Barbara of Württemberg (4 December 1593 — 18 May 1627) was

margravine Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Em ...

of the historical German territory of Baden-Durlach. The daughter of

Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich I of Württemberg (19 August 1557 – 29 January 1608) was the son of George of Mömpelgard and his wife Barbara of Hesse, daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Several references are made to him in Shakespeare's ''The Merry ...

and his wife,

Sibylla of Anhalt Sibylla of Anhalt (28 September 1564 – 26 October 1614) was a German princess from the House of Ascania who became Duchess of Württemberg as the wife of Duke Frederick I. Life Sibylla of Anhalt was born in Bernburgon 28 September 1564, as the ...

, she was born a Duchess of Württemberg and became margravine after marrying

Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (6 July 1594, Sulzburg, Hochschwarzwald – 8 September 1659, Durlach) was a German nobleman, who ruled as margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1622 to his death. He was succeeded by his son Frederick VI, M ...

, in 1616. She is depicted as

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

in a posthumous miniature portrait.

Life

At the age of 23, she married 22-year-old

, the eldest son of

George Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach George Frederick of Baden-Durlach (30 January 1573 – 24 September 1638) was Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1604 until his abdication in 1622. He also ruled Baden-Baden. He was the third son of margrave Charles II of Baden-Durlach and his ...

. The wedding took place on 21 December 1616 in Stuttgart. Barbara was granted the domain of

Ettlingen Ettlingen (; South Franconian: ''Eddlinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about south of the city of Karlsruhe and approximately from the border with Lauterbourg, in France's Bas-Rhin department. Ettlingen is the second largest tow ...

. The newlyweds settled in the Karlsburg Castle in Durlach. During the Thirty Years' War, her father-in-law abdicated in favor of Frederick V in April 1622. At the end of 1622, the couple fled with their five children to the court of Barbara's brother,

John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg John Frederick of Württemberg (5 May 1582, in Montbéliard – 18 July 1628) was the Duke of Württemberg from 4 February 1608 until his death on 18 July 1628 whilst en route to Heidenheim. Life John Frederick of Württemberg was the eldes ...

, in Stuttgart. Frederick managed to free his lands the following year, but already in 1624 the troops of the Catholic League invaded the country again and occupied

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

. The family had to leave the margraviate once again.

Death

Barbara died in Stuttgart on 8 May 1627, at the age of 33. At her funeral ceremony, the '' Threnodiae'' composed by court organist Eusebius Veit were performed. She was buried at the castle church of Pforzheim, where there is an epitaph to Barbara of Württemberg engraved in the floor of the choir. Barbara Margravine Baden-Durlach Obituary 1627

Barbara Margravine Baden-Durlach Obituary 1627

Portrait

In the miniature portrait, Barbara, margravine of Baden-Durlach, is depicted as her

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

Barbara, exhibiting her attributes. In 1909, art historian Ernst Lembert suggested that the painter was a Nuremberg artist named Maria Eißler. However, in 1917, Hans Rott argued that Lembert had misread the signature, "JEDF 1653".

Issue

Barbara was the first of five wives of Frederick V. She gave birth to two of his three sons, including Frederick VI, his successor. Their other son, Charles Magnus, fought for Sweden in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, as well as the Danish and Polish wars, and preceded his father in death by one year. The children of Barbara and Frederick included: * Frederick VI (born: 16 November 1617; died: 31 January 1677), Imperial Commander and Margrave of Baden-Durlach (1617–1677) * Sibylle (born: 4 November 1618; died: 7 July 1623) * Charles Magnus (born: 27 March 1621; died: 29 November 1658) * Barbara (born: 6 June 1622; died: 13 September 1639) * Johanna (born: 5 December 1623; died: 2 January 1661), married: : firstly, on 26 September 1640 the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Commander-in-Chief

Johan Banér Johan Banér (23 June 1596 – 10 May 1641) was a Swedish field marshal in the Thirty Years' War. Early life Johan Banér was born at Djursholm Castle in Uppland. As a four-year-old he was forced to witness how his father, the Privy Councillo ...

(born: 3 July 1596; died: 20 May 1641) : secondly, in 1648 to Count Heinrich von Thurn und Valsássina (died: 19 August 1656) * Friederike (April 6, 1625; † June 16, 1645) * Christine (born: 25 December 1626, died: 11 July 1627)

References

{{Reflist Margraves of Baden-Durlach 1593 births 1627 deaths Daughters of monarchs