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Johann WilhelmCount Palatine-Elector of the Palatinate and Count Palatine-Duke of Palatinate-Neuburg
Date of Birth: 19.04.1658
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
- Ascension to Power
- Reign and Legacy
- Artistic Patronage
- Personal Life and Death
- Legacy and Memorials
Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Early Life and FamilyJohann Wilhelm was born on April 19, 1658, to Elector Philipp Wilhelm of the Palatinate and Elisabetha Amalia of Hesse-Darmstadt. He belonged to the younger Neuburg line of the House of Wittelsbach. His education was entrusted to Jesuits, shaping his religious upbringing as a fervent Catholic.
Ascension to Power
On September 2, 1690, Johann Wilhelm succeeded his father as Elector Palatine. He had already assumed the rule of Jülich and Berg a decade earlier under the name of Johann Wilhelm II. Heidelberg, his capital, having been destroyed during the War of the Palatinate Succession, he established his residence at Düsseldorf Castle.
Reign and Legacy
Extravagant in lifestyle, Johann Wilhelm pawned his possessions, including the city of Würzburg, for 300,000 guilders. Upon the conclusion of the War of the Palatinate Succession in 1697, he secured the return of Palatinate territories occupied by French forces.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, he regained control of Upper Palatinate and the County of Kam, which became part of the Electorate from 1707 to 1714. However, his Catholicism drew him into conflict with Protestant populations in the Palatinate, prompting him to spend most of his time in his northern territories of Jülich and Berg, particularly in Düsseldorf.
Artistic Patronage
Johann Wilhelm was a keen patron of the arts, founding the Düsseldorf Picture Gallery, where he acquired paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. He also commissioned Jan Frans van Douven as his court painter. On September 29, 1708, he revived the Order of Hubertus.
Personal Life and Death
Johann Wilhelm married twice: Mary Anna Josepha of Austria in 1678, with whom he had two sons who died at birth, and Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici in 1691, with whom he had no children. He died on June 8, 1716, and was buried in the Church of St. Andrew in Düsseldorf. His younger brother, Carl Philipp, succeeded him as Elector Palatine.
Legacy and Memorials
Johann Wilhelm's equestrian statue, crafted by Gabriel de Grupello, stands in the Market Square of Düsseldorf since 1711. Legend has it that the sculptor had insufficient material for its completion, leading to a young boy collecting silver spoons as donations from wealthy citizens. A postage stamp depicting the statue was issued by West Germany in 1964.
Another monument to Johann Wilhelm by Eduard Schmitz was erected in Cologne-Mülheim in 1914.
