Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

Charles I
Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Charles I, Count Palatine by Rhine, Duke in Bavaria, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim
Spouse(s)	Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Noble family	House of Wittelsbach
Father	Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Mother	Anna of Hesse
Born	4 September 1560 Neuburg an der Donau
Died	16 December 1600 (aged 40) Birkenfeld
Buried	Meisenheim

Charles I of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (German: Karl I.; 4 September 1560 – 16 December 1600), Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke in Bavaria, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1569 until 1600.

Life

Charles was born in Neuburg in 1560 as the youngest son of Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. After his father's death in 1569, Charles and his brothers partitioned his territories: Charles received the Palatine share on the Rear County of Sponheim, a small territory around Birkenfeld. Charles is the founder of the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld.

Charles died in Birkenfeld in 1600 and was buried in Meisenheim. Charles was a prince of a relatively unimportant state, and his chief fame is that the Kings of Bavaria descended from him.

Marriage

Charles married Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1 January 1570 – 15 August 1649), daughter of Duke William VI, on 23 February 1586 and had the following children:

1. George William (6 August 1591 – 25 December 1669)
2. Sophie (29 March 1593 – 16 November 1676)
3. Frederick (29 October 1594 – 20 July 1626)
4. Christian (3 November 1598 – 6 September 1654)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

16. Louis I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken               8. Alexander, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken                       17. Johanna of Croÿ               4. Louis II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken                             18. Kraft VI, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim               9. Margarete of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein                       19. Helene of Württemberg               2. Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken                                   20. Louis II, Landgrave of Lower Hesse (= 24)               10. William I, Landgrave of Lower Hesse                       21. Mechthild of Württemberg-Urach (= 25)               5. Elisabeth of Hesse                             22. William IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               11. Anna of Brunswick                       23. Elizabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode               1. Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld                                         24. Louis II, Landgrave of Lower Hesse (= 20)               12. William II, Landgrave of Hesse                       25. Mechthild of Württemberg-Urach (= 25)               6. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse                             26. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg               13. Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                       27. Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin               3. Anna of Hesse                                   28. Albert III, Duke of Saxony               14. George, Duke of Saxony                       29. Sidonie of Poděbrady               7. Christine of Saxony                             30. Casimir IV Jagiellon               15. Barbara Jagiellon                       31. Elisabeth of Austria

Preceded by:	Charles I	Succeeded by:
Wolfgang of Palatinate-Zweibrücken	Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld 1569–1600	George William of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
		Christian I of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler