Sabina of Palatinate-Simmern

Sabina
Portrait of Duchess Sabina from the Recueil d'Arras, c. 1545
Born1528 (1528)
Died1578 (aged 49–50)
Burial
Egmont's crypt, Zottegem, Flanders
HusbandLamoral
FatherJohn II
MotherBeatrix

Sabina of Palatinate-Simmern (Dutch: Sabina van Palts-Simmern; 1528–1578), also known as Sabina of Bavaria, was the daughter of John II, Count Palatine of Simmern and Beatrix of Baden.[1]

Life

Sabina was the eleventh of the twelve children born to her parents.[2] Not much is known about her childhood, but she was most likely given a similar education to other noble children of her rank.

The family of Johan II von Pfalz-Simmern by an unknown artist, Neuburg an der Donau, Schloss Neuburg

Sabina's father had received a humanist and law-based education, and was in correspondence with many prominent persons and scholars of the day. Highly regarded by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, under whom he held several official positions (such as the emperor's representative at the imperial government in Nuremberg, and later 1536 to 1539 he was president of the Imperial Chamber Court in Speyer). As a ruler, politician and jurist, Johann II was so popular throughout the empire that he was usually simply called "Duke Hans" [German : Herzog Hans].

Sabinas mother was the daughter of Christoph of Baden-Baden[3] and Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen. Through her grandmother Sabina could claim a relationship the Wittelsbach and Habsburg family. The epitaph on her funerary monument describes her as a person who lived an honorable way of life, and gave no room to unseemly manners."

In 1532, Sabina's mother died,[3] and Sabina and her sister Helena was taken in to be raised at the court of her childless relative Frederick II, Elector Palatine and his wife Dorothea of Denmark[4][5][6][7][8] in Heidelberg.

Her father remained a widower for 19 years until 1554, when he remarried to Maria Jakoba von Oettingen-Oettingen, just two years younger than Sabina.

Sabina was as a child raised in the Catholic faith of which her father was a staunch supporter[9][10][11] and raised his children to be very pious. This coupled with the fact that the small principality of Palatine-Simmern was small and relatively poor,[12] and therefore not able to afford the substantial dowries required to arrange marriages for all their daughters, meant that many of Sabinas older sisters went on to become nuns,[3][10][13] apart from Sabina and her older sister Elisabeth, who married George II of Erbach and younger sister Helena who married Philip III of Hanau-Münzenberg.

Marriage

Portrait of Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (1522–1568), by Frans Pourbus the Elder

Sabina's marriage was arranged to Lamoral d'Egmont in 1543 when she was 16 years old,[14] by Emperor Charles V.[15][6] Sabina's father was only able to supply 6,000 Guilders[4][10] out of the 30,000 guilders agreed upon in the marriage contract, the rest of the sum was covered by Sabina's foster parents Frederick and Dorothea.[10]

On May 8, 1544[7] Sabina married Lamoral, Count of Egmont at Speyer Cathedral . The wedding was a lavish occasion spanning four days,[16] and attended by Emperor Charles V and Ferdinand II of Inner Austria, Archduke Maximilian, German electors and other dignitaries. The couple were married by John Weze, Archbishop of Lund.

The couple would go on to have twelve children and seemed to have a good marriage. Diking out new land near the river Oude Maas, d'Egmont named these Beijerlanden after his wife.[17] Sabina and her husband took a trip to Heidelberg in 1560, she had not seen her brother in person since her 1544 marriage. This was nominally a family visit but it also had an official component as Sabina's brother had succeeded Otto Henry as Elector Palatine[7] and the count d'Egmont would act as Philip II's envoy to extend his congratulations on achieving the position.

