Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe | |
| Born | 6 December 1527 Detmold |
| Died | 15 April 1563 (aged 35) Detmold |
| Noble family | Lippe |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg |
| Issue |
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| Father | Simon V, Count of Lippe |
| Mother | Countess Magdalene of Mansfeld-Mittelort |
Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe (6 December 1527 in Detmold – 15 April 1563 in Detmold) was from 1547 until his death in 1563 ruling the County of Lippe.
Bernard's father, the reigning Count Simon V of Lippe, died in 1536, when Bernard was eight years old. Since he was too young take over at this age, the country was ruled by a regency council consisting of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse, Count Adolph of Schaumburg and Count Jobst II of Hoya. Bernhard was raised in the Lutheran faith.
In 1546 he joined the government of the county of Lippe. During his reign, he tried especially to strengthen the Lutheran faith in his county. This met with the disapproval of the Emperor Charles V, whose troops occupied Lippe in the course of the Schmalkaldic War (1546–1547) and, after the defeat of the Protestant side in 1548, began implementing the Augsburg Interim. As a result, Lippe became an imperial fief.
In 1555, Bernard visited the Diet of Augsburg in person, and in 1556, he convened a meeting of the Protestant clergy in his county. In 1556, he declared war on Count John II of Rietberg. Bernard besieged John's court in 1557. In 1559, Bernhard gave Sternberg Castle to his brother Herman Simon as a Paréage. This triggered an inheritance dispute with the County of Schaumburg.
His marriage to Catherine (1524–1583), daughter of the Count Philip III of Waldeck-Eisenberg produced the following children:
