Barbara von Wertheim
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| Barbara von Wertheim | |
|---|---|
| Countess of Wertheim | |
 | |
| Born | 1500 |
| Died | 29 April 1561 (aged 60–61) |
Barbara von Wertheim (1500 – 29 April 1561)[1] was a Countess of Wertheim by marriage to Count George II von Wertheim (née Schenkin von Limpurg). She was the sister to Erasmus Schenk von Limpurg, Bishop of Strasburg. Following the death of her husband, she was appointed regent of the County of Wertheim and the Lordship of Breuberg during the minority of her son, Count Michael III of Wertheim, between 1531 and 1547. She is known for her work to introduce the Reformation in her domain during her reign.
Early years
Barbara von Wertheim, born as Schenkin von Limpurg in 1500. She was the daughter of Schenk Christoph von Limpurg, head of the Gaildorf branch of the Schenken von Limpurg family and a highly respected knight.[2] Her mother was Countess Agnes von Werdenberg.
Brought up in traditional religious piety, Barbara received an education befitting a noblewoman of her era. The Schenken von Limpurg family placed great importance on education, and employed academic staff who encouraged this.[3] In line with the motto of the time "learn to serve in order to rule",[4] her tutelage prepared her for a secular role, which involved marrying an imperial count in addition to running the household, raising children according to their status, and representing the master of the house during his abesence.[5]
At fifteen, Schenk Christoph died, leaving Agnes, Countess of Werdenberg, with twelve children - five sons and seven daughters. What role the mother played as guardian of the children is not known in detail, but it is known that she shared guardianship with her brother, Count Christoph von Werdenberg, and Schenk Georg von Limpurg. All three guardians appeared as 'curators and fermunders' in a later 'letter of marriage' for Georg II and Barbara von Limpurg[6].[6] Of the countess' daughters, only Barbara entered a marriage, with her brother Erasmus Schenk von Limpurg taking an advisory role and receiving 'letters of sorrow' from her.
The Zimmer Chronicle records a vision Barbara von Limpurg is said to have seen in 1523; the account records sight of a 'marvellous face', then a headless horseman who 'rode through the Kocher' (a river flowing through Gaildorf) before disappearing. The vision was interpreted as a symbol of the possible end of the Schenken von Limpurg-Gaildorf dynasty after her father's death.[7] This reflection of Barbara's destiny mirrored her later experience, when the death of her husband and son resulted in the Wertheim dynasty's extinction in the male line.
Marriage to Count Georg II von Wertheim
At the age of 28, Barbara wed Count Georg II von Wertheim in 1528. This marriage was likely a familial arrangement, rather than a romantic one, as per the social conventions of the time. Barbara and Georg's union was intended to cement the longstanding friendship between their families and "the desire to build on it between the two named heirs".[6]
In 1529, their first son Michael III was born.[8] Barbara was pregnant with their second child when Georg succumbed unexpectedly to death at Breuberg Castle on Easter Monday, 17 April 1530. Following George's death, his 80-year-old father, Michael II, became the regent for a brief period. After his death, the couple's second child, a daughter named and baptised Barbara, was born.
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