Rivalry with Anna of Saxony

Sabina and Anna of Saxony attending the marriage of Alexander Farnese to Maria of Portugal in 1565. Circle of Frans Floris (Warsaw University Library)

Sabina had a rivalry with her husband's friend and political compatriot William I of Orange's wife, Anna of Saxony, in matter of precedence, as the wives of members of the political elite of equal prestige they were more or less equal, but it was unclear which of them had the higher rank, as Sabina carried the title of "Princess of Gavre",[18] while Anna as the daughter of an Elector held a rank akin to a princess and was Princess of Orange by her marriage.

As a consequence there were times when both women were jostling to be the first to get through a narrow door-way and thus enter a room first and be considered the highest ranked. Eventually a compromise was reached by both ladies entering arm-in-arm at the same time.[18]

This rivalry was played upon by other political opponents who wanted to cause a rift in the friendship and political unity between the count of Egmont and William of Orange.[18] At one time while both women were invited to dine with the Duchess of Parma at Nassau Palace,[18] Sabina was invited to sit down and given much attention by the duchess, while Anna was kept standing waiting for up to an hour, much to her chagrin and humiliation.[19][20][18] Despite "the princess [Anna] dying of rage",[19] it does not seem to have the intended effect however and was ignored by her husband.

Count of Egmont's politics

The Count of Egmont, was at the head of the faction which opposed the imposition of the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands by Cardinal Granvelle and ultimately forced his resignation. When Granvelle retired, d'Egmont, aided by William of Orange and Horn, continued to resist the introduction of the Inquisition and of Spanish rule in the Netherlands. Although Philip II of Spain appeared to be showing leniency in the matter, he had made up his mind to punish the opponents of his policy. He replaced the regent, the Duchess of Parma, with the Duke of Alba, who entered the Netherlands at the head of a veteran army. Orange fled from the country, but Egmont and Horn, despite his warning, decided to remain.

Arrest and execution of the count d´Egmont

The Widow of Lamoral, Count of Egmont by Edouard De Bièfve in Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent

One day in September 1567, while the count d'Egmont and the count of Horn were attending a council of state with other knights of the order, in the very house of the Duke of Alba, a captain entered and summoned them, in the King's name, to follow him to prison. They were initially being held, under the supervision of in the house of the Count Culembourg.[21] Kept under custody with no formal accusations lodged against them, nor any sort of a preliminary investigation, no trace of judicial review had preceded the long imprisonment of two men.

With her husband arrested, Sabina wrote a letter to Philip II, King of Spain, to plead for his release.[15] Sabina also went to see the Duchess of Parma, half-sister of Philip II, to implore her to intervene with her brother to release the count. At which time (an eyewitness re-counted); "she was in tears, it was pitiful to see her.".[22]

Her husband was kept in custody in Ghent awaiting his final fate, but no order for their arrest had been read to them or drawn up, but finally after a period of two months,[23] during which Philip received many inquires from various persons into matters of the men and their fate (many of them spurred on by Sabina herself). She had also utilized her network to write to Queen Elizabeth I of England and, also sent an envoy to France and to Spain to plead for her husband with Philips wife, Elisabeth of Valois, Ruy Gómez de Silva and confessor de la Cueva (Philip refused to receive the envoy) Sabina's brother Frederick III of the Palatinate also lobbied for his release.

In the castle of Ghent, where the Counts of Egmont and Hornes had been transported, they were kept isolated and not even relatives were allowed to visit nor were they even allowed outside. Because her husband was not allowed to leave his room, and that she herself could not see him, she feared that his life was thereby in danger; Sabina then asked for his mercy or at that at least he were to be allowed to get some fresh air in the castle; she also complained about the confiscation of his goods, which was contrary to the laws and justice, before her husband had been condemned; but also added that she placed all her trust in the goodness, compassion, and justice of the king.[24]

"I hope," she wrote in a letter on January 9, 1568, "that Your Majesty will not tolerate me leaving these provinces with my eleven children to seek a means of subsistence elsewhere, having been brought to these lands by the late, blessed memory of the Emperor your father (Charles V)."[24]

The Duke of Alva also took note of the lengths and efforts that the countess of Egmont was willing to go to free her husband.

