Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Netherlands Abbey State
Ecclesiastical Territory of Thorn (Vorstendom Thorn or Rijksvorstendom Thorn)
In the Provincie Limburg. The Abbey was founded 992 and the abbess became Princess of the Empire probably in the 13th century, Member of the Geistlischen Fürstenbank (Bank of Lords Spiritual) of the Westphalischer Kreis (Westphalian Circle) (or Nieder-Rheinischer-Westphalischer) from 1500, and in 1521 mentioned as Imperial Prelate in an inventory of the Reichsstände - the territories of the Realm and as such was member of the College of the Prelates of the Rhine, whose 17 members (Princess-Abbesses and Prince-Abbots) and a joint vote in the Council of the Princes of the Imperial Diet, where the representative of the Prelates sat on the Ecclesiastical Bench. Also Lady of Thorn, Ittervoort, Grathem, Baexem, Stramproy, Ell, Haler and Molenbeersel.  The territory was annexed by France 1795.


Also see Netherlands Heads, Netherlands Substates and Princess-Abbesses


 982 - ...    Hilsondis (or Hilswinde?)

1010 - ?.    Benedicta

...           Godchildis

...           Adelheid

Until  1217   Elisabeth  

1217-?.    Jutta

1231-69   Hildegond de Born

1273-04   Guda von Rennenberg

1310-37   Margaretha I von Bautersheim

1337          Isonde von Wied

1337-78   Margaretha II de Heinsberg

1389-97   Margaretha III van Horne-Perwez

1404-46   Mechtilde van Horne
She was taken prisoner by the inhabitants of Loon in 1441.

1446-54   Jakoba van Heinsberg
She was half-sister of the Prince-Bishop of Liège, who appointed her "regent" after Mectild was taken prisoner in 1441.

1454-73   Else van Buren

1473-86   Gertrude de Sombreffe

1486-1531   Eva van Isenburg
She got the same number of votes as the other candidate, Amalia van Rennenburg. The first was supported by Emperor Maximilian, the other by the Prince-Bishop of Liège. It took 16 years before the Pope took a decision in Eva's favour.

[Around 1497 Margareha van Petersheim]
Mentioned as Princess-Abbess.

[1502-22 Abbess Margarethe von Nassau-Beilstein of Thorn.
Somewhere mentioned as Princess-Abbess. She was daughter of Henrich IV von Nassau- Beilstein (1448-99) and Countess Eva von Sayn zu Sayn (1455-1525). Margarethe lived (1482-1522)]

1531-77 Margaretha IV van Brederode

1577-79 Josina I von Manderscheid

1579- 1604  Josina II von der Marck

1604-31  Anna von der Marck

1631-32 Josina Walburgis van Löwenstein-Rochefort

1632-46  Anna Eleonora von Staufen
She was Abbess of Essen 1645-46.

1646-47 Anna Katherina von Salm-Reiffenscheidt
In 1647 she married Count Johann von Rietberg.

1647-90 Anna Salomé von Manderscheid-Blankenheim
She was Abbess of Essen 1690-91.

1690-1706 Eleonora von Löwenstein-Rochefort

1706-17 Anna Juliana von Manderscheid-Blankenstein

1717-76  Francisca Cristiana von der Pfalz-Sulzbach 
Also Abbess of Essen.

1776-95 Maria Cunegonda von Sachsen
Also Abbess of Essen.

Last update 25.12.06