Margarethe von der Saale

Margarethe von der Saale, copy from the painting of unknown artist.

Margarethe von der Saale (1522 - 6 July 1566), was a German lady in waiting and noble, morganatic spouse by bigamy to Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.

Daughter of Anna von Miltitz and Hans von der Saale, she met the married Landgrave Philip at the age of seventeen. Philip wished to marry Saale morganatically rather than keep her as a mistress, as adultery would blacken his religious reputation, but he did not wish to divorce his consort, Christine of Saxony, as he believed that a divorce was equally sinfull. In 10 December 1539, he received support from Martin Luther, with the argument that of two evil things, bigamy was better than divorce. The bigamous wedding ceremony took place 4 March 1540 in Rotenburg Castle in the precence of Martin Bucer and Philipp Melanchthon. Saale never attended court but resided in a house beside the square in Spangenberg.

Issue;

1. Philipp, Count zu Dietz (12 March 1541 – 10 June 1569).
2. Hermann, Count zu Dietz (12 February 1542 – ca. 1568).
3. Christopher Ernst, Count zu Dietz (16 July 1543 – 20 April 1603).
4. Margretha, Countess zu Dietz (14 October 1544 – 1608), married:
   1. in Kassel on 3 October 1567 to Count Hans Bernhard of Eberstein;
   2. in Frauenberg on 10 August 1577 to Count Stephan Heinrich of Everstein.
5. Albrecht, Count zu Dietz (10 March 1546 – 3 October 1569).
6. Philipp Konrad, Count zu Dietz (29 September 1547 – 25 May 1569),
7. Moritz, Count zu Dietz (8 June 1553 – 23 January 1575).
8. Ernst, Count zu Dietz (12 August 1554 – 1570).
9. Anna, died young in 1558.

The bigamy between Margarethe and Philip had a negative effect upon the reformation.

See also

• Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg
• Sophie von Dönhoff

Sources

• This page is a translation of its German equivalent.

Persondata
Name	Saale, Margarethe Von Der
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1522
Place of birth
Date of death	6 July 1566
Place of death