Sibylle Ursula von Braunschweig-Lüneburg, also known as Sibylle von Braunschweig-Lüneburg and Sibylle of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (4 February 1629 – 12 December 1671), a member of the

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse-Mo ...

, was a daughter of Duke Augustus II of Brunswick-Lüneburg and, by marriage, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She stood out as a translator and writer.

Life and work

Sibylle Ursula was born in

Hitzacker Hitzacker is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Elbe, approx. 8 km north of Dannenberg, and 45 km east of Lüneburg. The 2007 population of Hitzacker was 4,982, and its po ...

, the third child of Duke Augustus (1579–1666) from his second marriage with the

Ascanian The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss Askanien'' in ...

princess

Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst Dorothea von Anhalt-Zerbst (25 September 1607, Zerbst – 26 September 1634, Hitzacker) was a member of the House of Askanier and a princess of Anhalt-Zerbst and Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by marriage to Augustus the Younger. Life ...

(1607–1634). Her father assumed the rule in the

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel () was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 square kilometres in the mid 17th century. Va ...

in 1634. Sibylle Ursula became the stepdaughter of

Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (20 August 1613 – 12 July 1676) was a German poet, composer and impresario. Life She began studying music at the court of her father, Duke John Albert II of Mecklenburg-Güstro ...

(1613–1676), the third wife of Duke Augustus who had distinguished herself as a poet and composer. Like her siblings, the Brunswick dukes Rudolph Augustus and Anthony Ulrich, she received a comprehensive education at the

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

court by scholars like

Justus Georg Schottel Justus Georg Schottelius (Latinized ''Justus-Georgius Schottelius''; 23 June 1612, Einbeck – 25 October 1676, Wolfenbüttel) was a German grammarian, best known for his publications on German grammar, language theory and poetics. Life Jus ...

and

Sigmund von Birken Sigmund von Birken (25 April 1626 – 12 June 1681) was a German poet of the Baroque. He was born in Wildstein, near Eger, and died in Nuremberg, aged 55. His pupil, Sibylle Ursula von Braunschweig-Lüneburg wrote part of a novel, ''Die Durchla ...

. For several years, she kept up a correspondence with

Madeleine de Scudéry Madeleine de Scudéry (; 15 November 1607 – 2 June 1701), often known simply as Mademoiselle de Scudéry (), was a French writer. Her works demonstrate such comprehensive knowledge of ancient history that it is suspected she had received ins ...

and

Johannes Valentinus Andreae Johannes Valentinus Andreae (17 August 1586 – 27 June 1654), a.k.a. Johannes Valentinus Andreä or Johann Valentin Andreae, was a German theologian, who claimed to be the author of an ancient text known as the ''Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Ro ...

. Sibylle Ursula wrote part of a novel, ''Die Durchlauchtige Syrerin Aramena'' (''Aramena, the noble Syrian lady''), which when complete would be the most famous courtly novel in German Baroque literature; it was finished by her brother Anthony Ulrich and edited by Sigmund von Birken. Other writings of hers include a five-act play and a series of spiritual meditations. Translations of hers include two novels (''Cassandre'' and ''Cléopâtre'') by

La Calprenède LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

, parts of Scudéry's ''Clélie'', and ''Introductio ad sapientiam'', one of the Latin writings of

Juan Luis Vives Juan Luis Vives y March (; ; ; ; 6 March 6 May 1540) was a Spaniards, Spanish (Valencian people, Valencian) scholar and Renaissance humanist who spent most of his adult life in the southern Habsburg Netherlands. His beliefs on the soul, insigh ...

, a Spanish humanist. Initially determined to remain unmarried, in 1663 she eventually entered into marriage with

Duke Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...

(1627–1698), at the age of 34. Her husband, the only surviving son of Duke Philip of Schleswig-Holstein-Glücksburg, had taken over the rule at

Glücksburg Castle Glücksburg Castle (German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish language, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg an ...

the year before and was able to restore public finances with the help of his Wolfenbüttel relatives. Sibylle Ursula fell seriously ill already in 1664, probably from

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

passed on by her husband, which brought an ending to her artistic work. Suffering from an ever-increasingly depressive state, she died in childbirth. None of her children reached adulthood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braunschweig-Luneburg, Sibylle Ursula von 1629 births 1671 deaths Deaths in childbirth German women dramatists and playwrights German women novelists 17th-century German dramatists and playwrights 17th-century German women writers 17th-century German translators 17th-century German novelists People from Hitzacker Deaths from syphilis New House of Brunswick Daughters of dukes Baroque writers