"Here, they consider the Countess a holy woman,and it is certain that, since the imprisonment of her husband, not a single night passes without her and her daughters,going to pray barefoot in all the religious places that exist in this city."

— Duke of Alva, Letter to Philip II

[1][19][24]

However, in a letter to the Duke of Alva, Philip noted that Emperor Maximilian II,[22] Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, the Duchess and the Dowager Duchess had written to him frequently and in the most urgent manner, in the interest of the Counts of Egmont and Horne." and added that he had given them no answer, any more than to other Knights of the Golden Fleece who had begged him to disregard the statutes of the order, and he requested Alva "to hasten the legal proceedings as much as possible".

A trial, historically known as the Council of Troubles against the two men was begun at which the count Egmonts and Horn were accused of treason and lese majeste.[23] Despite the fact that they were members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and claimed the privilege to be tried by their peers, Philip denied this claim, and they were tried and convicted by the Council of Troubles.

Sabina's letters and supplications did not change her husband's fate and he was sentenced to death and to on 5 June 1568 to death by beheading, which was carried out before the Town Hall on the Grand-Place, Brussels's main square.

Among the last things her husband did before his death was to write letters, to Philip II and Alva, to beg them to take good care of his family.[25] Finally he wrote a letter to Sabina in which he enclosed a ring given to him by Philip II.[25][24]

'Oh how miserable and fragile is our nature, that when we are supposed to think only of God, we are then concerned with wife and children!'

— Lamoral, count d´Egmont, Letter of Lamoral, count d´Egmont

[23]

Children

Their children were ;

  • Leonore(b.1545-d.1582) married Georg van Horn (Joris van Horne), count d'Hautekercke,[26][27] (son of Maarten van Horne)one of the signatories of the Union of Brussels.
  • Francoise[28] (b.1549-d.)
  • Segerse Cornelis (b. 1550- d. 1599)
  • Magdalena[28] (b.1552-d.) married to Floris van Stavele, count of Herlies.[26][28]
  • Marie-Chretienne[26][29](b.1552-d.)also known as Marie -Christine, married firstly to Edouard de Bournonville,[26][27] secondly to Guillaume van Lalaing( d. 1590), count of Hoogstraten[26] (son of Antoine de Lalaing and Eléonore de Montmorency, dame de Nivelle, a sister of Philip de Montmorency) married thirdly Karl von Mansfeld[27]
  • Philip (1558 - d.1590), 5th Count of Egmont, Order of the Golden Fleece, married to Maria van Horne, daughter of Maarten van Horne,lord of Gaasbeek och Anna de Croÿ-Chimay, no issue.
  • Anna (b.1560-d.) became a nun at St Waltrude in Mons.
  • Maria,[28][27](d. 1582) became a nun at La Cambre Abbey[26][28][30] after the closure of this convent went to live in the vicinity of Brussels.[30]
  • Lamoral (1565–1617), 6th Count of Egmont, married to Marie de Pierrevive,[26][31] daughter of Charles de Pierrevive, seigneur de Lesigny and Louise de Clermont.[31] Had issue.
  • Charles (1567–1620), 7th Count of Egmont, married to Marie de Lens, Lady of Aubigny,[26][32] daughter of Gilles, baron d'Aubignies. Had issue.
  • Isabella, died young.[30]
  • Sabina (d.1608 at Delft), married Georg, count of Solms.[26] No issue.
  • Jeanne, became a nun at La Cambre, later prioress of the St. Elizabeth convent in Brussels[26][30]

Descendants

Among the descendants of Sabina and Lamoral were:

Widowhood

Glass window in the old town-hall in Oud-Beijerland
Bronze memorial plaque of Lamoral d' Egmont and Sabina of Bavaria in Oud-Beijerland by Willem Verbon[33](1959)

After her husband's execution Sabina displayed the d'Egmont coat of arms in front of her house, but it was removed on orders of the Duke of Alba.[34] The body of the Count of Egmont, after being placed in the Poor Clares convent in Brussels, following his departure from St. Gudula, was transported to the church of Sotteghem, in Flanders, where he was buried on June 16.

