Magdalena Catherine, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken (german: Magdalena Katharina von Pfalz-Zweibrücken; 26 April 1607,

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...

– 20 January 1648,

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

) was a Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken by birth and by marriage Duchess and Countess Palatine of

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Geography ...

Life

Magdalena Catherine was the only child of the Duke and Count Palatine John II of Zweibrücken-Veldenz (1584–1635) from his first marriage to Catherine de Rohan (1578–1607), daughter of René II, de Rohan. From the second marriage of his father, she had seven half-siblings, of whom the oldest half-brother,

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

inherited their father's position as Count Palatine and Duke of Zweibrücken. She married on 14 November 1630 in Zweibrücken Count Palatine and Duke

Christian I Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within ...

of Birkenfeld (1598–1654). Magdalena Catherine brought as a dowry to her husband the district of Bischweiler in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

into the marriage. The couple initially lived in a wing of Birkenfeld Castle. Later Christian built a castle of his own, which they used as a family residence. Bischweiler was completely destroyed in 1635 in the throes of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. Magdalena Catherine died in exile in Strasbourg on 20 January 1648. She was buried in the Reformed Church of Bischweiler.http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/wittelsbach/pfalzzweibrucken.htm www.royaltyguide.nl

Offspring

From her marriage, Katharina Magdalena had the following children: * Unnamed Son (* / † 1631) * Gustav Adolph (* / † 1632) * John Christian * (* / † 1633) * Dorothea Catherine (1634–1715) : married in 1649 Count John Louis of Nassau-Ottweiler (1625–1690) * Louise Sophie (1635–1691) *

Christian II Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...

(1637–1717), Duke and Count Palatine of Birkenfeld : married in 1667 Countess Catherine Agathe of Rappoltstein (1648–1683) *

John Charles William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played as a centre-forward or as a centre-back. Best known for his first stint at Leeds United and Juventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-round ...

(1638–1704), Count Palatine and Duke of Gelnhausen : married firstly, in 1685 Princess and Countess Palatine Sophie Amalie of Zweibrücken (1646–1695) : married secondly, in 1696 Esther Marie of Witzleben (1665–1725) * Anna Magdalena (1640–1693) : married in 1659 Count

Johann Reinhard II of Hanau-Lichtenberg Count Johann Reinhard II of Hanau-Lichtenberg ( in Bouxwiller – 25 April 1666 in Bischofsheim am Hohen Steg) was a younger son of Count Philipp Wolfgang of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1595–1641) and Countess Johanna of Oettingen-Oettingen (d. 16 ...

(1628–1666)

References

* Annelise Stemper: ''Die Medaillen der Pfalzgrafen und Kurfürsten bei Rhein: pfälzische Geschichte im Spiegel der Medaille'', Band 1, Wernersche, 1997, p. 845

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magdalene Catherine of Zweibrucken, Countess Palatine 1607 births 1648 deaths 17th-century German people 17th-century German women Countesses Palatine of Zweibrücken German duchesses House of Wittelsbach Daughters of monarchs