Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

Christian II
Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Portrait by Theodor Roos
Born	(1637-06-22)22 June 1637 Bischwiller
Died	26 April 1717(1717-04-26) (aged 79) Birkenfeld
Noble family	Wittelsbach
Spouse(s)	Countess Katharina Agathe of Rappoltstein
Issue	Magdalena Claudia Christian
Father	Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler
Mother	Countess Palatine Magdalene Catherine of Zweibrücken

Christian II (22 June 1637 – 26 April 1717) was the Duke of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler from 1654, the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1671, and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1673 until 1699.

Life

Christian was born in Bischwiller in 1637 as the eldest surviving son of Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler. After his father's death in 1654 he succeeded him to his territories around Bischweiler. In 1671 he inherited Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from his cousin Charles II Otto. Through the inheritance of his wife, he was also the Count of Rappolstein from 1673 until he granted that title to his son Christian III.

Marriage

Christian married Countess Catherine Agatha of Rappoltstein (15 June 1648 – 16 July 1683) on 5 September 1667 and had the following children:

1. Magdalena Claudia (16 September 1668 – 9 December 1704), married to Philipp Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
2. Louis (26 December 1669 – 2 April 1670)
3. Elizabeth Sophie Augusta (2 August 1671 – 18 October 1672)
4. Christina Catherine (2 August 1671 – 15 May 1673)
5. Charlotte Wilhelmina (18 October 1672 – 29 May 1673)
6. Christian (7 November 1674 – 3 February 1735)
7. Louise (28 October 1678 – 3 May 1753), married to Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Ancestors

Ancestors of Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

8. Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 4. Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld 9. Anna of Hesse 2. Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler 10. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 5. Duchess Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg 11. Dorothea of Denmark 1. Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld 12. John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 6. John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 13. Magdalene of Jülich-Cleves-Berg 3. Countess Palatine Magdalene Catherine of Zweibrücken 14. René II, Viscount of Rohan 7. Catherine de Rohan 15. Catherine de Parthenay

Bibliography

• Maximilian V. Sattler: Lehrbuch der bayerischen Geschichte, Lindauer, 1868, p. 411
• Jahresbericht [nachmals] Trierer Jahresberichte, 1858, p. 58 f.