Reburial of Jacoba van Beieren (of Bavaria)?

[Principessa]

https://www.nu.nl/wetensc...en-wel-een-goed-idee.html

Rough translation by Google Translate:


Is the reburial of Jacoba van Beieren a good idea?

The Historical Circle Voorhout (HKV) wants to rebury the legendary Jacoba van Beieren in the cemetery of the Maartenskerk in Sint-Maartensdijk on the Zeeland island of Tholen. In this way the historical society wants to make the countess's last wish come true. Her body is now buried with her ancestors in the court chapel on the Binnenhof in The Hague.

Countess Jacoba van Beieren (1401-1436) had an eventful life. This medieval lady was the last member of the Bavaria family. She was the only daughter of Willem VI, the heiress of the county of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut. These areas fell upon her at a young age.

Her father died when she was sixteen years old from a fateful dog bite. In her short life - she died when she was 35 years old from tuberculosis - she married four times. She took on the Duke of Burgundy and escaped dressed in men's clothes from a city palace in Ghent.

Buried against her wish at the Binnenhof

Even today, the countess is still very busy. The HKV wants to bury its remains in Sint-Maartensdijk. Against her wishes, Jacoba is buried with her ancestors in the court chapel on the Binnenhof, says the historical circle.

Burying in the Middle Ages was not only a matter of personal preference. Political and economic interests also played a role. Jacoba belonged to the Bavarian house dynasty. All her ancestors were in the court chapel, so this was the place where she "belongs".

Now that the Binnenhof is being rebuilt, that is a good time to give her body the desired resting place.

Do not know exactly which bones are the right ones

Jacoba's funeral is also less simple than it appears. It is known where its physical remains are located. But how do we know which bones belonged to the countess? The HKV solution has a somewhat lurid background.

In the Rijksmuseum is the alleged braid of Jacoba van Beieren. DNA testing of the braid and the remains of the body would give a definite answer about her identity. The only problem is that during a previous renovation of the Binnenhof in 1770, the tombstones were listed at random and put back in place. Of the braid found at the time, it could not be determined with any certainty that the grave in which they found it did indeed belong to Jacoba.

Dragging with bodies is risky

That caution is appropriate when identifying historical figures is evident from the unsavory issue surrounding the remains of the thirteenth-century Counts of Holland in the Rijsburg Abbey. Research by Dr. B. Dijkstra of the University of Groningen showed that these remains belong to the early graves of Holland, including Floris V.

After identification, they were solemnly buried in the Dutch Reformed Church, in the presence of Queen Juliana. But that discovery did not hold true after a new study by physical anthropologist G. Maat and amateur historian and professor of chemistry E. Cordfunke in 1996. It would be about the remains of a group of anonymous Carolingian nobles.

This led to a well-being discussion that continues to this day. Dragging with bodies is therefore risky, especially if this happens on improper grounds.

The alleged braid of Jacoba van Beieren. (Photo: Rijksmuseum):

[CyrilSebastian]

It was informative to learn that Jacoba's first husband John became Dauphin of France and she was thus the Dauphine.

[Principessa]

Thank you for the addition CyrilSebastian!

[CyrilSebastian]

Principessa, You are welcome.