Soon thereafter the d'Egmont Brussels residence and Gaasbeek Castle and all their inventories were put up for auction.[34]

Now homeless and in mourning, in June 1568 the countess and her children found refuge at La Cambre Abbey.[34][35] From there she wrote letters to Philip II and to the Duke of Alba asking to remain in Philip's good graces and asking for the inheritance she and her children were due as legitimate heirs of the count of Egmont.[27] As part of her widows jointure drawn up at the time of her marriage, she was also to receive Egmont castle, as well as the rents attached to the land of 6,000 florins.[4]

Furthermore, apart from this inheritance her husband had substantial estates[36] as the count of Egmont, prince de Gavre and van Steenhuysen, baron de Fiennes,[37] Gaesbeke[37] and La Hamaide, seigneur de Purmerent, Hoogwoude, Aertswoude, Beyerland,[37] Sottenghien, Dondes,[37] Auxy and Baer. Some of these lands were eventually returned to his heirs by the Bishop in 1600. Later Sabina received an annual allowance from Philip II[30][23] of about 10,000 Crowns.[18]

The position of the family improved somewhat in 1576, when all the Dutch provinces signed the Pacification of Ghent. In it, a decision was made to evict Spanish forces and get control back in the hands of the Dutch themselves, and a general amnesty was issued for acts on both sides after the troubles started in 1568. For the Egmont family, this was good news, because they got some of their possessions back.[23] Further positive developments followed when her niece, the daughter of the count of Egmont's sister, Louise of Lorraine, became the wife and queen of Henry III of France in 1575.[38] With the backing of the French king the estates were restored to the family in 1576.

Armentières was one such property which was later returned to Sabina's children. A Te Deum was sung at the church in Armentières to give thanks to God that he had wanted the Countess d'Egmont and her children to be returned to possession of their father's property.[39]

Sabina later lived for a time in Liège, before being offered to live at Waterloo castle by Jan IV de Merode, Lord of Westerloo[40] She also acted as a guardian of her two oldest sons and administedered their lands, she also set about to settling her children; the sons in the military[26] and her daughters in marriages.[26]

Death

The house called ""Het Brantijser"" near Sint-Jacobsmarkt, Antwerpen where Sabina, countess d´Egmont died.

Sabine died on June 19, 1578[41][42] in Antwerp,[43][10] in the house of the Pierre van Dale and Melchior van Groenenberghe.[13][44] She was buried next to her husband in Egmont's crypt at the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady in Zottegem.[10] Sabina's sons becames wards of the States General, with their guardians[44] being François de la Kéthulle, seigneur de Ryhove and Daniël Borchgrave, attorney general of Flanders.[45]

