Maria of Hanau-Münzenberg (20 January 1562 – 15 February 1605 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

) was the youngest daughter of Count Philip III (1526-1561) and

Countess Palatine Helena of Simmern Countess Palatine Helena of Simmern (13 June 1532 – 5 February 1579 at Schwarzenfels Castle in Sinntal ) was the daughter of Count Palatine and Duke John II of Simmern and his wife, Margravine Beatrice of Baden. She was Countess of Hanau ...

(1532-1579). She was born after her father's death and remained unmarried. As with many female members of aristocratic families of the period who did not belong to important royal houses, the research into her life has many gaps. A very incomplete picture of her life is known; only a few unusual facts, such as that she remained unmarried. This was unintended; her mother's relatives tried to arrange a marriage into the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

for her in 1573.

Life

In the fierce dispute between the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

s of her nephew Count Philip Louis II and his brother

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, which was mainly about whether their wards should be raised in the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

faith, she supported the Lutheran side, which was represented by Count

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

of Hanau-Lichtenberg, and later by his son

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...

. The Lutheran side eventually lost. She lived on her own in

Hanau Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...

and this, along with her allegedly too expensive court, drew criticism from her opponents, led by Count Palatine John Casimir of Simmern, who was the regent of the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

. Another criticism was that among her personnel were a midwife and the sister-in-law of an executioner. She was supported by the Lutheran Count Palatine

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...

of Simmern-Sponheim, who tried to stem Calvinist offensive, together with the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg. As this conflict was not only about religion, but also about which member of the House of Hanau would act as regent for whom, Count Palatine John Casimir intervened immediately when Count Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg offered Maria accommodation in his castle in Babenhausen. Maria died on 15 February 1605 in Frankfurt. The fact that she died in Frankfurt is a further indication that she led quite an independent life for a lady of her era. She was buried in the Church of St. Mary in Hanau.Suchier: ''Grabmonumente'', p. 15 ff

Ancestors

References

* Friedrich von Bezold: ''Briefe des Pfalzgrafen Johann Casimir mit verwandten Schriftstücken gesammelt und bearbeitet'', vol. 3, Munich, 1903 * Fr. W. Cuno: ''Philipp Ludwig II., Graf zu Hanau und Rieneck, Herr zu Münzenberg'', Prague, 1896, p. 13 ff * Adrian Willem Eliza Dek: ''De Afstammelingen van Juliana van Stolberg tot aan het jaar van de vrede van Munster'', Zaltbommel, 1968 * Reinhard Dietrich: ''Die Landesverfassung in dem Hanauischen'', in the series ''Hanauer Geschichtsblätter'', vol. 34, Hanau, 1996, * Hans-Georg Stumm: ''Pfalzgraf Reichard von Simmern'', thesis, Trier, 1968 * Reinhard Suchier: ''Genealogie des Hanauer Grafenhauses'', in: ''Festschrift des Hanauer Geschichtsvereins zu seiner fünfzigjährigen Jubelfeier am 27. August 1894'', Hanau, 1894 * Reinhard Suchier: ''Die Grabmonumente und Särge der in Hanau bestatteten Personen aus den Häusern Hanau und Hessen'', in: ''Programm des Königlichen Gymnasiums zu Hanau'', Hanau, 1879. p. 1-56 * Ernst J. Zimmermann: ''Hanau Stadt und Land'', 3rd ed., Hanau, 1919, reprinted: 1978

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria of Hanau-Munzenberg House of Hanau 1562 births 1605 deaths 16th-century German people