Richard, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim

Reichard Duke of Palatinate - simmering ( born July 25, 1521 simmering; † 13 or January 14, 1598 in Ravengiersburg, buried in the church of St. Stephen in simmering ) was a younger brother of the Elector Friedrich III. (* 1515, † 1576 ) of the Palatinate, and reigned in his second half of life, its own small territory, the Duchy of simmering, a Palatine Sekundogenitur.

His name exists in different spellings: Reichard (t ), Richard (t ), etc. The selected here is the most common in today's historiography.

Origin

His parents were Count Palatine John II of simmering (* 1492, † 1557) and Beatrix of Baden ( * 1492, † 1535), a daughter of Margrave Christoph I of Baden (* 1453, † 1527).

Count Palatine Frederick I of simmering (* 1417, † 1480) ∞ Countess Margaret of Geldern- Egmond (* 1436, † 1486 )

Count Johann II of Nassau -Saarbrücken (* 1423, † 1472 ) ∞ Mrs. Joan of Loen - Sponheim - Heinberg (* 1443, † 1469 )

Margrave Karl I of Baden (*, † 1475 ) ∞ Archduchess Catherine of Austria (* 1424, † 1493 )

Count Philip the Younger of Katzenelenbogen (* 1427, † 1453) ∞ Countess Ottilie von Nassau- Dillenburg (* 1437, † 1493 )

Count Palatine Johann I of simmering (* 1459, † 1509 ) ∞ Countess Johanna of Nassau- Saarbrücken (* 1464, † 1521)

Margrave Christoph I of Baden - Hachberg (* 1453, † 1527) ∞ Countess Ottilie von Katzenelenbogen (* 1451, † 1517)

Count Palatine John II of simmering (* 1492, † 1557) ∞ Countess Beatrix of Baden- Hachburg (*, † )

Reichard Duke of Palatinate - simmering

Would clergy

Reichard was initially intended for a clerical career. Already in 1528 he is at the age of seven years - enrolled at the University of Cologne - which was not unusual at that time. This is followed by study visits to close at the Universities of Orléans and lions. Throughout his career, he held numerous spiritual benefices:

During this time, Reichard ran three times as a bishop:

In all three cases, he fell through: First, he was not Catholic enough the Catholic, on the other hand he did not have the financial potential to buy such a place. After the defeat in Strasbourg he was unnerved to the ecclesiastical career and became secular, giving him all the more easily remembered than he had inherited the Duchy of Pfalz- simmering around the same time. Ultimately led to his personal development then to champion Lutheranism and compared with both the Roman Catholic and the Reformed side. That he became the Administrator of Forest aces against his older brother, Elector Frederick III. , Initially substantially. But he lost in the forest Assen when he - especially economic factors - the pen gave up and his older brother in 1571 secularized the pen.

Regent in simmering

Policy

Reichard 1569 inherited the Duchy of simmering, which until then had been governed as Sekundogenitur of the Palatine house by his deceased older brother, George. The territory acquired by him was comparatively tiny. It corresponded in size as an average office of the Electoral Palatinate. This put Duke Reichard economically under considerable pressure, so that he gives his older brother, the Elector Frederick III, now yielding showed -. Though not in the confessional question. Thus, the acquisition of the Duchy of simmering designed relatively unproblematic, despite the previous arguments about the administration of the pin forest Assen. The confessional differences receded into the background and to 1571 it was possible to compensate for the mutual claims: Duke Reichard was the administration of the pin forest Assen in favor of the elector on, this alimentierte him with an annual sum and took over its accumulated debt. But already in 1578 had to be again of debt in the run-up to his second wedding because of the newly accumulated debt of the Palatinate of the Duke. Religious remained Lutheran Reichard, albeit in moderated form, - also with regard to its main source of money, the Calvinist Palatinate.

The regency of the small Duchy of simmering was not indicated as a whole by its economic weakness and excessive Against this background, the royal household and the precarious situation of controlling policy Reichard. Expiration of the Economy, Finance and coinage were the result and only the periodic assumption of debt of the Duke by the Electoral Palatinate prevented the bankruptcy. At the end of his life Reichard was practically under guardianship of the Palatinate, who thus wanted to prevent Reichard's creditors could take access to the grants uncontrollably, which paid the Palatinate to Reichard.

Family

Duke Reichard married three times:

Attempts by political influence

Under Louis VI.

