Landgravine Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt (28 April 1652 – 11 August 1712) was regent of the

Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg (german: Herzogtum Württemberg) was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1806. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries ...

from 1677 to 1693, and was a prominent German composer of

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

hymns.

Life

Magdalena Sibylla, Duchess of Württemberg was born in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

, the daughter of Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Duchess Maria Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. As a child she lost her mother and came into the care of her aunt, the Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora of Sweden. In

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, she manifested deep religious beliefs. On the occasion of a visit to the Württemberg crown prince William Louis she became engaged to him. They married on 6 November 1673 in Darmstadt. Just six months after the ceremony Duke

Eberhard III Eberhard III (c. 885 – 2 October 939), a member of the Conradine dynasty, was Duke of Franconia, succeeding his elder brother, King Conrad I, in December 918. From 926 to 928, he also acted as ruler of Lotharingia. Life Eberhard was the seco ...

died and her husband Wilhelm Ludwig inherited the throne of Württemberg. In 1677 he, too, died of a heart attack. Thus, the 25-year-old Magdalena Sibylla became Duchess of Württemberg and regent for her minor son Eberhard Ludwig, who would take the throne in 1693, at the age of 16. Through piety and prudence in all decisions, she enjoyed great popularity. Her religion is reflected in the numerous hymns she wrote, quite a few of which found a permanent place in Protestant hymnals. From 1690 to 1692, she employed the composer

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (baptised – buried 9 March 1706; also Bachelbel) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and h ...

. After the accession of the heir apparent, she retreated to Kirchheim castle, where she died.

Issue

* Eleonore Dorothea (1674–1683) * Eberhardine Luise (1675–1707) * Eberhard Louis (1676–1733), the next Duke of Württemberg * Magdalena Wilhelmine (born November 7, 1677 – died October 30, 1742) - married to Charles III William

Works

*''Christian View of the Troubled Times'', Nuremberg 1680 (prose devotions with additional verse) *''New Increased ... Devotional Sacrifice'', Stuttgart 1683 (184 hymns, and further editions under different titles) *''The Heart Crucified With Jesus'', 3 vols, Stuttgart and elsewhere in 1691 (prayers and songs) *''Spiritual Apothecary for the Sick'', Stuttgart 1703 (devotional book)

Sources

Gerhard Dünnhaupt Gerhard Dünnhaupt, FRSC (born August 15, 1927 in Bernburg (Saale)) is a German bibliographer, literary historian, emeritus professor of the University of Michigan, an honorary life member of the Modern Language Association of America, Elected Fe ...

: "Magdalena Sibylla of Württemberg (1652-1712)", in: ''Personal Bibliographies of the Pressures of the Baroque'', Vol 4, Stuttgart: Hiersemann 1991, p. 2633-37. * * Werner Raupp (Ed.): Gelebter Glaube. Erfahrungen und Lebenszeugnisse aus unserem Land. Ein Lesebuch, Metzingen/Württ. 1993, S. 96–100, 385 (Introd., Source text, Further Reading). {{DEFAULTSORT:Magdalena Sibylla House of Hesse-Darmstadt 17th-century women rulers 1652 births 1712 deaths Burials at Stiftskirche, Stuttgart German female regents 17th-century German women writers 18th-century German women writers 17th-century German poets German women poets Writers from Darmstadt Duchesses of Württemberg 17th-century dukes of Württemberg Women hymnwriters Women religious writers Daughters of monarchs