References

  1. 1 2 "Beieren, Sabina van (1528-1578)". Huygens Instituut (in Dutch). 13 January 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  2. ↑ Häusser, Ludwig (1845). Geschichte der rheinischen Pfalz nach ihren politischen, kirchlichen und literarischen Verhältnissen (in German). Mohr.
  3. 1 2 3 Kluckhohn, August (1879). Friedrich der Fromme: Kurfürst von der Pfalz der Schützer der reformirten Kirche 1559-1576 (in German). C. H. Beck.
  4. 1 2 3 Wagner, Willi (2003). Die Wittelsbacher der Linie Pfalz-Simmern: ihre Vorfahren, ihre Familien und ihre Grabdenkmäler (in German). Hunsrücker Geschichtsverein. ISBN 978-3-9807919-5-3.
  5. ↑ "Sabina van Beieren". resources.huygens.knaw.nl.
  6. 1 2 Geevers, Liesbeth (2020). "Lamoraal van Egmont en de Spaans Habsburgse Monarchie". Handelingen van het Zottegems Genootschap voor Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde 18. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. 1 2 3 Geevers, Elisabeth Marieke (2008). Gevallen vazallen: de integratie van Oranje, Egmont en Horn in de Spaans-Habsburgse monarchie (1559-1567) (in Dutch). Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-8964-069-7.
  8. ↑ Soen, Violet (2012). Vredehandel : Adellijke en Habsburgse verzoeningspogingen tijdens de Nederlandse Opstand (1564-1581) (in Dutch). Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-8964-377-3.
  9. ↑ Spindler, Max; Kraus, Andreas (1995). Geschichte der Oberpfalz und des bayerischen Reichskreises bis zum Ausgang des 18. Jahrhunderts (in German). C.H.Beck. ISBN 978-3-406-39453-9.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Back, Friedrich (1873). Die evangelische Kirche im Lande zwischen Rhein, Mosel, Nahe und Glan bis zum Beginn des 30jährigen Kriege (in German). p. 62.
  11. ↑ Gunnoe, Charles (15 October 2010). Thomas Erastus and the Palatinate: A Renaissance Physician in the Second Reformation. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18792-4.
  12. ↑ Clark, R. Scott (2 February 2026). The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary. Baker Books. ISBN 978-1-68359-821-3.
  13. 1 2 Genard, Pierre (1869). Notice sur l'hôtel de Moelenere et Van Dale (Ancien refuge de l'Abbaye de Tongerloo).
  14. ↑ Reichskammergericht, Holy Roman Empire; Armgart, Martin (2009). Inventar der pfälzischen Reichskammergerichtsakten: A-I (in German). Verlag der Landesarchivverwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz. p. 320. ISBN 978-3-931014-79-7.
  15. 1 2 Collectif, Collectif (23 March 2025). Amorces de récits: En soutien à Boualem Sansal (in French). BoD - Books on Demand. ISBN 978-2-39075-184-7.
  16. ↑ Gachard, Louis Prosper (1865). Trois années de l'histoire de Charles-Quint (1543-1546) : d'après les dépêches de l'ambassadeur vénitien, Bernardo Navagero. p. 36.
  17. ↑ Nierop, Henk F. K. van (25 March 1993). The Nobility of Holland: From Knights to Regents, 1500-1650. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-39260-0.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mann, Ingrun (23 January 2017). Anna of Saxony: The Scarlet Lady of Orange. Winged Hussar Publishing. ISBN 978-1-945430-25-1.
  19. 1 2 3 Wedgwood, C. V. (27 February 2018). William the Silent: William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, 1533-1584. Papamoa Press. ISBN 978-1-78720-956-5.
  20. ↑ Juste, Théodore (1873). Fondation de la république des Provinces-Unies: Guillaume le Taciturne, d'après sa correspondance et les papiers d'état (in French). Bruylant-Christophe.
  21. ↑ Schoeffer (kanunnik), Joannes (1877). Historische aanteekeningen rakende de kerken, de kloosters, de ambachten en andere stichten der stad Mechelen (in Dutch). Verhavert-Buelens.
  22. 1 2 Granvelle, Antoine Perrenot de (1881). Correspondance du cardinal de Granvelle, 1565-1586 (in French). F. Havez.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Geevers, Liesbeth (2020). Drama op de grote markt van Brussel (PDF). 1568 Het begin van de tachtigjarige oorlog. pp. 46–54.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Damme, Eugène Van (1873). Geschiedenis van Lamoral Graaf van Egmont, Prins van Gaver en Heere van Sottegem onthoofd te Brussel den 5 juni 1568 [...]: treurig verhaal in het licht gegeven ter gelegenheid der oprechting van deszelfs langverwachte standbeeld, te Sottegem (in Dutch). Drukkerij van F. Hage.
