Anna von Tecklenburg-Schwerin (1532-1582) was the ruling
suo jure Countess of
Tecklenburg and the lordships of Wevelinghoven and Rheda between 1557 and 1582. She was regent of the County of Bentheim-Steinfurt during the minority of her son in 1562–1573.
Life
She was born to
Conrad, Count of Tecklenburg-Schwerin and Mechthild of Hesse.
She married
Eberwin III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt in 1553. After Anna's father, Count
Conrad
Conrad may refer to:
People
* Conrad (name)
Places
United States
* Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Iowa, a city
* Conrad, Montana, a city
* Conrad Glacier, Washington ...
of Tecklenburg-Schwerin, died in 1557, a dispute broke out between Anna and her spouse. She claimed that she was entitled to rule her own inheritance as Countess
suo jure. Eberwin claimed that he was entitled to rule her inheritance as Count
jure uxoris
''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...
. Eberwin had Anna arrested, and locked her up in her own residence,
Tecklenburg Castle
Tecklenburg Castle (german: Burg Tecklenburg), or simply the Tecklenburg, is a ruined castle and venue for the Tecklenburg Open-Air Theatre in the eponymous town of Tecklenburg in the county of Steinfurt in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ge ...
. Anna was only released when Count
Christopher of Oldenburg intervened. After her release, the nobility of Tecklenburg sided with Anna, and accused Eberwin of
adultery. Anna herself accused him of spending too much on luxury items, such as precious horses, and a portrait of himself by
Hermann tom Ring
Hermann tom Ring (2 January 1521, in Münster – 18 October 1596, in Münster), was a German renaissance painter.
Biography
He was the pupil of his father, Ludger tom Ring the Elder. His brother, Ludger tom Ring the Younger, was also a painte ...
.
[This portrait is on display in the LWL State Museum in Münster] After mediation by the rulers of neighbouring territories, Anna and Eberwin agreed to a separation from
bed and board.
When she was widowed in 1562, she became the ruler of her late spouse's fiefs during the minority of their son.
Issue
*
Arnold III (2 October 1554 in Neuenhaus – 11 January 1606 in Tecklenburg)
* Walburga (24 October 1555 – 9 April 1628), married in 1576 Count to Herman I of
Wied
References
{{Expand German, Anna von Tecklenburg-Schwerin, date=March 2022
1532 births
1582 deaths
16th-century women rulers