Christoph, Duke Of Württemberg
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Christoph of Württemberg (12 May 1515 – 28 December 1568), ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1550 until his death in 1568.


Life

Born in 1515, Christoph was the son of Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg and Sabina of Bavaria. In November 1515, only months after his birth, his mother fled to the court of her parents in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. Young Christoph stayed in Stuttgart with his elder sister Anna and his father, Duke
Ulrich Ulrich () is a Germanic given name derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements ''Othala rune, uodal-'' meaning "heritage" and ''-rih'' meaning "king, ruler". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...
. When the
Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...
mobilized troops against Ulrich, he brought them to Castle Hohentübingen. In 1519 Württemberg came under Austrian rule after the castle surrendered and Duke Ulrich was banished. Christoph was sent to the court of
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
Maximilian I in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
where he grew up and was able to gain political experience under
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
tutelage. Maximilian's successor Charles V took him on his travels through Europe. Meanwhile, his father Ulrich had regained Württemberg from the
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
ns in 1534 and Christoph was sent to the French court, where he became embroiled in France's wars against the Habsburgs. At the end of the 1530s, Christoph converted to
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
. In 1542, the Treaty of Reichenweier installed him as the governor of the Württemberg region of
Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...
. On succeeding his father in 1550, Christoph was forced to make high payments to avoid charges of treason by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. In subsequent years, he re-organized the entire administration of the church and state. He also reformed and supported the educational system. Christoph gave Amandenhof castle near Urach to Hans von Ungnad who used it as the seat of the South Slavic Bible Institute. Christoph went to great efforts to boost Württemberg's profile. For example, he reconstructed the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart and hosted many celebrations.


Marriage and issue

In 1544, Christoph married Anna Maria, daughter of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. They had: * Eberhard (7 January 1545 – 2 May 1568) * Hedwig (15 May 1547 – 4 March 1590) – married Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg * Elisabeth (3 March 1548 – 28 February 1592) – married (1) Georg Ernst (1511–1583), Count von Henneberg-Schleusingen; (2) Georg Gustav (1564–1634), Count Palatine of Veldenz-Lauterecken *
Sabine The Sabines (, , , ;  ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...
(2 July 1549 – 17 August 1581) – married
William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life L ...
* Emilie (19 August 1550 – 4 June 1589) – married Reichard (1521–1598), Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim * Eleonore (22 March 1552 – 12 January 1618) – married
Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt Joachim Ernest of Anhalt (21 October 1536 – 6 December 1586), was a German prince of the House of Ascania, ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1551, and from 1570 sole ruler of all the Anhalt lands. Life Early life Joachim Ernes ...
; (2) George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt * Ludwig I (1 January 1554 – 8 August 1593) – succeeded as Duke of Württemberg * Maximilian (27 August 1556 – 17 March 1557) * Ulrich (May 1558 – 7 July 1558) * Dorothea Maria (3 September 1559 – 23 March 1639) – married Otto Heinrich, Count Palatine of Sulzbach * Anna (12 June 1561 – 7 July 1616) – married (1) Duke John George of Oława; (2) Duke Frederick IV of Legnica *
Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...
(20 November 1563 – 21 July 1590) – married Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar


Ancestors


References


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christoph, Duke of Wurttemberg Wurttemberg, Christoph, Duke of Wurttemberg, Christoph, Duke of 16th-century dukes of Württemberg People from Bad Urach Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism Soldiers of the Imperial Circles