Jakobea of Baden
Encyclopedia
Princess Jakobea of Baden (born: 16 January 1558; died: 3 September 1597 in Dusseldorf
, buried in the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf) was daughter of the Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden
and Mechthild of Bavaria
. She has been compared with Mary Stuart, because both met a violent death in the framework of a religious conflict.
of Bavaria, where she had several suitors. At the insistence of her cousin Ernest of Bavaria
, who was Archbishop of Cologne
, Emperor Rudolph II, King Philip II of Spain
and Pope Gregory XIII, she married on 16 June 1585 Duke John William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
, who was considered physically unattractive and mentally unstable and was the son and heir apparent of William "the Rich" of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, in an attempt to keep the confessionally wavering duke William in the Catholic camp. The marriage was celebrated lavishly in Düsseldorf, which at the time was ravaged by the Cologne War
, and was documented by Dietrich Graminäus in his volume .
William the Rich could never overcome the early death of his eldest son Charles Frederick. He despised his second son and successor, John William and gave him little chance to learn to govern and thus contributed to the disaster that befell his duchies.
When William died in 1592, John William inherited the duchies and Jakonea tried to rule on behalf of her husband, who had been locked up because of his temper tantrums. She had been born a Protestant, but was raised as a Catholic
and did not choose for either side. She never became pregnant, possibly because her husband was impotent. She had a relationship with the much younger Dietrich von Hall zu Ophoven, who was Amtmann
at Monheim am Rhein
and was eventually arrested and locked up in the tower of Düsseldorf Castle. She tried to plead her case in the Roman Rota and at the imperial court in Prague
, but the case made little progress. The Catholic side, represented primarily by her sister-in-law Sibylle of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, then took matters into their own hand. She was found dead in her room on the morning of 3 September 1597, after she had received guests and toasted on her husband's health the night before. Eyewitness accounts suggest that she was strangled or suffocated. The motive for the move appears to have been to make room for a more fertile wife, who could save the endangered dynasty
.
She was buried on 10 September 1597 in a closed ceremony in the Kreuzherren Church in Düsseldorf. On 23 March 1820, her body was transferred to the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf and solemnly reburied.
The City Museum in Düsseldorf has a lock of her hair.
Her dark end brought her an afterlife as a White Lady
, even if the only wore the usual black Spanish court dress during her lifetime. Her appearance as a White Lady is said to have inspired a commercial for the detergent Persil
, which is manufactured in Düsseldorf
.
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, buried in the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf) was daughter of the Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden
Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Margrave Philibert of Baden ruled the Margraviate of Baden-Baden from 1554 to 1569. Philibert was the son of the Margrave Bernhard III, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Franziska of Luxembourg....
and Mechthild of Bavaria
Mechthild of Bavaria
Mechthild of Bavaria was a German noblewoman. She was the daughter of William IV, Duke of Bavaria and his wife Marie...
. She has been compared with Mary Stuart, because both met a violent death in the framework of a religious conflict.
Life
Jakobea of Baden-Baden became an orphan at an early age and was raised at the court of her maternal uncle Duke Albert VAlbert V, Duke of Bavaria
Albert V was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Marie Jacobaea of Baden.-Early life:Albert was educated at Ingolstadt under good Catholic teachers...
of Bavaria, where she had several suitors. At the insistence of her cousin Ernest of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria was Prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg. He was also bishop of Münster, Hildesheim, Freising and Liège....
, who was Archbishop of Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
, Emperor Rudolph II, King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
and Pope Gregory XIII, she married on 16 June 1585 Duke John William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
John William, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg
John William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.His parents were William the Rich, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and Maria of Austria , a daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. He grew up and was educated in Xanten. John William became...
, who was considered physically unattractive and mentally unstable and was the son and heir apparent of William "the Rich" of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, in an attempt to keep the confessionally wavering duke William in the Catholic camp. The marriage was celebrated lavishly in Düsseldorf, which at the time was ravaged by the Cologne War
Cologne War
The Cologne War devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire, present-day North-Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany...
, and was documented by Dietrich Graminäus in his volume .
William the Rich could never overcome the early death of his eldest son Charles Frederick. He despised his second son and successor, John William and gave him little chance to learn to govern and thus contributed to the disaster that befell his duchies.
When William died in 1592, John William inherited the duchies and Jakonea tried to rule on behalf of her husband, who had been locked up because of his temper tantrums. She had been born a Protestant, but was raised as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and did not choose for either side. She never became pregnant, possibly because her husband was impotent. She had a relationship with the much younger Dietrich von Hall zu Ophoven, who was Amtmann
Amtmann
Amtmann can be :*a feudal, administrative and/or gubernatorial title, such as Bezirksamtmann . Amtmann, ammann and amman were a kind of bailiff in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in Brussels....
at Monheim am Rhein
Monheim am Rhein
Monheim am Rhein is a town on the right bank of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Monheim belongs to the district of Mettmann - with the southern suburbs of Düsseldorf to the north, and the Bergisches Land to the south...
and was eventually arrested and locked up in the tower of Düsseldorf Castle. She tried to plead her case in the Roman Rota and at the imperial court in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, but the case made little progress. The Catholic side, represented primarily by her sister-in-law Sibylle of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, then took matters into their own hand. She was found dead in her room on the morning of 3 September 1597, after she had received guests and toasted on her husband's health the night before. Eyewitness accounts suggest that she was strangled or suffocated. The motive for the move appears to have been to make room for a more fertile wife, who could save the endangered dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
.
She was buried on 10 September 1597 in a closed ceremony in the Kreuzherren Church in Düsseldorf. On 23 March 1820, her body was transferred to the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf and solemnly reburied.
The City Museum in Düsseldorf has a lock of her hair.
Legacy
Comparing Jakobea to Mary Stuart is not entirely far-fetched; even so, it may be an exaggeration. Jakobea of Baden was overwhelmed by the confusing conditions at the religiously divided court in Düsseldorf and fled in a love affair for some amusement. When she was held in humiliating captivity and lost all hope of help from her powerful relatives in Baden and Bavaria, she showed her true caliber and attitude. The popular misinformation that Jakobea of Baden was beheaded, would make her more similar to Mary Stuart.Her dark end brought her an afterlife as a White Lady
White Lady (ghost)
A White Lady is a type of female ghost reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with some local legend of tragedy. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fiancé...
, even if the only wore the usual black Spanish court dress during her lifetime. Her appearance as a White Lady is said to have inspired a commercial for the detergent Persil
Persil
Persil is a brand of laundry detergent currently and originally made by Henkel & Cie; but which is now also licensed for manufacture, distribution, and marketing in several countries by the Unilever Corporation. Henkel and Unilever both manufacture their own formulations...
, which is manufactured in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.