Palatinate-Neuburg Explained

Conventional Long Name:Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg
Common Name:Palatinate-Neuburg
Era:Middle Ages
Status:Vassal
Empire:Holy Roman Empire
Government Type:Principality
Year Start:1505
Year End:1808
Event Start:Established
Date Start:30 July
Event1:In personal union with the Electorate of the Palatinate
Date Event1:1556–1557
Event2:Ceded to Zweibrücken
Date Event2:1557
Event3:Sulzbach separated
Date Event3:1614
Event4:Merged with the Electorate of the Palatinate
Date Event4:1685
P1:Bavaria-Landshut
Flag P1:Banner of Bavaria-Landshut.svg
S1:Electoral Palatinate
Flag S1:Banner of the Palatinate.svg
Image Map Caption:Neuburg Castle
Capital:Neuburg an der Donau
Common Languages:Austro-Bavarian
Religion:
Counts Palatine were Roman Catholic until 1541, then Lutheran until 1614, then again Roman Catholic since 1614.
Title Leader:Count Palatine
Leader1:Otto Henry
Year Leader1:1505–57
Leader2:Wolfgang
Year Leader2:1557–69
Leader3:Philip William
Year Leader3:1653–90
Leader4:Charles Theodore
Year Leader4:1742–99

Palatinate-Neuburg (German: Herzogtum Pfalz-Neuburg) was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505 by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km2, with a population of some 100,000.

History

The Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg was created in 1505 as the result of the Landshut War of Succession and existed until 1799 or 1808. After the so-called Kölner Spruch (Verdict of Cologne) the duchy was created from the territories north of the Danube for Otto Henry and Philipp, the sons of Ruprecht of the Palatinate. While they were minors, their grandfather Philip, Elector Palatine, ruled the duchy until his death in 1508, followed by Elector Frederick II. In 1541, Count Palatine Otto Henry converted to Lutheranism and his palace chapel at Neuburg Castle was the first newly built Protestant church of all, consecrated on 25 April 1543 by the reformed theologian Andreas Osiander.

In 1556, Otto Henry became the Elector Palatine and the next year ceded his duchy (the so-called Young Palatinate) to Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. The eldest son of Wolfgang, Philipp Louis, founded in 1569 the elder line of Palatine Zweibrücken-Neuburg, from which the Palatine Sulzbach lineage was separated in 1614.

Palatinate-Neuburg joined the Protestant Union in 1608. In 1609, the United Duchies of Julich-Cleves-Berg were in dispute following the death of the childless John William. Count Palatine Wolfgang Wilhelm claimed the territory and fought in the War of the Julich Succession, converting to Catholicism midway through in order to secure alliances. As a result, Palatine-Neuburg and the Duchies of Julich and Berg would be held in personal union. This was formalized in the Treaty of Xanten.

In 1800, the duchy was invaded by France and on June 26, 1800, the Habsburg, Württemberg and Bavarian armies fought a battle there. After fighting for most of a day, the Coalition armies withdrew. Neuburg was occupied by the French, and General Ney established his headquarters in the castle there.[1]

The Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg was abolished in 1808. In the partition of Bavaria in 1837, Palatinate-Neuburg was joined with Swabia but became a part of Upper Bavaria in the 1970s.

Dukes of Palatinate-Neuburg

House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Neuburg

With the death of Elector Charles Philip in 1742 all his territories including the state of Palatinate-Neuburg passed to the Palatinate-Sulzbach line of the Wittelsbach dynasty. Charles Theodor of the Sulzbach line was a descendant of Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach, a brother of Wolfgang Wilhelm.

House of Palatinate-Sulzbach

House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. Marceau, p 105.