Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg
Encyclopedia
Eberhard was the son of Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg
Ulrich V, Count of Wurttemberg
Ulrich V of Württemberg called "der Vielgeliebte" , Count of Württemberg. He was the younger son of Count Eberhard IV and Henriette of Mömpelgard.-Life:...
and Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut. He spent a long time at the Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
court in his youth. 1461 he took part in the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of king Louis XI of France
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
. 1462 he returned to Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. Between 1465 and 1467 he married the margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
Elisabeth of Brandenburg, a daughter of the margrave Albrecht III of Brandenburg
Albert III, Elector of Brandenburg
Albert III , often known simply as Albert Achilles , was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. He received the nickname Achilles because of his knightly qualities. He also ruled the Principality of Ansbach.-Early life:Albert was born the third son of Elector Frederick I in Tangermünde...
. In 1477 a contract secured him the succession in Württemberg-Urach, which was ruled by count Eberhard V
Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg
Eberhard I of Württemberg . From 1459 till 1495 he was Count Eberhard V. From July 1495 he was the first Duke of Württemberg. He is also known as Eberhard im Bart ....
, nicknamed the bearded one who had no legitimate offspring. 1480 he took over rule from his father count Ulrich V
Ulrich V, Count of Wurttemberg
Ulrich V of Württemberg called "der Vielgeliebte" , Count of Württemberg. He was the younger son of Count Eberhard IV and Henriette of Mömpelgard.-Life:...
.
In 1482 he signed the Treaty of Münsingen
Treaty of Münsingen
The Treaty of Münsingen was signed on December 14, 1482. This accord officially re-united the divided county of Württemberg after it was divided by the Treaty of Nürtingen in 1442. The hereditary dispute between the Stuttgart part and the part of Urach were settled after 40 years...
with Eberhard V, count of Württemberg-Urach.. This treaty repealed the division of Württemberg by transferring power from Eberhard VI to Eberhard V of Württemberg-Urach. In return Eberhard VI was conceded the succession of Eberhard V.
This way, from 1482 up to the death of Eberhard V of Württemberg-Urach, he nominally was sovereign, but in reality he was powerless. He soon fought against this deprivation of power, but couldn't do anything against his older rival. In 1489 his right of succession was even limited on the part of Württemberg-Stuttgart. However, after the death of, now duke Eberhard I (Eberhard V was exalted to duke in 1495), he managed to overtake rule in all of Württemberg as now Duke Eberhard II.
But he soon ran into trouble with the elite of his country. These deprived him of his rights, in close collaboration with the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
ian king Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
. He had to flee to Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
. As Eberhard had no support he had to accept the Arbitration of Horb of Maximilian I. He accepted an annual pension of 6.000 Guilders in return for his deposition and barrishment. In his place a council of the estates of the realm
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
ruled with royal legitimation.
This situation didn't change until his nephew Ulrich
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg
Herzog Ulrich von Württemberg succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498, being declared of age in 1503.-Early life:...
, the son of his brother Heinrich was declared to be of age prematurely and assumed power as Duke of Württemberg.
Eberhard was granted asylum by elector palatine Philip
Philip, Elector Palatine
Philip the Upright, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach from 1476 to 1508....
. He died in his palatinian exile on castle Lindenfels
Lindenfels
Lindenfels is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The climatic spa, also known as the “Pearl of the Odenwald”, lies in the Odenwald in southern Hesse and is nestled in a mountain landscape with a great deal of woodland....
in the year 1504. He is buried in the collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
.
Literature
- Dieter Stievermann. Eberhard VI./II, in Sönke Lorenz, Dieter Mertens, Volker PressVolker PressVolker Press was a German historian.-Life and career:Volker Press studied history and English from 1957 to 1965 at the University of Munich. He completed his doctorate in 1966 with Friedrich Hermann Schubert with a dissertation on the Electoral Palatinate in the confessional age...
eds. Das Haus Württemberg: Ein biographisches Lexikon. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-17-013605-4, S. 98-100