Anna of Württemberg (12 June 1561 in
Stuttgart – 7 July 1616 in
Chojnów
Chojnów (german: Haynau, Silesian German: Hoyn, Silesian language: ''Chojnůw'') is a small town in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is located on the Skora river, a tributary of the Kaczawa at an ave ...
) was a German princess, member of the
House of Württemberg
The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg.
History County
The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then calle ...
, and by her two marriages duchess of
Oława
Oława (pronounced , , szl, Oława) is a historic town in south-western Poland with 33,029 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wrocław Voivodeship), within the Wrocław ...
-
Wołów
Wołów (german: Wohlau, cz, Volov) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Wołów County and Gmina Wołów. It lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Wrocław. , the town has a popul ...
and
Legnica.
She was the daughter of
Christoph, Duke of Württemberg
Christoph of Württemberg (12 May 1515 – 28 December 1568), ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1550 until his death in 1568.
Life
In November 1515, only months after his birth, his mother, Sabina of Bavaria, fled to the court of her parent ...
, by his wife
Anna Maria of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Anna Maria of Brandenburg-Ansbach (28 December 1526 – 20 May 1589) was a German princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
Anna Maria was born at Jägerndorf, the eldest daughter of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and his second wife Hedwig of M ...
, daughter of
George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George of Brandenburg-Ansbach (German: ''Georg''; 4 March 1484 – 27 December 1543), known as George the Pious (''Georg der Fromme''), was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from the House of Hohenzollern.
Biography
Early life
He was bo ...
.
Life
In
Brzeg
Brzeg (; Latin: ''Alta Ripa'', German: ''Brieg'', Silesian German: ''Brigg'', , ) is a town in southwestern Poland with 34,778 inhabitants (December 2021) and the capital of Brzeg County. It is situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on t ...
on 16 September 1582, Anna married
John George, second son of
George II the Pious
George II of Brieg (18 July 1523, in Legnica – 7 May 1586, in Brzeg), was a Duke of Brzeg from 1547 until his death.
He was the second son of Frederick II, Duke of Legnica-Brzeg, by his second wife Sophie, daughter of Frederick I, Margrav ...
, Duke of Brzeg. The couple had two children, a son George Christoph and a daughter Barbara, but both died shortly after the birth.
Duke George II died on 7 May 1586 and his two sons inherited only
Oława
Oława (pronounced , , szl, Oława) is a historic town in south-western Poland with 33,029 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wrocław Voivodeship), within the Wrocław ...
-
Wołów
Wołów (german: Wohlau, cz, Volov) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Wołów County and Gmina Wołów. It lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Wrocław. , the town has a popul ...
as co-rulers, because he left Brzeg to his widow Barbara as her
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...
. Anna and her husband settled their residence in Oława. John George died there six years later, on 6 July 1592.
In her husband's will, Anna received the Duchy of
Oława
Oława (pronounced , , szl, Oława) is a historic town in south-western Poland with 33,029 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wrocław Voivodeship), within the Wrocław ...
as her
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...
, with full sovereignty until her own death. However, two years later, on 24 October 1594, Anna married the twice widower Duke
Frederick IV of Legnica
Frederick IV, Duke of Legnica (20 April 1552 – 27 March 1596) was Duke of Duchy of Legnica, Legnica from 1571 until his death (as a co-ruler of his elder brother during 1571–1576 and 1580–1581).
He was the third but second surviving son ...
. According to the terms of the dower grant, the beneficiary lost her lands if she remarried or became a nun (resignation was not considered). In consequence, Anna was stripped of the government over Oława, which was retaken by
Joachim Frederick, the brother of her first husband.
Duke Frederick IV died on 27 March 1596, after only seventeen months of childless marriage. Anna, widow for second time, retired to Chojnów, where she died twenty years later.
References
*
Gnealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna of Wurttemberg
1561 births
1616 deaths
Princesses of Württemberg
Daughters of monarchs