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Margarethe von Helfenstein

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Margarethe von Helfenstein (1480–1537) was the illegitimate daughter of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Weinsberger Bluttat (The Weinsberg Massacre), historical painting by Fritz Neuhaus, 1879: The kneeling Margarethe von Helfenstein begs in vain for her husband to be spared.

She married the German Count Ludwig V. von Helfenstein-Wiesensteig [de]. They were taken hostage after the Siege of Weinsberg in 1525 during the Peasant's Revolt. The baker Jacklein Rohrbach pinned her to the ground, telling his companions, "Behold, brethren. Jacklein Rohrbach kneels on the emperor's daughter". The count offered Rohrbach his fortune of 60,000 florins, but the attackers decided to kill him anyway.[1] She was liberated by the army of the Princes, and took refuge at the court of Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, the regent of the Netherlands. She was given an allowance by Margaret and the emperor.[2] She died around 1525.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Steinmetz, Greg (4 August 2015). The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger. Simon and Schuster. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4516-8857-3. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ Coenen, Daniel (1999). "de Helfenstein, Marguerite". Nouvelle Biographie Nationale – Volume 5 [Margarethe von Helfenstein] (PDF) (in French). Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium. pp. 92–93.
  3. ^ Geevers, Elisabeth (19 June 2023). The Spanish Habsburgs and Dynastic Rule, 1500–1700. Taylor & Francis. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-000-90936-4. Retrieved 14 September 2024.