Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach

Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach
Spouse(s)	William II, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels
Noble family	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Theodore Eustace, Count Palatine of Sulzbach
Mother	Landgravine Maria Eleonore of Hesse-Rotenburg
Born	15 May 1697(1697-05-15) Sulzbach
Died	14 April 1775(1775-04-14) (aged 77) Neuburg an der Donau
Burial	Court Church in Neuburg an der Donau

Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach (15 May 1697 in Sulzbach; died: 14 April 1775 in Neuburg) was the wife of Landgrave William "the Younger" of Hesse-Wanfried and after his death Prioress in the Carmelites monastery in Neuburg an der Donau as Sister Augusta.

Life

She was the third daughter of the Duke Theodore Eustace of Sulzbach and his wife Landgravine Maria Eleonore of Hesse-Rotenburg. The Dukes and Counts Palatine of Sulzbach were a collateral line of the House of Wittelsbach.

Ernestine and her older sister Countess Palatine Francisca Christina of Sulzbach were brought up in Essen Abbey. Emperor Charles VI arranged her marriage with the 48-year-old William the Younger of Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels. The marriage took place on 19 September 1719 and remained childless. Afther her husband died in 1731, she initailly lived at Rheinfels Castle, later she moved into the Carmelites monastery in Neuburg an der Donau, where she was known under the religious name Sister Augusta and eventually became prioress. According to Torsy and Kracht, she was a model for her sisters of obedience, humility and love of poverty. She had a reputation of sancitity when she died in 1775. She was buried in the Court Church in Neuburg.

References

• Chronicle of Wanfried (Unpublished)
• J. Torsy and H.J. Kracht: Der Große Namenstagskalender, Freiburg, Basel and Vienna, 2002

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

External links

• Article about Ernestine of Sulzbach
• (in German) Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/e/ernestine_p.shtml. 
• Entry for Ernestine of Bavaria at the Ecumenical Saints Lexicon

Persondata
Name	Countess Palatine Ernestine of Sulzbach
Alternative names	Countess Palatine Ernestine Theodora of Sulzbach; Ernestine Theodora von Pfalz-Sulzbach
Short description	Landgravine by marriage of Hesse-Wanfired and later Prioress of the Carmelite monastery in Neuburg an der Donau
Date of birth	15 May 1697
Place of birth	Sulzbach
Date of death	14 April 1775
Place of death	Neuburg on the Danube