Johann Frederick, Duke of Württemberg
| John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg | |
|---|---|
John Frederick of Württemberg
|
|
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg |
| Noble family | House of Württemberg |
| Father | Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg |
| Mother | Sibylla of Anhalt |
| Born |
5 May 1582 Mömpelgard castle in Montbéliard |
| Died | 16 July 1628 (aged 46) en route to Heidenheim |
Duke John Frederick of Württemberg (5 May 1582, Montbéliard – 18 July 1628) was the 7th Duke of Württemberg from 4 February 1608 until his death on 18 July 1628 whilst en route to Heidenheim.
John Frederick of Württemberg was the eldest son of Frederick I and Sibylla of Anhalt. He was born in Mömpelgard castle which he left at the age of four when his family moved its residence to Stuttgart.
John Frederick married Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg (16 November 1584 – 13 February 1636), daughter of prince-elector Joachim Frederick of Brandenburg. To mark his marriage on 5 November 1609, he had Castle Urach converted, turning the Golden Room into one of the finest surviving examples of renaissance banqueting halls in Germany.
John Frederick' marriage resulted in the birth of the following children:
John Frederick was a well-meaning, peace-loving ruler but he displayed a number of personal weaknesses and was often ill equipped to deal with the challenges of the era. Despite this he restored the constitution (which had been suspended by his father, Frederick I, subject to changes that were never implemented). He also restored the power of the councils of Duke Louis (which had been abolished by Frederick I). Most importantly, he had Frederick’s powerful chancellor Matthäus Enzlin condemned to a fortress for life for embezzlement and extortion, subjecting him later to an embarrassing trial on a count of high treason for which he was executed on the market place in Urach in 1613. He achieved little improvement in the state of affairs within the ducal household, however. In fact the duchy ran into further debt leading to unruly debate within the family and even the ranks of servants and eventually problems with the mint.
John Frederick continued the long-standing negotiations held by his father with other evangelical princes, resulting in talks in Auhausen near Nördlingen in May 1608 and the subsequent signing of the Union of Auhausen. In 1621 he moved with a Unionist army into the Palatinate region, although the alliance crumbled in the same year with little to show for its efforts.
...
Wikipedia