View source for Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg-Urach

{{Short description|Count of Württemberg (died 1450)}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ludwig I
| image        = Count Ludwig I of Württemberg, from the workshop of Peter Hemmel of Andlau (1478).jpg
| caption      = Stained glass window in the [[St. George's Collegiate Church, Tübingen|Tübingen Collegiate Church]] depicting Ludwig as a praying knight, {{circa|1478}}.
| succession   = [[List of monarchs of Württemberg|Count of Württemberg]]
| moretext     = <br><small>with [[Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg|Ulrich V]]</small>
| reign        = 2 July 1419{{Snd}}25 January 1442
| predecessor  = [[Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg|Eberhard IV]]
| successor    = ''[[Treaty of Nürtingen]]''
| regent       = [[Henriette of Mömpelgard]] (1419&ndash;1426)
| succession1  = Count of Württemberg-Urach
| reign1       = 25 January 1442{{Snd}}23/24 September 1450
| successor1   = [[Ludwig II, Count of Württemberg-Urach|Ludwig II]]
| birth_date   = before 31 October 1412
| death_date   = 23/24 September 1450
| death_place  = [[Bad Urach]], Württemberg
| spouse       = {{Marriage|[[Mechthild of the Palatinate]]|21 October 1436}}
| issue        = 5, including [[Ludwig II, Count of Württemberg-Urach|Ludwig II]] and [[Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg|Eberhard V]]
| house        = [[House of Württemberg|Württemberg]]
| father       = [[Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg|Eberhard IV]]
| mother       = [[Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard|Henriette of Mömpelgard]]
}}

'''Ludwig I''' (before 31 October 1412{{Snd}}23/24 September 1450) was [[County of Württemberg|Count of Württemberg]] from 1419 and then count of Württemberg-Urach until his death in 1450.

== Life ==
Ludwig was born before 31 October 1412, the eldest son of Count [[Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg|Eberhard IV]] and his wife [[Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard|Henriette, Countess of Mömpelgard]].{{sfn|Sönke et al.|1997|pp=80-83|loc="[https://www.leo-bw.de/en-GB/detail/-/Detail/details/PERSON/ubt_hauswuerttemberg/134143906/W%C3%BCrttemberg-Urach+Ludwig+I+Graf Württemberg-Urach, Ludwig I., Graf]"}} Eberhard died unexpectedly of illness on 2 July 1419, while Ludwig and his younger brother [[Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg|Ulrich]] were both minors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schneider |first=Eugen |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=6P02ovTt_rgC&rdid=book-6P02ovTt_rgC&rdot=1 |title=Württembergische Geschichte |publisher=J.B. Metzlerscher Verlag |year=1896 |location=Stuttgart |pages=51 |language=de |access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref> Consequently, Henriette became their guardian, together with a regency council of 32 Württembergers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fritz |first=Thomas |date=19 April 2018 |title=Graf Ulrich V. von Württemberg, gen. der Vielgeliebte (1413-1480) |url=https://www.stadtlexikon-stuttgart.de/article/fe51ce87-38ce-40d9-ad11-cbc612985ce9/Graf_Ulrich_V._von.html |access-date=12 March 2024 |website=stadtlexikon-stuttgart.de |publisher=Stadtarchiv Stuttgart |language=de}}</ref>

After his coming of age, Ludwig reigned in Württemberg since 1426. He first reigned alone and later, starting in 1433, together with his brother Ulrich V. Ludwig was married to [[Mechthild of Germany|Mechthild of the Palatinate]]. The wedding was celebrated on 21 October 1436 in [[Stuttgart]]. After Ulrich's wedding with Margarethe von Cleve, the two brothers agreed on the partition of Württemberg. This was first limited to four years, but  was made permanent by the [[Treaty of Nürtingen]], signed on 25 January 1442.

Ludwig received the part of Urach with the territories in the south and the west of the county, including the territories in [[Alsace]].
After the death of Henriette of Montbéliard in 1444, Ludwig also obtained [[Montbéliard]]. Ludwig remodeled Urach into his residence and implemented an active policy to strengthen the monasteries in his realm of power.

He tried to align Württemberg more with the [[Wittelsbach]] and [[Habsburg]] dynasties. For example he supported duke [[Albert VI, Archduke of Austria|Albert VI of Austria]] in his fight against the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]].

Ludwig died of the [[Plague (disease)|plague]] on 23 or 24 September 1450 in Bad Urach.{{sfn|Sönke et al.|1997|pp=80-83|loc="[https://www.leo-bw.de/en-GB/detail/-/Detail/details/PERSON/ubt_hauswuerttemberg/134143906/W%C3%BCrttemberg-Urach+Ludwig+I+Graf Württemberg-Urach, Ludwig I., Graf]"}}

==Children==
Ludwig I and Mechthild of the Palatinate had the following children:
*Mechthild (aft 1436 – 6 June 1495), married since 1454 with [[Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse]] (1438–1471)
*[[Ludwig II, Count of Württemberg-Urach|Ludwig II]] (3 April 1439 – 3 November 1457), since 1450 Count of Württemberg-Urach
*Andreas (* 11.4 und † 19.5.1443)
*[[Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg|Eberhard V]] (11 December 1445 – 24 February 1496), since 1457 count of Württemberg-Urach, since 1495 Duke Eberhard I. of Württemberg
*Elisabeth (4 October 1447 – 3 June 1505), married since 1470 with [[Johann II of Nassau-Saarbrücken]] in [[Saarbrücken]] (1423–1472), and since 1474 with Heinrich dem Älteren, Count zu Stolberg (1436–1511)

== Ancestors ==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
| 1= 1. '''Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg-Urach'''

| 2= 2. [[Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg]]
| 3= 3. [[Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard]]

| 4= 4. [[Eberhard III, Count of Württemberg]]
| 5= 5. [[Antonia Visconti]]
| 6= 6. Henry of Orbe
| 7= 7. Marie de Chatillon, Vicountess of Blaigny

| 8= 8. Ulrich, Count of Württemberg
| 9= 9. Elizabeth of Bavaria, Countess of Württemberg
| 10= 10. [[Bernabò Visconti]]
| 11= 11. [[Beatrice Regina della Scala]]
| 12= 12. [[Stephen of Montfaucon]]
| 13= 13. Margaret of Chalon-Arlay
| 14= 14. Gaucher X de Chatillon, Viscount of Blaigny
| 15= 15. Jeanne de Coucy
}}

==See also==
*[[History of Baden-Württemberg]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Sönke |editor1-first=Lorenz |editor2-last=Dieter |editor2-first=Mertens |editor3-last=Volker |editor3-first=Press |editor3-link=Volker Press |title=Das Haus Württemberg. Ein biographisches Lexikon |date=1997 |publisher=[[LEO-BW]] |location=Stuttgart |edition=Online |url=https://www.leo-bw.de/themen/biographisches-lexikon-des-hauses-wurttemberg |access-date=20 October 2023 |language=de|ref={{sfnref| Sönke et al.|1997}}}}
==External links==
*{{commons inline|Louis I, Count of Württemberg-Urach|Ludwig I}}

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{{s-new|creation}}
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|regent1=Ulrich V|years1 = 1444&ndash;1446}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwig I, Count Of Wurttemberg-Urach}}
[[Category:15th-century births]]
[[Category:1450 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century counts of Württemberg]]
[[Category:15th-century deaths from plague (disease)]]
[[Category:Medieval child monarchs]]