County of Culemborg
{{Short description|Polity in the Holy Roman Empire}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name = Heerlijkheid Culemborg
Graafschap Culemborg
| conventional_long_name = County of Culemborg
| status = Territory within the Holy Roman Empire (1318–1548)
Territory in the Burgundian Circle (1548–1648)
Vassal state of the Dutch Republic (1588-1720)
Located in the Nijmegen Quarter (1720-1795)
| s1 = Batavian Republic
| flag_s1 = Statenvlag.svg
| year_start = 1318
| year_end = 1798
| image_map = Culenburg-Blaeu-1665.jpg
| image_map_size = 264
| image_map_caption = Culemborg in 1665
| capital = Culemborg
}}
The lordship of Culemborg (alternatively Kuilenburg and Cuylenburg), elevated to a county in 1555, in the current province of Gelderland, was an independent polity that until 1720 was in principle not part of the Dutch Republic, but in practice was largely dependent on it. It consisted of the city of Culemborg and the villages of Everdingen, Goilberdingen and Zijderveld.
History
In 1318, Culemborg received city rights from the lord, Jan van Beusichem.{{cite book
| last1 = de Beaufort
| first1 = R.F.P.
| last2 = van den Berg
| first2 = Herma M.
| date = 1968
| title = De Betuwe
| trans-title = Batavia
| chapter = Culemborg
| publisher = Staatsuitgeverij
| location = The Hague
| url = https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/beau018betu01_01/index.php
| lang = nl
}}{{rp|143}} From 1341, the lords of Culemborg also owned the domain of Werth (Weert) near Borken.{{cite web
| url = https://www.heimatverein-werth.de/2014/10/chronik-der-stadt-werth/
| title = Chronik der Stadt Werth
| trans-title = Timeline of the City of Werth
| date = 2014-10-01
| website = Heimatverein Werth
| access-date = 2023-11-29
| lang = de
}} The coat of arms of this domain (black lion in silver) was included in the coat of arms of the domain of Culemborg (three red columns in gold).{{cite web
| url = https://www.voetvanoudheusden.nl/2018/12/de-heeren-en-graven-van-culemborg/
| title = De Heeren en Graven van Culemborg
| trans-title = The Lords and Counts of Culemborg
| date = Dec 2018
| website = Genootschap AWK Voet van Oudheusden
| access-date = 2023-11-29
| lang = nl
}}
Shortly before the death of the last lady of Culemborg, Elisabeth van Culemborg (who died on December 9, 1555, and was married to Antoine of Lalaing), Emperor Charles V elevated the seigneury to a county.{{r|betuwe1968|p=144}} Floris van Pallant, a grandson of her eldest sister, inherited the county.{{r|betuwe1968|p=144}} Floris was also ruler in the county of Wittem and played an important role in the Dutch revolt against royal authority. In 1639 the county came to Count Philip Theodoor van Waldeck-Eisenberg through his mother Anna van Baden-Durlach.{{r|betuwe1968|p=145}} The last Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg, George Frederik (who died in 1692) left the county to his daughter Louisa Anna. Following her death without issue in 1714, the county passed to the son of her deceased sister Sophia Henriette, who had been married to Ernst of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In 1709 the manor of Werth was sold to the Prince-Bishopric of Münster.
Duke Ernst Frederik sold the county in 1720 to the Landstände of the Nijmegen Quarter, who in turn donated it to Stadtholder William IV in 1748.{{r|betuwe1968|p=146}} The House of Orange still carries the title of Count or Countess of Culemborg.{{citation needed|date= November 2023}}
Protestant Reformation
In the sixteenth century the Anabaptists were active in Culemborg, which the Diet fiercely opposed in 1539. In 1534/1535, a resident of Culemborg, Wolter Tesschenmacher, acted at the fall of the Anabaptist kingdom in Munster. In 1566, sympathizers of the iconoclasts manifested themselves with the active cooperation of the Count of Culemborg Floris van Pallandt. In the same year, Floris handed over the chapel of the Sint-Pietersgasthuis to the Calvinists, which became the first Protestant church building in the Netherlands.{{cite book
| editor1-last = Borggreve
| editor1-first = J.G.
| editor2-last = Jakobs-Lommers
| editor2-first = Yvonne E.
| editor3-last = Lägers
| editor3-first = Hans L.F.
