Author Topic: Possible illegitimate descent of Johannes Bidembach  (Read 559 times)

Offline Nick93

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Possible illegitimate descent of Johannes Bidembach
« on: Sunday 25 February 18 19:25 GMT (UK) »
Hello everyone, I'm posting here a query about Renaissance era German genealogy. The Bidembach family were a clan of Lutheran pastors in Wurttemberg from the 15-1700s. The first recorded member of the family, Johannes Bidembach, was supposedly the grandson of an illegitimate son of Count Ludwig I of Wurttemberg (1412-1450). Johannes was from the town of Dagersheim, and supposedly the son of an unnamed Bidembach, and Margarete Wirtemberger, daughter of Johannes Wirtemberger, a gentleman (called himself a junker in his personal documents, called simply 'an Honorable Man' on his epitaph) of Dagersheim. Johannes Wirtemberger was confirmed to be an illegitimate son of Count Ludwig because he was recorded in a 16th century heraldry book (he died in 1504) bearing Ludwig's arms, though with a bastard mark on them. There's a 17th century family tree of the family that names Margarete as Johannes' mother, but doesn't name his father.

There's no will or anything found for Johannes Wirtemberger, which would name his children/posible grandchildren, though he did exist, or a will for Margarete Wirtemberger, the connection is just from, as I said, an old family tree, and also, a statement made by an Obervogt in a petition by Johannes Bidembach asking for a scholarship to send his son to university.

This was quoted in a 2012 article by Doctor Otto Gunther Lonhard. I attached the excerpt, but what Google Translate gave me was:

"Request for petition dated 16 September 1541 by Johann Bidembach the old citizen in Brachkenheim, for a scholarship for a son not named by name, with the favorable preliminary report by Obervogt Wilhelm von Massenbach.

Bidembach puts forward the following: he has a son, whom he has several years with Eberhard Schnepf in Stuttgart received (with study), and, when he found fit, on the University of Tuebingen - matriculated Tuebingen February 16, 1640, Johann Bidembach von Brackenheim - there he burned all his possessions in one (ostentation). Since then he has been staying with him in his flat, which he, the petitioner, can not afford any more. He goes on to say that he is a country child, he is a legitimate child of Dagersheim, other small children, and has very little fortune.

The Grand Vigil notes that the petitioner has many small, out-of-town children, lives in great poverty, and is unable to obtain his son while studying; his grandfather, on the other hand, was said to be brother to Count Eberhard sim Barte (*my note*Count Ludwig I's legitimate heir). The son would be well qualified to study as a scholarship holder. The Obervogt further claims that Bidemmbach had been a member of the Vogt family for 5 years and then had been granted leave of absence because of his large remainder; his assets were insufficient to allow his children to study at their own expense."

So, we know Johannes Wirtemberger existed, and he was from Dagersheim, the same village Johannes Bidembach said he was from in that petition, and it matches the information given in the hand-drawn family tree. The scholarship was approved for Johannes B.'s son, and someone suggested that this implies that that means the claims were probably investigated and confirmed. It was an official document too, not a genealogical piece. Is it likely him getting the scholarship hinged on his descent from Graf Ludwig, and its approval implies Johannes Bidembach's illegitimate descent from the Counts of Wurttemberg is confirmed?

Sorry, a lot of info I know. I'd appreciate any input.