Barbara Blomberg
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Barbara Blomberg (1527 – 18 December 1597) was the mother of Don
John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...
. Blomberg was born in Ratisbon (modern
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
), the eldest daughter of Wolfgang Plumberger or Blomberg, a burgher, and of his wife Sibilla Lohman. A singer, in 1546 she was for a short time the
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...
of the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...
, who was in Regensburg for the meeting of the Imperial Diet. On 24 February 1547 Blomberg gave birth to
John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...
, who was almost immediately taken from her and sent to be raised in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. Shortly afterwards Blomberg married Hieronymus Kegel, an imperial official. In 1551 she moved to
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
with her husband where Kegel was responsible for the equipment of the imperial mercenary army. They had three children. When Kegel died in 1569, Blomberg and her children were in reduced financial circumstances. At the request of the governor of the Netherlands, the
Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...
, she was granted a pension by King
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
(her oldest son's agnate half-brother). In November 1576 Blomberg met her son John of Austria for the only time since his birth. Subsequently, she went into a Dominican
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
in Castile, 70 km south of
Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
. After John of Austria died in 1578, Philip II allowed her to choose her own residence. She established herself first in the village of Colindres. In 1584 she purchased a estate in the village of Ambrosero in
Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...
. Blomberg died at the age of seventy at her estate in Ambrosero. She is buried in the Church of San Sebastian at the monastery of Montehano (also known as Convento San Sebastián de Hano), between Ambrosero and
Santoña Santoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is from the capital Santander, Cantabria, Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, ...
.


In literature

Blomberg has been the subject of a number of novels and plays: * In 1837, Patricio de la Escosura y Morrogh wrote the Spanish-language play ''Barbara Blomberg: drama en cuatro actos en verso''. * In 1897,
Georg Ebers Georg Moritz Ebers (1 March 1837 – 7 August 1898) was a German Egyptologist and novelist. He is best known for his purchase of the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest Egyptian medical documents in the world. Life Georg Ebers was born in Berl ...
wrote the German-language novel ''Barbara Blomberg: ein historischer Roman''. * In 1934, Alice Goldberger Liebling wrote the English-language play ''An Emperor's Great Love (Barbara Blomberg)''. * In 1949,
Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. His first two dramas were failures. In 1929, he wrote the script ...
wrote the German-language play ''Barbara Blomberg: ein Stück in drei Akten''. * In 1953, Heinz Schauwecker wrote the German-language novella ''Die Sternenstunde der Barbara Blomberg: Novelle um die Geburt des Don Juan d'Austria''. * In 1999, Teresa Alvarez wrote the Spanish-language novel ''La pasión última de Carlos V''.


Bibliography

* Panzer, Marita A. ''Barbara Blomberg, 1527-1597: Bürgerstochter und Kaisergeliebte''. Regensburg: F. Pustet, 1995. . * Böckl, Manfred. ''Die Geliebte des Kaisers: Kaiser Karl V. und Barbara Blomberg''. Augsburg: Weltbild, 2004. * Herre, Paul. ''Barbara Blomberg, die Geliebte Kaiser Karls V. und Mutter Don Juans de Austria: ein Kurtbild des 16. Jahrhunderts''. Leipzig: Quelle & Meyer, 1909. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blomberg, Barbara 1527 births 1597 deaths Mistresses of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor 16th-century German people 16th-century German women