Elisabeth of Hesse | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Elisabeth of Hesse with children from her first marriage to Louis II of Zweibrücken, painted byPeter Gertner | |
| Born | 4 March 1503 |
| Died | 4 January 1563(1563-01-04) (aged 59) Lauingen |
| Noble family | House of Hesse |
| Spouses | Louis II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken George, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim |
| Father | William I, Landgrave of Hesse |
| Mother | Anna, Duchess ofBrunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
Elisabeth of Hesse (4 March 1503 – 4 January 1563,Lauingen) was a Landgravine ofHesse by birth and by marriage Countess Palatine ofZweibrücken and later Countess Palatine ofSimmern.
Elizabeth was the youngest of five daughters of LandgraveWilliam I of Hesse (1466–1515) from his marriage to Duchess Anna ofBrunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1460–1520), daughter of DukeWilliam of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Elizabeth was raised as a Protestant. In 1518, she was kidnapped by LandgravePhilip I of Hesse, who had just come of age, to prevent a marriage which her mother Anna had planned, but which Elisabeth herself was opposed to.[1]
She married on 10 September 1525 inKassel, Count Palatine and DukeLouis II of Zweibrücken (1502–1532). This marriage of a princess inclined to theReformation with a close relative ofPhilip the Magnanimous, the largest promoter of the Reformation, gave a considerable boost to the Reformation in the Duchy of Zweibrücken. The marriage had been planned for the spring of 1525, but theGerman Peasants' War interfered. Elizabeth was regarded as extremely pious, affable and benevolent. She used her considerable inheritance to compensate the victims of the peasant uprising in the Duchy. After her husband's early death, EmperorFerdinand I appointed Elisabeth and Count PalatineRupert of Veldenz as joint regents for her young son.
On 9 January 1541, Elisabeth married her second husband,George, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim (1518–1569). She made a significant contribution when she and George finally managed to enforce the reformation in Simmern.[2]
From her first marriage to Louis II of Zweibrücken, she had two children:
From her second marriage to George ofSimmern-Sponheim, she had a son:
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
