George William, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Encyclopedia
George William (6 August 1591 – 25 December 1669), Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke in Bavaria
, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim
was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
from 1600 until 1669.
in 1591 as the eldest son of Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
. He succeeded his father in 1600 as Count of Sponheim
. He was joint ruler in the Sponheimish condominium
together with Margrave Wilhelm of Baden
, whose counter-reformation
ist movements he laboriously repelled. George William finished the expansion of Castle Birkenfeld, which his father had begun, and set the ground stone for the castle chapel. He is seen as an economical and prudent regent, though he could not do much through the Thirty Years' War
. His lands were invaded during the Thirty Years' War in 1635, and in the same year the plague broke out killing 416 people. In the year 1666 he appointed Günter Heyler as court preacher to Birkenfeld
. George William died in Birkenfeld in 1669. He was buried in the parish church of Birkenfeld; later his tomb was moved to the chapel of Birkenfeld castle and finally to Meisenheim
.
George William married Juliana of Salm-Grumbach (1616–1647) on 30 November 1641. The marriage remained childless and was divorced after Juliane gave birth to a child so shortly after the wedding that George William could not have been the father. (The child's father was in fact Johann Ludwig of Salm-Dhaun.)
George William married Anne Elizabeth of Öttingen-Öttingen
(3 November 1603 – 3 June 1673), daughter of Count Louis Eberhard, on 8 March 1649. The marriage remained childless.
Duke in Bavaria
Duke in Bavaria was a title used among others since 1506, when primogeniture was established, by all members of the House of Wittelsbach, with the exception of the Duke of Bavaria which began to be a unique position...
, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was a state of the Holy Roman Empire based around Birkenfeld in modern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was created in 1569 in the partition of Palatinate-Zweibrücken after the death of Wolfgang for his youngest son Charles I...
from 1600 until 1669.
Life
George William was born in AnsbachAnsbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
in 1591 as the eldest son of Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Charles I of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld , Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke in Bavaria, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1569 until 1600.-Life:...
. He succeeded his father in 1600 as Count of Sponheim
County of Sponheim
The County of Sponheim was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century...
. He was joint ruler in the Sponheimish condominium
Condominium (international law)
In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.Although a condominium has always been...
together with Margrave Wilhelm of Baden
Wilhelm, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Margrave William of Baden-Baden was regent of Baden-Baden between 1621 and 1677.Born in Baden-Baden, he was the eldest son of Margrave Edward Fortunatus of Baden and Maria of Eicken. He was Geheimrat, Generalfeldmarschall and Imperial Kammerrichter of Speyer, which gave him his nickname: Wilhelm...
, whose counter-reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
ist movements he laboriously repelled. George William finished the expansion of Castle Birkenfeld, which his father had begun, and set the ground stone for the castle chapel. He is seen as an economical and prudent regent, though he could not do much through the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. His lands were invaded during the Thirty Years' War in 1635, and in the same year the plague broke out killing 416 people. In the year 1666 he appointed Günter Heyler as court preacher to Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
. George William died in Birkenfeld in 1669. He was buried in the parish church of Birkenfeld; later his tomb was moved to the chapel of Birkenfeld castle and finally to Meisenheim
Meisenheim
Meisenheim is a town in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Glan, approx. 25 km south-west of Bad Kreuznach.Meisenheim is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Meisenheim....
.
Marriage
George William married Dorothea of Solms-Sonnenwalde (1586–1625), daughter of Count Otto, on 30 November 1616 and had the following children:- Dorothea Amalie (30 March 1618 – 6 August 1635)
- Anne Sophie (12 April 1619 – 1 September 1680)
- Elizabeth Juliana (28 October 1620 – 28 October 1651)
- Maria Magdalena (8 August 1622 – 27 October 1689)
- Clara Sybille (14 January 1624 – 1 February 1628)
- Charles OttoCharles II Otto, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-BirkenfeldCharles II Otto was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1669 until 1671.-Life:...
(5 September 1625 – 30 March 1671)
George William married Juliana of Salm-Grumbach (1616–1647) on 30 November 1641. The marriage remained childless and was divorced after Juliane gave birth to a child so shortly after the wedding that George William could not have been the father. (The child's father was in fact Johann Ludwig of Salm-Dhaun.)
George William married Anne Elizabeth of Öttingen-Öttingen
Öttingen-Öttingen
Oettingen-Oettingen was a noble family and county in modern-day eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria, Germany.Oettingen-Oettingen was created as a partition of Oettingen in 1423, became extinct in 1731 and was inherited by Oettingen-Wallerstein....
(3 November 1603 – 3 June 1673), daughter of Count Louis Eberhard, on 8 March 1649. The marriage remained childless.