Count Bodo III of Stolberg-Wernigerode (4 January 1467 − 22 June 1538), nicknamed "the Blissful", was Count of Stolberg and Hohnstein and Lord of

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the Harz (district), district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the Wernigerode (district), district of Wernigerode. Its population was 32,181 in 2020. Wernigerode is located southwes ...

from 1511 until his death.

Life

He was born in Stolberg, the son of Count Henry IX "the Elder" of Stolberg and his first wife Matilda, daughter of the Count Volrad of

Mansfeld Mansfeld (), sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places ...

. He had a twin brother Henry the Younger. Bodo spent some of his youth in southern Germany, where he was raised at the court of Count, later Duke Eberhard II of Württemberg, the brother of his stepmother. After providing knight services for several years, he made a journey to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

from 16 April 1493 to 9 February 1494. He was a skillful diplomat. In 1491 and 1492, the financial situation in Stolberg necessitated an extraordinary transformation of the administration, in which the responsibility for the county's finances was transferred to the Treasurer and the administration was directed by educated officials. Because he was such an able administrator and negotiator, he was employed by the emperor, as well as his liege lords and larger estates. Sometimes he acted on a temporary basis, sometimes offices or business were given to him. The first to employ him, was Duke

George of Saxony George (; 8 August 1832 – 15 October 1904) was king of Saxony and member of the House of Wettin. Early life George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony (1801–1873) and his wife, Princess Amal ...

, whom he served as a captain in

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

. George expanded his demands beyond what was normally expected of a vassal and sent Bodo to the Diet and other unusual missions. Bodo's historic significance, however, does not lie in any specific service that he did for any particular prince, but primarily in his relationship with the largest

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the empire: Cardinal Albert, who was

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

and

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. From 1515 until his death, he was the Cardinal's councillor or chaimberlain for the dioceses of

and

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

, i.e. he represented the Cardinal, or acted on the Cardinal's behalf in the many matters of varying significance that were entrusted to the Cardinal. When confronted with the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, the count followed his nature and that of his master, and acted mostly mild and conciliatory. Bodo enjoyed the unconditional confidence of the Cardinal, although he requested to be relieved of his duties after only a few years. His county and his family suffered from his prolonged absence and in 1524, he insisted that he be relieved from his duties. From that date, he would only provide advice from home. Apart from his service to Cardinal Albert, Bodo also acted as councillor to Emperors Maximilian I and

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, who thanked him with special ceremonies in 1518 and 1521, respectively. In 1521, Charles V proposed to make him a member of the second

Imperial Government The name imperial government () denotes two organs, created in 1500 and 1521, in the Holy Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to enable a unified political leadership, with input from the Princes. Both were composed of the empero ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, but Bodo declined the offer.

Marriage and issue

Bodo married on 24 August 1500 at Königstein with

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

, the sister of Eberhard IV, who was the last Lord of Eppstein and from 1505 Count of Königstein. After Eberhard died childless in 1535, Königstein, including Eppstein, was inherited by Bodo's sons

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(d. 1574) and Christopher (d. 1581). Bodo and Anna had many children: * Wolfgang (1 October 1500 − 8 March 1552), married Dorothea of Regenstein-Blankenburg and Genoveva of Wied * Bodo (1502 − after 2 May 1503) *

(28 January 1504 − 4 March 1574), the 28th Abbess of the Imperial Abbey at Quedlinburg *

(12 January 1505 − 1 September 1574), Count of Stolberg-Wernigeorde, married Walpurga Johanna of Wied-Runkel *

Juliana Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...

(15 February 1506 − 18 June 1580), married Philip II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg and

William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen William I of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called William I of Nassau(-Dillenburg) and in some sources of Nassau-Katzenelnbogen. He was born with the titles Count of Nassau, Vianden and Diez. Two years before his death, he obtaine ...

, she is regarded as the matriarch of the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

* Maria (8 December 1507 − 6 January 1571), married Kuno II, Count of

Leiningen-Westerburg Leiningen-Westerburg was a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the vicinity of Leiningen and Westerburg in what is now the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Leiningen-Westerburg was formed in 1467, when the last Landgrave ...

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

(2 January 1509 − 12 November 1572), Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode, married Elisabeth of Gleichen-Rembda * Philip (24 May 1510 − after 21 September 1531) * Magdalene (6 November 1511 − 19 November 1546), married Ulrich IX, Count of Regenstein-Blankenburg * Eberhard (1513 − 21 April 1526) * Catherine (24 October 1514 − 18 June 1577), married Albert, Count of Henneberg * Albert (2 March 1516 − 4 July 1587), Count of Stolberg-Schwarza * Christopher (10 January 1524 − 8 August 1581), Count of Stolberg-Gedern

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bodo 08 of Stolberg Counts of Stolberg-Wernigerode House of Stolberg 1467 births 1538 deaths 15th-century German nobility 16th-century German nobility