Irmengard of Oettingen
Encyclopedia
Irmengard of Oettingen was a princess of the Counts von Oettingen by birth, and by marriage, Countess Palatine of the Rhine and, as a widow, a Dominican
nun
.
, of Württemberg.
In 1320 Princess Irmengard married Count Palatine Adolph "the Upright"
of Wittelsbach
. He was officially the Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1319 until his death in 1327.
The actual power of government, however, was exercised by his uncle Louis IV
.
The couple resided in Heidelberg under the suzerainty of Emperor Louis IV. In 1326, they retired to Oggersheim. This community had been destroyed by fire. Adolf led the rebuild and added a city wall and a moat and elevated the place to a city. Adolf died in January 1327in Neustadt an der Weinstraße
and was buried in the Cistercian Schönau Abbey
.
Irmengard of Oettingen and Count Palatine Adolf had four children:
between Emperor Louis IV
and Adolf's brothers Electors Palatine Rudolf II and Rupert I was concluded, stipulating that Adolf's four year old son Rupert II would succeed his childless uncles as Count Palatine and Elector.
At first Irmengard of Oettingen had lived only as a guest in the monastery. Around 1347 she became a Dominican nun and lived as a nun until her death in 1389 (various sources also mention the year 1399). In Liebenau, she founded on 1 December 1381, a Mass to be sung daily, the so-called Convent Mass. Irmengard's brother Louis died in 1346 during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He had bequeathed the gift of a magnificent Cross to the Liebenau monastery, which, according to its inscription, had been commissioned by her father, Count Palatine Louis VI. The cross came to Freiburg im Breisgau in a roundabout way and is now among the special treasures of the local Augustiner Museum
Irmengard's daughter Beatrix of Sicily
would sometimes visit her in the monastery. The Dominican
chronicler John Meyer (1422–1482) reports that Countess Palatine Beatrix gave birth in te monastery to her son Rupert
and that he was brought up until age 7 by his grandmother Irmengard of Oettingen. Rupert later became Elector Palatine as Rupert III and King of the Germans as Rupert I. Irmengard's grand niece Elisabeth of Oettingen
served Rupert as a lady in waiting
.
Countess Palatine Irmengard died in 1389 and was buried in the Liebenau monastery in Worms. No trace of the monastery remains. The historian Johann Friedrich Schannat
provides her grave inscription in his Historia episcopatus Wormatiensis on page 172. It states that the princess lived for 40 years as a nun.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
.
Countess Palatine
Irmengard von Oettingen was the daughter of Count Louis VI of Oettingen (1288–1346) and his wife Agnes of Württemberg (1295–1317), a daughter of Eberhard the IllustriousEberhard I, Count of Württemberg
Eberhard I was Count of Württemberg from 1279 until his death. He was nicknamed 'der Erlauchte' or the Illustrious Highness.- Life :...
, of Württemberg.
In 1320 Princess Irmengard married Count Palatine Adolph "the Upright"
Adolf, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Adolf of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach was formally Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1319–1327.He was the second son of Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria and his wife Mechtild of Nassau...
of Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
. He was officially the Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1319 until his death in 1327.
The actual power of government, however, was exercised by his uncle Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
.
The couple resided in Heidelberg under the suzerainty of Emperor Louis IV. In 1326, they retired to Oggersheim. This community had been destroyed by fire. Adolf led the rebuild and added a city wall and a moat and elevated the place to a city. Adolf died in January 1327in Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
and was buried in the Cistercian Schönau Abbey
Schönau Abbey
Schönau Abbey in Schönau in the Odenwald, in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg, was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1142 from Eberbach Abbey...
.
Irmengard of Oettingen and Count Palatine Adolf had four children:
- Rupert II, Elector Palatine of the Rhine (12 May 1325, AmbergAmbergAmberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
–6 January 1398, Amberg). - Adolf.
- Frederick.
- a daughter (d. 1389), married Count Meinhard I of Ortenburg.
Widow and nun
Still in the year of death of her husband, countess Irmengard and her children retired into the Liebenau monastery in Worms. The Austria-minded Count John of Nassau was appointed as the children's guardian. The Treaty of Pavia (1329)Treaty of Pavia (1329)
The Treaty of Pavia which divided the House of Wittelsbach two branches, was signed in Pavia in 1329. Under the accord, Emperor Louis IV granted during his stay in Italy the Palatinate including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to his brother Duke Rudolph's descendants, Rudolph II, Rupert I and...
between Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
and Adolf's brothers Electors Palatine Rudolf II and Rupert I was concluded, stipulating that Adolf's four year old son Rupert II would succeed his childless uncles as Count Palatine and Elector.
At first Irmengard of Oettingen had lived only as a guest in the monastery. Around 1347 she became a Dominican nun and lived as a nun until her death in 1389 (various sources also mention the year 1399). In Liebenau, she founded on 1 December 1381, a Mass to be sung daily, the so-called Convent Mass. Irmengard's brother Louis died in 1346 during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He had bequeathed the gift of a magnificent Cross to the Liebenau monastery, which, according to its inscription, had been commissioned by her father, Count Palatine Louis VI. The cross came to Freiburg im Breisgau in a roundabout way and is now among the special treasures of the local Augustiner Museum
Augustiner Museum
The Augustiner Museum is a museum in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. It is currently undergoing an extensive renovation and expansion, the first phase of which ended in 2010.The museum is located in a former monastery which was rebuilt between 1914 and 1923...
Irmengard's daughter Beatrix of Sicily
Beatrice of Sicily (1326–1365)
Beatrice of Sicily was a Sicilian princess, daughter of Peter II of Sicily and his wife Elisabeth of Carinthia. She was born into the House of Aragon.-Family:...
would sometimes visit her in the monastery. The Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
chronicler John Meyer (1422–1482) reports that Countess Palatine Beatrix gave birth in te monastery to her son Rupert
Rupert of Germany
Rupert of Germany from the House of Wittelsbach was Elector Palatine from 1398 and German King from 1400 until his death...
and that he was brought up until age 7 by his grandmother Irmengard of Oettingen. Rupert later became Elector Palatine as Rupert III and King of the Germans as Rupert I. Irmengard's grand niece Elisabeth of Oettingen
Elisabeth of Oettingen
Elisabeth of Oettingen also known as Elizabeth of Leuchtenberg was a member of the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein by birth...
served Rupert as a lady in waiting
Lady in Waiting
Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...
.
Countess Palatine Irmengard died in 1389 and was buried in the Liebenau monastery in Worms. No trace of the monastery remains. The historian Johann Friedrich Schannat
Johann Friedrich Schannat
Johann Friedrich Schannat was a German historian.Schannat was born in Luxembourg. He studied at the University of Louvain and when twenty-two years of age was a lawyer, but before long he turned his attention exclusively to history and became a priest...
provides her grave inscription in his Historia episcopatus Wormatiensis on page 172. It states that the princess lived for 40 years as a nun.