The death of the reformed Elector Frederick III. meant for the Palatinate also a change of confession. His successor, Ludwig VI, who reigned until 1583, was a Lutheran. This became Duke Reichard a prominent position as adviser to the new Elector, which he used to help Lutheranism in the Palatinate again to break through. He alienated but massively reformed Count Palatine Johann Casimir, a younger brother of Louis VI.

John Casimir

Johann Kasimir but 1583 Regent IV for Frederick the still minor son of his deceased brother. This Reichard was again deprived of his political influence. Opposite the new reign, which forced her charge back into the Reformed confession, he kept quiet because he was financially dependent on her. And even against the intervention of the Lutheran Mitvormünder, Friedrich III. John Casimir had assigned, Duke Ludwig of Württemberg Margrave Georg Friedrich I of Ansbach and Landgrave Ludwig IV of Hesse - Marburg. Also Reichard had no interest to strengthen the influence of foreign powers on the Electoral Palatinate, for the next, to succeed to John Casimir to guardianship Agnat was himself

Hanauer guardianship dispute

Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau- coins Berg joined in 1580 succeeded his late father, since he was still a minor, but under a guardianship, the first of the reformed Count Johann VI, the Elder, of Nassau- Dillenburg (* 1536.; † 1606 ), Count Ludwig I of Sayn -Wittgenstein (* 1568, † 1607) and the Lutheran Count Philip IV of Hanau- Lichtenberg ( * 1514, † 1590) was formed. Philip IV of Hanau- Lichtenberg - an advanced age for that time - be made ​​in 1585 as guardian of his son, Count Philip V of Hanau- Lichtenberg ( * 1541, † 1599) to replace.

Already 1581 married the mother of the ward, Countess Magdalena of Waldeck (* 1558, † 1599), with Count John VII, the Middle, of Nassau- Siegen ( * 1561, † 1623), the son of one of the guardians. This came Count Philipp Ludwig II and his younger brother, Count Albrecht, the Nassau- Dillenburg yard. This was a center of the Reformed faith in Germany and closely connected with the Palatine court also reformed.

This Reformed influence but vehemently opposed the ( Lutheran ) co-guardian of Philip IV, later, his son Philip V of Hanau -Lichtenberg, though ultimately in vain. Philip V tried the Lutheran Duke also Reichard to launch in the guardianship order to strengthen the weight of the Lutherans there and to create a possibility to withdraw the two young Hanauer Count the Reformed influence. Despite a corresponding mandate of the Imperial Supreme Court did not succeed: The Reformed majority of guardianship prevented with the threat of force - contrary to the mandate of the Imperial Supreme Court - the homage of the Hanauer subjects against Reichard. On the contrary, now succeeded the reformed party, the Reformed Count Palatine and Kuradministrator, John Casimir, as " upper guardian " - a purely honorary position - to install and to strengthen the Reformed position within the guardianship on.

Even otherwise Reichard acted rather in the circle of Count. This was caused by the very minuteness of his duchy. He was probably also the Lutheran Count Philip IV of Hanau -Lichtenberg very close and mediated in the delicate matter of property disputes between him and the ex-husband of his divorced daughter, Johanna of Hanau- Lichtenberg.

On the other hand, Reichard was also 1585-1595 - next to the Bishop of Worms - Kondirektor of the Upper Rhine Reich circle.

Electoral Palatinate administration dispute

John Casimir died in 1592, a few weeks before the 18th anniversary of his ward. The Government of the Elector Frederick IV was widely controlled by the end of his majority addition of strictly Reformed Hofräten and determines which were closely related to the in Wetterauischen Reichsgraf college organized, predominantly Calvinist also noble families. There was immediately a fierce dispute over the continuation of the guardianship between the Reformed and the Lutheran Duke Heidelberger Hof Reichard, the Kurpfälzische Administration dispute. Ultimately defeated Reichard in the two -year conflict since it was economically dependent on the one hand from the payments from Heidelberg, he on the other hand in 1594 the first of a series of strokes suffered, could hardly speak and was only very limited ability to act. So he could end the conflict indeed achieve that the Palatinate took over its debt again, on the other hand its expenditure but were now controlled by the Heidelberger Hof, he practically incapacitated, which was very humiliating for him.

End

Duke Reichard died on the night of the 13th to the 14th of January, 1598. Well codify the Lutheran Confessions in the Duchy of simmering after his death, his attempt was frustrated by the refusal of him beer reproduced Palatinate, to embrace it.

Reichard was buried on February 7, 1598. Still alive to Reichard had let in St. Stephen Church to simmering a monumental mausoleum built, together with his first wife, Juliane, shows him. The sculptor Johann von Trarbach, mayor of the city was simmering, because at least part, if not its creator.