Swabian Federation and his wife

Ulrich had already resigned from the Swabian Confederation in 1512 and instead tried to build a princely alliance against this imperial land peace union .

In 1515 Ulrich slew Rittmeister Hans von Hutten , the husband of his lover Ursula Thumb von Neuburg . Ulrich's wife Sabina, who had recently given birth to their son Christoph , then came into open opposition to her husband, Duke Ulrich. At the state parliament in Stuttgart from July 1, 1515, at which a replacement of Duke Ulrichs was discussed for other reasons, Sabina raised various concerns about knight Hieronymus von Seiboldsdorf and Chancellor Augustin Lösch in the absence of her husband. So she feared an expulsion if the murder of Hutten should lead to war in the country, complained about the lack of homage by the subjects and complained that Ulrich had not paid debts for her and the children's clothes. She also reprimanded his violence. The matter was not negotiated, but probably flowed into the further negotiations of the state parliament. In the event of Ulrich's dismissal, Sabina and her son would be used to administer the country.

Ulrich then abolished Sabina's seat at Urach Castle and demanded that it be united with his own in Stuttgart. Sabina left the children behind and fled to their relatives in Munich, which began the split in the alliance with Bavaria, which was moderated by Emperor Maximilian. The marital quarrel and Sabina's flight were to be recurring reasons and occasions for arguments with Bavaria in the coming decades.

Reichsacht

On October 11, 1516, Emperor Maximilian pronounced the Eight and Reverence of the Empire . This did not prevent Ulrich from arresting the bailiffs of Weinsberg and Cannstatt, Sebastian Breuning and Konrad Vaut , on November 20, 1516 on the charge of having turned to the emperor in treason after the killing of Hans von Hutten , and after being sentenced by to have confessions brought about by torture executed on December 11, 1516 on the Stuttgart market square. The Tübingen Vogt Konrad Breuning , who was arrested on the same day, was imprisoned and tortured for another year before he was also executed on September 27, 1517. The imperial ban only came into force with the Diet of Augsburg in 1518.

Oil painting , portrait of Duke Ulrich, created by the artist after the Duke's death

After Maximilian's death in 1519, Ulrich's attack on the imperial city of Reutlingen triggered his expulsion by Georg Truchsess von Waldburg-Zeil on behalf of the Swabian Federation . Ulrich was exiled and Württemberg was the new Emperor Charles V of the house of Habsburg assumed. Christoph became a noble boy at Charles's court, his succession was uncertain. Anna stayed with Sabina, who had returned to Württemberg after Ulrich was exiled.

Ulrich made several unsuccessful attempts to regain his land, the most far-reaching in 1525 in the course of the Peasants' War , when he was able to move with Hegau farmers and Swiss mercenaries as far as Stuttgart, but was expelled again. He also showed solidarity with Hans Müller von Bulgenbach when he agreed to join the "Evangelical Brotherhood".

Return and implementation of the Reformation

The grave lay by Duke Ulrich in the Collegiate Church Tübingen

It was not until 1534 that he managed to return with the help of the Hessian Landgrave Philipp I , who went to the field against the Austrian governor Palatine Philippine and was victorious in the battle of Lauffen . With the contract from Kaaden, Ulrich received confirmation of ownership over Württemberg. He immediately introduced the Reformation throughout the country and appointed the two clergymen Erhard Schnepf and Ambrosius Blarer . The mass was abolished, the images of saints were removed in an orderly manner and the expendable worship utensils were confiscated. Those of the clergy who were willing to preach in the spirit of the Reformation were taken over, the others received a lifelong pension. Protestant pastors from Hesse and Switzerland filled the gaps. The monasteries and clerical corporations were secularized so that the Duchy of Württemberg expanded significantly. However, the church property was treated as a separate estate and administered independently. The basic regulations for the regional church were summarized for the first time in a church ordinance of 1536.

After his return in 1534, Ulrich devoted himself to the development of individual castles into contemporary fortresses at a great expense and even higher costs, among which the Hohentwiel , Hohenasperg and Hohenneuffen were the best known, along with the city fortress Schorndorf .

In 1546, Emperor Charles V occupied Württemberg in the Schmalkaldic War and in 1548 forced Ulrich to accept the Augsburg Interim and the presence of imperial occupation troops. In this politically difficult situation he died in 1550 and was buried in the collegiate church in Tübingen . His son Christoph succeeded him.

Marriage and offspring

Ulrich married Sabina von Bayern on March 2, 1511 (born April 24, 1492 in Munich; † August 30, 1564 in Nürtingen ), daughter of the Bavarian Duke Albrecht IV. He had two children with her:

literature

Web links

Commons : Ulrich, Herzog von Württemberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Armer Konrad  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Wedding speech on July 23, 1498 in Freiburg and October 18, 1498 in Munich; Supplement on March 2, 1511 in Stuttgart. See Gerhard Raff : Hie gut Wirtemberg every way. Volume 1: The House of Württemberg from Count Ulrich the Founder to Duke Ludwig. 6th edition. Landhege, Schwaigern 2014, ISBN 978-3-943066-34-0 , p. 475.
  2. ↑ Hermann Wiesflecker: Maximilian I. The foundations of the Habsburg world empire. Verl. For history and politics, Vienna / Munich 1991, ISBN 3-7028-0308-4 , p. 404.
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Reinhard (Ed.): Gebhardt. Handbook of German History. Volume 9: Problems of German History 1495–1806. Imperial reform and Reformation 1495–1555. 10th, completely revised edition. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-608-60009-4 , p. 260.
predecessor Office successor
Eberhard II. Duke of Württemberg
1498–1519 		Ferdinand I.
Ferdinand I. Duke of Württemberg
1534–1550 		Christoph
Eberhard II. Count of Mömpelgard
1498–1526 		George I.
George I. Count of Mömpelgard
1534–1542 		Christoph
personal data
SURNAME Ulrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Duke Ulrich of Württemberg; Vain Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Württemberg
DATE OF BIRTH February 8, 1487
PLACE OF BIRTH Reichenweier , Alsace
DATE OF DEATH November 6, 1550
Place of death Tübingen