Amalia of Cleves
Encyclopedia
Amalia of Cleves (17 October 1517, Düsseldorf
– 1 March 1586, Düsseldorf
) was a princess from the house of Von der Mark. She was the youngest child of John III
, Duke of Jülich
jure uxoris, Cleves
, Berg
jure uxoris, Count of Mark and Ravensberg jure uxoris (often referred to as Duke of Cleves) and his wife Maria von Jülich.
After her father's death, Amalia's brother William
became Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. In 1526, her oldest sister Sybille
was married to John Frederick
. Her elder sister was Anne of Cleves
, briefly the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England
.
and Sibylle of Cleves had an old-fashioned education, where singing and reading were emphasized, but cooking, weaving or other household chores were neglected. Furthermore the small German court followed the Italian fashion which was common in noble families at the time.
Hans Holbein the Younger
painted Amalia and her older sister Anne of Cleves on behalf of the freshly widowed Henry VIII
in 1539, because he was considering making one of them his fourth Queen. After seeing both paintings, King Henry chose Anne
and they were married in 1540.
In the following years, Amalia's family tried to marry her off with as much profit as possible. There were long negotiations with the Duchy of Baden
concerning a strategical marriage between the two dynasties which came to no conclusion.
Amalia of Cleves wrote a song book which is currently found in the German national library in Berlin
, with copies in the public library of Frankfurt
and the university library of Frankfurt.
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
– 1 March 1586, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
) was a princess from the house of Von der Mark. She was the youngest child of John III
John III, Duke of Cleves
John III the Peaceful, Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark was a son of John II, Duke of Cleves and Matilda of Hesse, daughter of Henry III, Landgrave of Upper Hesse.John III became Regent of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg in 1521, and Lord of Ravensberg in 1528.John represented...
, Duke of Jülich
Duchy of Jülich
The Duchy of Jülich comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay left of the Rhine river between the Electorate of Cologne in the east and the Duchy of Limburg in the west. It had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital...
jure uxoris, Cleves
Duchy of Cleves
The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...
, Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...
jure uxoris, Count of Mark and Ravensberg jure uxoris (often referred to as Duke of Cleves) and his wife Maria von Jülich.
After her father's death, Amalia's brother William
Wilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg .William was born in and died in Düsseldorf. He was the only son of John III, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, and Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. William took over rule of his father's estates upon his death in 1539...
became Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. In 1526, her oldest sister Sybille
Sybille of Cleves
Sybille of Cleves was Electress consort of Saxony.She was the eldest daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, and a sister of Anne of Cleves and Amalia of Cleves. Sybille's mother was Maria of Jülich-Berg .In September, 1526 Sybille married John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony...
was married to John Frederick
John Frederick, Elector of Saxony
John Frederick I of Saxony , called John the Magnanimous, was Elector of Saxony and Head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany , "Champion of the Reformation".-Early years:...
. Her elder sister was Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, briefly the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Life
Amalia and her two sisters Anne of ClevesAnne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
and Sibylle of Cleves had an old-fashioned education, where singing and reading were emphasized, but cooking, weaving or other household chores were neglected. Furthermore the small German court followed the Italian fashion which was common in noble families at the time.
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
painted Amalia and her older sister Anne of Cleves on behalf of the freshly widowed Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1539, because he was considering making one of them his fourth Queen. After seeing both paintings, King Henry chose Anne
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
and they were married in 1540.
In the following years, Amalia's family tried to marry her off with as much profit as possible. There were long negotiations with the Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
concerning a strategical marriage between the two dynasties which came to no conclusion.
Amalia of Cleves wrote a song book which is currently found in the German national library in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, with copies in the public library of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and the university library of Frankfurt.
Lineage
Literature
- Storybook about the history of the women of Cleves. (Projectgroup Womengroup of the adult education center Cleves), Cleves 2004. (German: Lesebuch zur Geschichte der Klever Frauen. (Projektgruppe Frauengruppe der VHS Kleve))
- Land in the middle of the forces: The united dukedoms Jülich, Cleves, Berg. Cleves 1985. (German: Land im Mittelpunkt der Mächte: Die vereinigten Herzogtümer Jülich, Kleve, Berg.)