Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg (4 November 1578 in

Neuburg an der Donau Neuburg an der Donau (Central Bavarian: ''Neiburg an da Donau'') is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany. Divisions The municipality has 16 divisions: * Altmannstetten * Bergen, ...

– 14 September 1653 in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

) was a German Prince. He was

Count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...

of Neuburg and Duke of

Jülich Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers, Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As a border region betw ...

and

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

Life

Wolfgang Wilhelm's parents were Philip Louis, Count Palatine of Neuburg, and Anna of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, a daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. He was the winner of the War of the Jülich Succession (1609–1614), and became thus the first ruler of

Palatinate-Neuburg Palatinate-Neuburg (german: Herzogtum Pfalz-Neuburg) was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505 by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km², with a population of ...

, who was also Duke of

and Duke of

. In 1615, he was made a Knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriag ...

. Because he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and practised a strict policy of neutrality 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 batt ...

, his territories escaped widespread destruction. Wolfgang Wilhelm moved his residence to

in 1636.

Marriage and issue

Wolfgang Wilhelm married three times: * In 1613 to

Magdalene of Bavaria Magdalene of Bavaria (4 July 1587 – 25 September 1628) was a princess member of the House of Wittelsbach by birth and Countess Palatine of Neuburg and Duchess of Jülich-Berg by marriage. She was born in Munich, Bavaria, the tenth and younge ...

, who gave birth to ** Philip William, his successor. * In 1631 to , daughter of John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, who gave birth to Ferdinand Philip and Eleonore Franziska. Both children died young. *In 1651 to Countess , daughter of

Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (Ernst Egon; 21 March 1588 in Speyer – 24 August 1635 in Constance) was Imperial Count of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (1618–1635) and Bavarian Field-marshal, and an important military leader in the Thirty ...

, they had no children.

Ancestry

External links

* *
Biography and Portrait of Count palatine Wolfgang Wilhelm von Neuburg
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfgang William, Count Palatine of Neuburg 1578 births 1653 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism German Roman Catholics House of Wittelsbach Counts Palatine of Neuburg Dukes of Berg Knights of the Golden Fleece Hereditary Princes of Neuburg People from Neuburg an der Donau