The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Eberhard im Bart

EBERHARD IM BART (Eberhard with the Beard), the first duke of Würtemberg, born Dec. 11, 1445, died Feb. 14, 1496. His father, Count Louis the Elder, dying while he was young, his education was neglected. Before he was 14 he wrested the government from his uncle Ulric, who had been appointed regent. A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the influence of his wife, the princess Barbara of Mantua, had a happy effect upon his character. He became celebrated in German history as the founder of the undivided sovereignty and of the representative constitution of Würtemberg. He devoted himself to study, promoted science and literature, and founded in 1477 the university of Tübingen. He improved the laws and the condition of the convents in his country, and was a friend of peace. The emperor Maximilian of Germany, who conferred on him the title of duke (1495), declared at his grave several years afterward: “Here lies a prince who has left no equal in the German empire in princely virtues, and whose advice I have frequently followed with advantage.”