Margaretha von Waldeck facts for kids

Margaretha von Waldeck (born around 1533 – died March 15, 1554) was a noblewoman from the House of Waldeck. She was the daughter of Count Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen and his first wife, Margaret Cirksena. Margaretha is often thought to be one of the people who inspired the famous fairy tale of Snow White.

Margaretha's Early Life and Family

Margaretha was born around 1533. Her father was Count Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen. Her mother was Margaret Cirksena, whose father was Edzard I, Count of East Frisia.

People in Bad Wildungen often said she was very beautiful. When Margaretha was young, her mother passed away. Her father then married a new wife, Katharina von Hatzfeldt, in 1539. Margaretha later went to live at the court of Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg in Weilburg.

Life at Court and Travels

In 1545, Margaretha traveled through the Siebengebirge (meaning "seven hills"). She went to live with her mother's brother, Johann Cirksena, at Valkenburg Castle in what is now Limburg, Netherlands.

A few years later, in 1549, her father sent her to the court in Brussels. This was the court of Mary of Hungary, who was the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. Mary was also the sister of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Margaretha's presence at the court was partly to help her father improve his relationship with the emperor. It was also hoped that it would help free Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who was held prisoner in Brussels.

Challenges and Final Years

Life at the court was not simple. Many important people, including Lamoral, Count of Egmont, were interested in Margaretha. In 1549, Crown Prince Philip, who was Charles V's son, also arrived at his aunt's court. It is said that he showed interest in Margaretha during his time there. However, an official relationship was not possible because Margaretha was Lutheran.

Margaretha's health slowly became worse over the next few years. She passed away in March 1554, when she was only 21 years old. Some old records from Waldeck suggested that she might have been poisoned.

How Margaretha Inspired Snow White

Eckhard Sander wrote a book called Schneewittchen: Märchen oder Wahrheit? (Snow White: Is It a Fairy Tale?). In his book, he suggested that Margaretha's life could have been the inspiration for the tale of Snow White.

Here are some interesting connections:

• The Stepmother: Margaretha's father's second wife passed away in 1546. He only remarried in 1554, after Margaretha's death. So, her stepmother was not thought to be involved in the idea that Margaretha was poisoned.
• The Seven Dwarfs: Margaretha's father owned several copper mines. Many of the workers in these mines were children. It is thought that the "seven dwarfs" in the fairy tale might be linked to these child laborers.
• The Dwarfs' Home: The village of Bergfreiheit, which is now part of Bad Wildungen, used to be a copper mining village. It even calls itself Schneewittchendorf (Snow White village). Like the dwarfs in the story, the child miners there often lived in groups of about 20 in a single room house.

• Grudrun Anne Dekker, Schneewittchen: blonde Tochter einer Adligen aus Ostfriesland: Eine historische Spurensuche, BoD 2013.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot for kids.

See also

In Spanish: Margaretha von Waldeck para niños