Christoph, Duke of Württemberg

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Christoph
Christoph of Württemberg, c. 1560s
Duke of Württemberg
Reign6 November 1550 – 28 December 1568
PredecessorUlrich
SuccessorLouis III
Born(1515-05-12)12 May 1515
Bad Urach
Died28 December 1568(1568-12-28) (aged 53)
Stuttgart
Spouse
Issue
among others…
HouseWürttemberg
FatherUlrich, Duke of Württemberg
MotherSabina of Bavaria
ReligionLutheran (since 1535)
Roman Catholic (until 1535)

Christoph of Württemberg (12 May 1515 – 28 December 1568), ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1550 until his death in 1568.

Life[edit]

Born in 1515, Christoph was the son of Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg and Sabina of Bavaria.[1] In November 1515, only months after his birth, his mother fled to the court of her parents in Munich. Young Christoph stayed in Stuttgart with his elder sister Anna and his father, Duke Ulrich. When the Swabian League mobilized troops against Ulrich, he brought them to Castle Hohentübingen. In 1519 Württemberg came under Austrian rule after the castle surrendered and Duke Ulrich was banished.

Christoph was sent to the court of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in Innsbruck where he grew up and was able to gain political experience under Habsburg tutelage. Maximilian's successor Charles V took him on his travels through Europe.

Meanwhile, his father Ulrich had regained Württemberg from the Austrians in 1534 and Christoph was sent to the French court, where he became embroiled in France's wars against the Habsburgs. At the end of the 1530s, Christoph converted to Protestantism. In 1542, the Treaty of Reichenweier installed him as the governor of the Württemberg region of Montbéliard.

On succeeding his father in 1550, Christoph was forced to make high payments to avoid charges of treason by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I.

In subsequent years, he re-organized the entire administration of the church and state. He also reformed and supported the educational system. Christoph gave Amandenhof castle near Urach to Hans von Ungnad who used it as the seat of the South Slavic Bible Institute.[2]

Christoph went to great efforts to boost Württemberg's profile. For example, he reconstructed the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart and hosted many celebrations.

Marriage and issue[edit]

In 1544, Christoph married Anna Maria, daughter of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.[1] They had:

Monument for Christoph in Stuttgart
Anna Maria of Brandenburg-Ansbach

Ancestors[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Hohkamp 2007, p. 99.
  2. ^ Breyer 1952, p. 32.

Sources[edit]

  • Breyer, Mirko (1952). O starim i rijetkim jugoslavenskim knjigama: bibliografsko-bibliofilski prikaz. Izdavački zavod Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti.
  • Hohkamp, Michaela (2007). "Sisters, Aunts, and Cousins: Familial Architectures and the Political Field in Early Modern Europe". In Sabean, David Warren; Teuscher, Simon; Mathieu, Jon (eds.). Kinship in Europe: Approaches to Long-Term Development (1300-1900). Berghahn books. pp. 91–104.


Christoph, Duke of Württemberg
Born: 12 May 1515 Died: 28 December 1568
Regnal titles
Preceded by Duke of Württemberg
1550–1568
Succeeded by