Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen

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Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen

Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen in Birstein (born December 29, 1560 in Birstein Castle ; † May 21, 1633 ibid) was Count of Isenburg and Burgrave of Gelnhausen . A good 70 years after Count Anton von Isenburg-Büdingen zu Ronneburg joined the Reformation in 1526, Wolfgang-Ernst I founded the Reformed Church in the county of Isenburg.

Life, family

Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen came from the younger Birstein line and was the oldest of 10 children of Count Philipp II of Isenburg-Büdingen (23 May 1526–5 April 1596) and his wife Irmgard zu Solms-Braunfels ( 1536-1577). He grew up in Birstein and Büdingen. Through his studies in Strasbourg, he acquired "a comprehensive scholarly education and a solid knowledge of the Latin language". He then spent a few years at the court of Prince Georg Ernst von Henneberg , probably until his death (December 27, 1583).

Wolfgang Ernst I. married four times:

  • on September 26, 1585 in Birstein Anna (Katharina) von Gleichen-Remda († March 3, 1598). He had 8 children with her, including Wolfgang Heinrich Graf von Isenburg-Birstein (October 20, 1588-27 February 1635), Anna Amalie zu Isenburg-Büdingen (October 3, 1591, Birstein – November 16, 1667, Bentheim), and Philipp Count Ludwig I. von Isenburg-Büdingen (September 8, 1593– November 22, 1616, near Braunschweig), Count Philipp Ernst von Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (January 17, 1595– August 17, 1635) and Wilhelm Otto Graf von Isenburg -Büdingen-Birstein (November 6, 1597– April 19, 1667)
  • on April 16, 1603 Elisabeth von Nassau-Dillenburg (January 24, 1564– May 5, 1611). This marriage produced a son who died early.
  • on April 19, 1616 in Hachenburg , Juliane zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (February 26, 1583– February 8, 1627). He had 4 children with her, including Count Ludwig Arnold von Isenburg-Büdingen (July 9, 1616– September 18, 1662, Wächtersbach) and Count Johann Ernst I von Isenburg-Büdingen (June 21, 1625– October 8, 1673)
  • on June 24, 1628 ( morganatic ) with Sabine von Salfeld († 1635, Hanau). There were no children from this marriage.

He died on May 21, 1633 in Birstein and was buried in the choir of the Marienkirche in Büdingen.

Act

From 1592 Wolfgang Ernst I. von Isenburg-Büdingen was appointed co-regent by his father. After his father's death on April 5, 1596, he succeeded him in government.

Early on, he was won over to the reformed religious denomination, which retained a profound influence on his entire life. He therefore tried as soon as possible to replace the previous Lutheran creed in his country with the reformed one. At first he encountered opposition from everywhere, which he countered with determination. Wolfgang Ernst was an eager and skilled administrator of his county. As early as 1598 he had issued a church ordinance that was based on the Electoral Palatinate. A chancellery, consistorial and chamber regulations followed in 1608. His alms and Büdinger forest regulations from 1609 show strong social characteristics. "For a long number of years he led the presidium of the Wetterauischen Counts' Association with rare skill and prudence". He renewed and expanded the Latin school in Büdingen and made it financially sound. The beginning of the Thirty Years' War marked a turning point for his county. His neutral stance loyal to the emperor was not only shared in the Grafenkolleg, but also in his own family. The fact that his eldest son Wolfgang Heinrich took sides against his will on the part of the Protestant Union brought him a lot of trouble and litigation.

Wolfgang Ernst I. von Isenburg-Büdingen was the last to rule the entire county. On April 1, 1628, at the urging of his sons and grandsons, he ceded the government to them. Previously, in the fraternal agreement of 1617 and in his wills of October 27, 1597 and 1621, he had “stipulated that his children and grandchildren should remain with the Reformed religion and receive it in their dominions” and how the inheritance should be divided. As Wolfgang Ernst's heirs emerged from three of his different marriages, contrary to the testamentary provisions, a dispute soon broke out. This created five lines into which the entire county was divided. He himself "moved into the Wächtersbacher Schloss " with his two youngest sons, Ludwig Arnold and Johann Ernst .

Aftermath

The grammar school in Büdingen was founded in 1601 as a Latin school by Count Wolfgang-Ernst von Isenburg and today bears his name in memory of its founder.

literature

  • Simon, history of the imperial house of Ysenburg and Büdingen, Frankfurt a / M., 1865, vol. IS 288 ff. Meyer, history of the city and parish Büdingen, Büdingen, 1868, p. 97 ff. Heber, history of the city of Offenbach, Frankfurt , 1868, p. 97 ff. Journal of the Association for Hessian History, Vol. IX, 1862, p. 46 ff.
  • Dagmar Reimers, "Wächtersbach Castle and the Ysenburgers", Collective Gesch. Wächtersbach, 48th L., January 2007, No. 331, ISSN 0931-2641, 4.3.1.16
  • Cuno, "Isenburg, Wolfgang Ernst Graf zu" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 14 (1881), pp. 625–628 [online version]; German biography-Isenburg, Wolfgang Ernst

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Philip II of Ysenburg and Büdingen
  2. ↑ Cuno, Isenburg, Wolfgang Ernst Graf on ... in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 14 (1881), pp. 625–628 [online version]; Isenburg, Wolfgang Ernst Graf to ...
  3. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, "Schloss Wächtersbach and the Ysenburgers", collection Gesch. Wächtersbach, 48. L., ... p. 10/11
  4. ^ Cuno, Isenburg, Wolfgang Ernst Graf zu Isenburg in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 14 (1881), pp. 625–628
  5. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, "Wächtersbach Castle and the Ysenburgers" , ... p. 11
  6. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, "Wächtersbach Castle and the Ysenburgers" , ... p. 11
  7. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, "Wächtersbach Castle and the Ysenburgers" , ... p. 11
personal data
SURNAME Isenburg-Büdingen, Wolfgang Ernst I. von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Count of Isenburg and Burgrave of Gelnhausen
DATE OF BIRTH December 29, 1560
PLACE OF BIRTH Birstein Castle
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 1633
Place of death Birstein Castle