Tod, Begräbnis und Nachlass der Herzogin Sabina von Württemberg (1492-1564)

Lecture by Dr. Sabine Arend, Heidelberg, at the Main State Archives in Stuttgart

Sabina von Württemberg, daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria, had been married to Duke Ulrich von Württemberg (1487-1550) since 1511. A few years after the wedding, she fled from her husband's violence to relatives in Munich. It was only after Ulrich's death that she returned to Württemberg and settled in the widow's seat at Nürtingen Palace, where she led a modest court life. While we know a great deal about Sabina's eventful life, the circumstances of her death, her burial and the handling of her estate are virtually unknown. Numerous sources that have so far received little attention now broaden our view of the duchess: they document how her body was handled after her death, how her funeral was conducted, which princes and princesses condoled with her and how the funeral monument was planned and executed. Finally, the sources also provide insights into the scope, furnishings, size and quality of the Nürtingen widow's court.