  25. 1 2 The Gentleman's Magazine. Bradbury, Evans. 1900.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Lettres inédites de Sabine & Bavière, Comtesse d'Egmont, et de sa fille Léonore: Par Ph. Kervyn de Volkaerobeke. (Extrait du Messager des Sciences historiques & Belgique) (in French). Léon. Hebbelgnck. 1848.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 Piot, Charles (1882). "III. Le testament de Lamoral, comte d'Egmont". Bulletin de la Commission royale d'Histoire. 52 (10): 301–319. doi:10.3406/bcrh.1882.2385.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Koning, Gerrit van Enst (1836). Het huis te Ilpendam en deszelfs voornaamste bezitters (in Dutch). Bij H.J. Poelders.
  29. ↑ Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du comté de Bourgogne (PDF).
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 DBNL. "[Egmond, Lamoraal graaf van, (1)], Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. Deel 3, P.J. Blok, P.C. Molhuysen". DBNL (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  31. 1 2 francearchives.gouv.fr https://francearchives.gouv.fr/fr/facomponent/fbc9ef20ceb4bca2b55f7842fd3acd8ab1a7cc86. Retrieved 26 April 2026. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ↑ francearchives.gouv.fr https://francearchives.gouv.fr/facomponent/f8b83bd6d3b7cce3abe6f06541d7dd785d255d42. Retrieved 25 April 2026. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ↑ "Kunstwacht - Oud-Beijerland". oud-beijerland.kunstwacht.nl. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 Juste, Théodore (1862). Le Comte d'Egmont et le Comte de Hornes (1522 - 1568) d'après des documents authentiques et inédits par Théodore Juste: Les Pays-Bas au XVIe siècle (in French). A. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven et Cie.
  35. ↑ Gachard, Louis-Prosper; Spanje), Filips II (Koning van; Geschiedenis (Brussel), Koninklijke Commissie voor (1851). Correspondance de Philippe II sur les affaires des Pays-Bas, publiée d'après les originaux conservés dans les archives royales de Simancas (in French). Librairie ancienne et moderne.
  36. ↑ Goosens, Aline (1992). "La fortune du comte Lamoral d'Egmont vers 1567-1568". Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire. 70 (2): 357–380. doi:10.3406/rbph.1992.3826.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Zijnen, Bernardus Gerard Hegge (1899). De opgravingen in de voormalige hofkapel op het Binnenhof te 's Gravenhage (in Dutch).
  38. ↑ Office, Great Britain Public Record (1880). Calendar of State Papers, Foreign Series, of the Reign of Elizabeth: Preserved in the State Paper Department of Her Majesty's Public Record Office. Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green.
  39. ↑ Bulletin de la Commission historique du Département du Nord (in French). Archives départementales du Nord. 1897.
  40. ↑ d'Ongnies), Anne François de Mérode (comte (1840). Mémoires du comte de Mérode d'Ongnies (in French). Hoyois.
  41. ↑ publique, Belgium Ministère de l'intérieur et de l'instruction (1868). Bulletin des commissions royales d'art et d'archéologie (in French).
  42. ↑ DBNL. "Lettre DCCCXL. La Comtesse Marie au Comte Jean de Nassau. Mort de la Comtesse d'Egmont., Archives ou correspondance inédite de la maison d'Orange-Nassau (première série). Tome VI 1577-1579, G. Groen van Prinsterer". DBNL (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  43. ↑ Antwerpsch Archievenblad (in Dutch). Veritas. 1865.
  44. 1 2 Génard, Pieter (1890). Deux documents concernant la famille d'Egmont (in French). F. Hayez.
  45. ↑ Bloemendal, Jan (2020). Daniel Heinsius, Auriacus, sive Libertas saucia (Orange, or Liberty Wounded), 1602. Drama and Theatre in Early Modern Europe, Volume: 10. Brill. ISBN 9789004425361.
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