Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg
Eberhard im Bart ( born December 11, 1445 Urach, † February 25, 1496 in Tübingen) was since 1459 as Eberhard V, Count of Württemberg- Urach and from 1482 also of Württemberg- Stuttgart and since 1495 as the first Duke Eberhard I. of Württemberg and Teck.
Life
He was the son of Count Ludwig I of Württemberg - Urach and his wife Matilda, née Countess Palatine of the Rhine.
Count Eberhard V came as a minor official in 1459, the government of the County of Württemberg - Urach on after the country was divided by the Nürtinger contract since 1442. First, for him, a regency was used. From May to November 1468 he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he and his noble companions 24 ( Christoph von Baden et.al. ) on July 12, 1468 the Holy Sepulchre to the Knight was defeated by the Holy grave. His nickname " beard " he should owe a paid on the pilgrimage vows, pursuant to which it will no longer cut the beard in the future.
The Earl closed in 1474 a prestigious marriage with the northern Italian nobleman Margravine Barbara Gonzaga of Mantua from a highly respected and wealthy family. After the church ceremony on April 12 in the Cathedral of Mantua " nuptials " was held on July 4 in Urach. A description of the wedding celebration shows the participation of many high-ranking men and women. The guests consumed 14,000 165,000 loaf of bread and over 150,000 liters of wine.
Barbara had life homesick for Italy. The only daughter of this marriage died in infancy. Eberhard was " born of unmarried women outside of marriage" still children. Dr. Ludwig Wirtemberger (1465-1495) and Hans Wirtemberger due to the good relations Eberhard to Emperor Friedrich III. 1484 offset from this in the state, as if they were born in wedlock. Furthermore, there are sources who provide more children from the relationship with Ottilie von Gosheim. After Ludwig followed Dr. Gregory Lamparter of Greifenstein and Margaret Württemberg († 1493 ). The mother of the Franciscan nun Katharine Württemberg remains as that of Hans unnamed.
In 1477 founded Graf Eberhard, whose motto is " Attempto " ("I 'll risk it ," ) was that the University of Tübingen. He took the " Brethren of the Common Life", a community of " Modern Devotion " into the country, leaving in Urach, Dettingen an der Erms, Herrenberg, Einsiedel at Tübingen and Tachenhausen build pens. A particular concern of his was the churches and monastic reform. Although lateinunkundig, he appreciated the literary education highly and had translated a large number of Latin texts into German for themselves. Remnants of his extensive library are preserved.
Eventually the Count with the Münsinger contract on 14 December 1482 to achieve reunification of the two parts of the country Württemberg- Urach, Württemberg- Stuttgart. In the same year Pope Sixtus IV gave him the Golden Rose. He transferred the residence to Stuttgart and ruled the reunited country. In 1492 he was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece from the future Emperor Maximilian. On July 21, 1495, after lengthy negotiations, the Duchy of Württemberg and thus Count Eberhard V of his liege lord, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation Maximilian I., collected at the Diet of Worms to the Duke of Württemberg. He also received the title of Duke of Teck, the intended title of Duke of Swabia and with this the revival of the old duchy remained denied him. Additional terms in the " Worms contract " also included the setting, the continuing construction of the Württemberg Country trench.
Eberhard died in Tübingen castle of fever, red dysentery and bladder ulcers. His date of death was February 25 according to the Julian calendar: VI Kalendas marciij or the St. Matthiae. Since he died in a leap year in the last week of February, is erroneously stated in many modern sources of February 24 as a day of death. Even after the calendar of saints of the Mathiastag in leap years was celebrated on February 25.
He was buried first in St. Peter on the Einsiedel, later transferred to the Collegiate Church of Tübingen.
Findings and reception
Even the contemporaries admired Eberhard's mental abilities. Especially in the 19th and 20th century, the patriotic Württemberg historiography then transfigures the first Duke. So his bust him was erected in honor of Walhalla. He also appeared in the Württemberg national anthem " Praising with a lot of beautiful speeches " as " Eberhard, who loved the beard, Württemberg Lord. " On.
In the so -called " Württembergerlied " he is celebrated as the richest prince among the German princes, because he gets safely shelter offered at each of his subjects, without fear for life or property to have. In the song, it is said metaphorically: " I can boldly put my main subject in each lap. " For this set is a monument by the sculptor Paul Müller, Eberhard group in the castle garden to Stuttgart.
An unbiased assessment of his person but also for example in the statement that he showed a marked anti-Semitism among the princes of his time.
Expulsion of the Jews
In the year of the founding of the university Eberhard led the expulsion or imprisonment of the Jews living in Württemberg. He had for him on German translated court documents of the alleged ritual murder of Simon of Trent. The anti-Jewish policies of Count Eberhard was also the economic reasons: the population complained about high interest acquisitions. However, these were in turn caused by an excessive taxation of the Jews by the rulers.