Early Life
Argula von Grumbach was born as Argula von Stauff in 1492, the year known for when Christopher Columbus sailed for the New World. Her family lived in Ehrenfels castle, which was their baronial seat. The von Stauff family were Freiherren, who were lords with independent jurisdiction only accountable to the Emperor, and they were among the pre-eminent leaders of Bavarian nobility.
Argula’s upbringing was in a political and deeply religious household. Education and attendance at university was highly prized. Argula is thought to have learned to read fluently at a very young age. When she was ten her father gave her an expensive and beautifully crafted Koberger Bible in German, despite Franciscan preachers discouraging it, saying Scripture would “only confuse her.” She became an avid student of the Bible, memorizing the majority of its contents.
At the age of sixteen, Argula joined the court in Munich, where she became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Kunigunde, daughter of the Emperor Frederick III. The Queen was said to have a strong personality herself, passionate about politics and religion. The court as a whole was interested in spiritual affairs, so it is there that Argula’s studies of the Bible could have become a serious endeavor.
Argula’s adolescent life was also marked by tragedy. Both her parents became ill from plague and died in 1509. Her father’s brother, Hieronymus, became her guardian. He was a leading figure at court but ended up disgraced in a political scandal that led to his execution in 1516. Her outrage at this incident is probably what prompted her persistent loathing for violence and coercion throughout her life.
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