Alternative History
Sibella
Queen of Bohemia c1630 - (MeisterDrucke-224072)
Elector of Saxe-Wittenberg
Reign 1618-1629
Coronation 9 November 1618
Predecessor Engelbert III
Successor Maximilian Achilles
(as sole Duke)
Regent Maximilian Achilles
Born 5 March 1568
Wittenberg, Duchy of Saxony,
Holy Roman Empire
Died 21 June 1639
Freiberg, Meissen,
Holy Roman Empire
Spouse Maximillian Achilles

Sibella de la Marck (5 March 1568 - 21 June 1639) was the Duchess of Saxe-Wittenberg and Electress of Saxony from her father's death in 1618 until her own death in 1639. Born the eldest daughter of Engelbert III, Duke of Saxony and Ladia, Princess of Gottingen, Sibella was her father's favorite child. As an infant, she was often spoilt. At her birth she was showered with an array of exotic gifts, including, allegedly, a live tiger from explorers from the east (it later vanished after being seen in the company of Louis of Saxe-Wolfen). She was tutored in music by Johannes Bach, the patriarch of the Bach musical and political dynasty. Having grown into a beautiful young girl (the stereotypical "Saxon Engelberta"), Sibella had many suitors, although this may have been more due to her status as one of the most affluent young heiresses in Europe than her looks.

So frequently pursued by young men was Sibella that she grew vain; many suitors were spurned. Initially, she met her future husband,Maximilian Achilles, at a horse-racing competition organized by her father. At first, he did not compete for her hand despite his reputation as a great knight, but after unexpectedly saving her from a group of over-eager suitors (some of whom would later marry her sisters) attempting to force themselves on her while she was taking a walk in the park, he became gradually infatuated with her, and determined to best the other, more prestigious candidates competing for her hand in marriage. Initially he considered re-enacting the homecoming of Odysseus as told by Homer (being an avid supporter of the 17th-century neo-Greek revival in Germany), but ultimately decided against this. After a fierce competition for Sibella's hand, Maximillian Achilles emerged victorious, winning the love of Sibella. He had a more ambivalent relationship with his father-in-law, Engelbert III, who was disappointed to see Saxony fall into personal union with so minor a collection of states, although respected Maximillian Achilles' military knowledge and often sought advice from him on military matters. Sibella and Maximillian Achilles were madly in love, and would often engage in public displays of affection. In the last few years of their lives, however, they grew colder and more distant following the suicide of their eldest daughter, which took place under mysterious circumstances.

Sibella had a difficult relationship with her younger sisters, who resented their father's favoritism of Sibella. Her younger sister Diana may have ordered an assassination attempt on Sibella's life in 1618. As teenagers, Ruth de la Marck had almost drowned Sibella while they were bathing in a spring in the County of Wasaborg, although she later claimed it was an accident. Sibella was closer to her older sisters, such as Karoline and Matilda, Queen of Denmark, and they would all write to each other almost every other day. Sibella was not particularly religious, at least not as fervently as other members of her family. She encouraged tolerance of all religions, and regularly visited Judenstadt. She did, however, particularly dislike Meisids, notably snubbing the Finnish ambassador who was well-connected to the Meisid movement. She declared Morningstar Meise, the Patriarch of the Eastern Jungist Church, to be "mad, bad, and dangerous to know."

When her father died in 1618, Sibella ascended the throne as Duchess of Saxe-Wittenberg and Electress of Saxony, although it was not clear whether she ruled these in her own right or whether she would act merely as consort to her husband. It was decided that she personally owned the hereditary Wittenberg lands - however, her husband would govern them for the most part and received the Electoral dignity. Her father's incompetent strategy during the Forty Years' War and his taking personal command of the Saxon military had placed Saxony in a dire situation. However, as luck would have it, Maximillian Achilles managed to successfully reverse Saxony's fortunes in the war, and spent the rest of his reign rebuilding the war-torn duchy.

During the war, Sibella would be seen as a symbol of Saxony's heroic resistance against Catholic troops. Her meeting with the great foreign general of the Catholic armies during a particularly bad time for Saxony during the war, when she pled for him to spare Saxony, unsuccessfully (although his armies were later destroyed by her incoming husband), earned her a reputation as "the personification of national virtue", and she was well-loved by her people. She died at the age of 71, possibly of grief following the suicide of her eldest daughter and the death of her oldest son from a horse-riding accident earlier that year. Throughout her life she promoted the wearing of Madchenhose, and as a result, they rose to the height of fashion for the first time in several decades.

This article is part of Merveilles des Morte.