| date = May 2010
| title = Sporen van religieus erfgoed in Culemborg
| trans-title = Traces of religious heritage in Culemborg
| chapter = Middeleeuwse kerken en kapellen
| trans-chapter = Medieval churches and chapels
| url = https://www.voetvanoudheusden.nl/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Voetnoot_41-2010.pdf
| location = Culemborg
| publisher = Oudheidkundig Genootschap A.W.K. Voet van Oudheusden
| issn = 0929-1334
| lang = nl
}}{{rp|10-11}}
In the 1570s, the Johan Willemsvolk gang from Wesel in particular was active in Culemborg.{{cite book
| last = Frijhoff
| first = W.T.M.
| editor1-last = Stinner
| editor1-first = Johannes
| editor2-last = Jacobs
| editor2-first = I.D.
| editor3-last = Evers
| editor3-first = M.
| date = 2003
| title = Het hertogdom Gelre: geschiedenis, kunst en cultuur tussen Maas, Rijn en IJssel
| trans-title = The Duchy of Guelders: history, art and culture between Maas, Rhine and IJssel
| chapter = De protestantse Reformatie in de Nederkwartieren
| trans-chapter = The Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands
| url =
| location = Utrecht
| publisher = Stichting Matrijs
| isbn = 9789053451953
| lang = nl
}}{{rp|366}} The People of Johan Willemsz was the largest splinter group of the Batenburg sect that combined political criticism with criminality in its actions. People lived by robbery and murder in the countryside in the border region of Holland and Germany.{{cite book
| last = Dash
| first = Mike
| author-link = Mike Dash
| date = 2002
| title = Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny
| title-link = Batavia's Graveyard
| publisher = Weidenfeld & Nicolson
| isbn = 0575070242
}}
The free tolerance policy during the reformation had hardly worked in Gelre, in contrast to Holland. The free domain of Culemborg was an exception to this.{{citation needed|date= November 2023}}
With the arrival of the German Van Waldeck-Eisenberg family as counts of Culemborg, Lutheranism entered Culemborg. In 1640, a preacher came from Germany to conduct services for the count's family and staff in the castle's court chapel.{{r|betuwe1968|p=189}}
Lords and Counts of Culemborg
| class="wikitable"
! Reign ! Name ! Birth ! Death ! Family |
| 1271-1309
| Hubert III van Bosinchem/Hubert I van Culemborg | | 1309 | Originating from the Van Bosinchem family |
| 1296-1322
| | 1322 | Son |
| 1322-1347
| Hubert IV van Bosinchem/Hubert II van Culemborg | | 1347 | Son |
| 1347-1394
| Gerard I | | 28-5-1394 | Brother |
| 1394-1422
| | circa 1439 | Son |
| 1422-1452
| Jan II | | 1-4-1452 | Brother |
| 1452-1480
| | 9-3-1480 | Brother |
| 1480-1506
| Jasper | ca. 1456 | 21-11-1506 | Son |
| 1506-1555
| 1475 | 9-12-1555 | Daughter |
| 1555-1598
| 1537 | 29-9-1598 | Nephew |
| 1598-1639
| 28-5-1578 | 4-6-1639 | Son |
| 1639-1645
| Philip Dietrich, Count of Waldeck | 2-11-1614 | 7-12-1645 | Great-grandson of Floris I |
| 1645-1664
| Henry Wolrad, Count of Waldeck | 28-3-1642 | 15-7-1664 | Son |
| 1664-1692
| Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck | 31-1-1620 | 19-11-1692 | Paternal uncle |
| 1692-1714
| Louise Anna van Waldeck-Eisenberg | 18-4-1653 | 30-6-1714 | Daughter |
| 1714-1720
| Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen | 21-8-1681 | 9-3-1724 | Nephew (sister's son) |
| 1720-1748
| Landstände of the Nijmegen Quarter | | | Sold |
| 1748-1766
| 1-9-1711 | 22-10-1751 | Donation |
| 1766-1795
| 8-3-1748 | 9-4-1806 | Son |
With the arrival of the Batavian Republic, the counties ceased to exist. However, due to the donation to William IV, the head of the House of Orange-Nassau (the Dutch head of state) continues to use the title Count/Countess of Culemborg to this day.
References
{{reflist}}
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