Amalia of Cleves
Amalia of Cleves | |
---|---|
Born | Amalia von Kleve-Jülich-Berg 17 October 1517 Düsseldorf |
Died | 1 March 1586 Düsseldorf | (aged 68)
Buried | Lambertuschurch, Düsseldorf |
Noble family | La Marck |
Father | John III, Duke of Cleves |
Mother | Maria of Jülich-Berg |
Amalia of Cleves (
Amalia and her siblings had a grand lineage. She was descended from the kings of England and France and was closely related to
Early life and education
All four of John III’s children spent their early years together under the care of their mother, Maria, before William went away to be educated for his future life as duke of Cleves.[1] On the other hand, Amalia and her two sisters, Sibylle and Anne, had an old-fashioned and limited education from a 16th-century viewpoint, in which household arts such as needlework and housekeeping were emphasized to equip the daughters for their roles as wives and consorts to princes, while music and playing instruments, for instance, were not taught.[1] Furthermore, the small German court did not follow the Italian fashion which was common in other noble families at the time.
Marriage negotiations
King
In the following years, Amalia's family attempted to secure her a marriage with as much profit as possible. There were long negotiations with the Margraviate of Baden concerning a possible strategic marriage between the two dynasties. The margrave had two sons; first, Bernard, who had been turned out due to his immoral and raucous behavior, before being welcomed back after his sisters pleaded with the margrave; and second, Charles, who was born in July 1529 and thus, almost twelve years younger than Amalia.[3] William, respecting his sister, refused to marry Amalia off to someone like Bernard, who he believed could not have children with Amalia due to his dissolute life. The duke also refused to force Amalia to marry Charles, who was but a child. As a result, Amalia remained unmarried.[3]
Later life
William went on to have four daughters and two sons with his wife,
Amalia also seems to have had a fondness for music and poetry. There is a songbook, the original of which can be found in Berlin, in which Amalia was very interested. The book, which was owned by a friend of Amalia's, contains five hymns to Mary, and twenty-seven love songs. Amalia hand-wrote a poem into the book, about longing for a beloved.[3] Amalia also authored a song book which is currently found in the German national library in Berlin, with copies in the public library of Frankfurt and the university library of Frankfurt.
Anne of Cleves, who remained in England after her marriage to Henry VIII was annulled, bequeathed a diamond ring to Amalia.[4] Amalia died on the first of March 1586 in Düsseldorf, aged 68 years old, having outlived both her sisters.
References
- ^ ISBN 9781445606774.
- ^ ISBN 9780521770378.
- ^ a b c d R. Darsie, Heather. "Amalia of Cleves, sister of Anne of Cleves". The Tudor Society. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ISBN 9780948695414.