Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe
Encyclopedia
Count Bernhard of Lippe VIII (born: 6 December 1527 in Detmold
; died: 15 April 1563 in Detmold
) was from 1547 until his death in 1563 the ruling Count of Lippe.
, Count Adolph of Schaumburg and Count Jobst II of Hoya. Bernhard was raised in the Protestant faith.
In 1546 he joined the government of the county of Lippe and during his reign, he tried especially to strengthen the Protestant faith in his county. This met with disapproval of the emperor Charles V
, whose troops occupied Lippe in the course of the Schmalkaldic War
(1546-1547) and after the defeat of the Protestant side in 1548, began implementing the Augsburg Interim
. As a result, Lippe became an imperial fief.
In 1555, Bernard visited the Diet of Augsburg
in person, and in 1556, he convened a meeting of the Protestant clergy in his county. Also in 1556, he declared war on Count John II of Rietberg
. Bernard besieged John's court in 1557. In 1559, Bernhard gave Sternberg Castle to his brother Herman Simon as a Paréage
. This triggered an inheritance dispute with the County of Schaumburg.
Detmold
Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
; died: 15 April 1563 in Detmold
Detmold
Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
) was from 1547 until his death in 1563 the ruling Count of Lippe.
Life
Bernard's father, the reigning Count Simon V of Lippe, died in 1536, when Bernard was eight years old. Since he was too young take over at this age, the country was ruled by a regency council consisting of Landgrave Philip I of HessePhilip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I of Hesse, , nicknamed der Großmütige was a leading champion of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany....
, Count Adolph of Schaumburg and Count Jobst II of Hoya. Bernhard was raised in the Protestant faith.
In 1546 he joined the government of the county of Lippe and during his reign, he tried especially to strengthen the Protestant faith in his county. This met with disapproval of the emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, whose troops occupied Lippe in the course of the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
(1546-1547) and after the defeat of the Protestant side in 1548, began implementing the Augsburg Interim
Augsburg Interim
The Augsburg Interim is the general term given to an imperial decree ordered on May 15, 1548, at the 1548 Diet of Augsburg, after Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, had defeated the forces of the Schmalkaldic League in the Schmalkaldic War of 1546/47...
. As a result, Lippe became an imperial fief.
In 1555, Bernard visited the Diet of Augsburg
Diet of Augsburg
The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in the German city of Augsburg. There were many such sessions, but the three meetings during the Reformation and the ensuing religious wars between the Roman Catholic emperor Charles V and the Protestant...
in person, and in 1556, he convened a meeting of the Protestant clergy in his county. Also in 1556, he declared war on Count John II of Rietberg
John II, Count of Rietberg
Count John II "the Mad" of Rietberg , called "the Great," was the son of Count Otto III of Rietberg and his second wife, Onna Esens....
. Bernard besieged John's court in 1557. In 1559, Bernhard gave Sternberg Castle to his brother Herman Simon as a Paréage
Paréage
In Medieval France a paréage or pariage was a feudal treaty recognising joint sovereignty over a territory by two rulers, who were on an equal footing, pari passu; compare peer. On a familial scale, paréage could also refer to the equal division of lands and the titles they brought between sons of...
. This triggered an inheritance dispute with the County of Schaumburg.
Marriage and issue
His marriage to Catherine (1524-1583), daughter of the Count Philip III of Waldeck-Eisenberg produced following children:- Anna (1551-1614)
- married in 1576 Count Wolfgang II of Everstein-Massow
- MagdaleneMagdalene of LippeMagdalena of Lippe was a German noblewoman. She was a Countess of Lippe by birth. By her marriage to George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt she was the first Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt.- Life :...
(1552-1587)
- Magdalene
- married in 1572 Landgrave George I of Hesse-DarmstadtGeorge I, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtGeorge I of Hesse-Darmstadt was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1567 to 1596.Born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, he was the fourth son of Philip I the Magnanimous of Hesse and Christine of Saxony....
(1547-1596)- Simon VISimon VI, Count of LippeCount Simon VI of Lippe was an imperial count and ruler of the County of Lippe from 1563 until his death.- Life :...
of Lippe-Brake (1554-1613).
- Simon VI
- married firstly, in 1578, Countess Armgard of Rietberg-ArnsbergArmgard, Countess of RietbergCountess Armgard of Rietberg was from 1562 to 1584 Countess of Rietberg in her own right. She was also Countess of Hoya by marriage from 1568 to 1575 and Countess of Lippe by marriage from 1578 until her death....
(1551-1584) - married secondly, in 1585, Countess Elisabeth of Holstein-Schauenburg (1566-1638)
- Bernhardine (1563-1628)
- married in 1578 Count John Louis of Leiningen-WesterburgLeiningen-WesterburgLeiningen-Westerburg was an historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the vicinity of Leiningen and Westerburg in what is now the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate....
(1577-1622)