Reign of Wildenstein (Saxony)

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Coat of arms of the Berka of Dubá

The Wildenstein rule was a territory in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains that existed from 1409/1410 to 1451 , the areas of which today mainly belong to Saxony and to a lesser extent to the Czech Republic .

history

The Wildenstein rule was created as a result of an inheritance from the Hohnstein rule. This at this time to Bohemia belonging area, located in the Castle Hohnstein had since 1353, when Hinko from Duba by the Emperor and King of Bohemia Charles IV. Thus invested had been held by the Bohemian noble family of Berka of Dubá . Hinko von der Duba died in 1361 and bequeathed his fief to his son of the same name. In addition to Hohnstein, his property also included other areas in today's Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland and the area around Schluckenau . His son divided his estate among his five sons in 1410.

Hinko's second eldest son Heinrich Berka von der Duba received the new Wildenstein rule as part of the Hohnstein rule. This included Sebnitz and part of Neustadt (Saxony) as well as various villages and castles in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains . Initially, Heinrich used Schwarzberg Castle near Goßdorf as a mansion, but soon built the New Wildenstein above the Kuhstall as a fortress.

From around 1425 Heinrich also worked as a robber baron and waged feuds with the Upper Lusatian Union of Six Cities and the Saxon electors. In 1426, after a brief siege, Elector Frederick the Controversial finally forced Heinrich to pay homage to him , to keep the New Wildenstein open and to take on an electoral garrison if necessary. Heinrich remained active as a robber baron in Lusatia.

After his death around 1435, Heinrich left the Wildenstein reign to his nephews Albrecht, Benesch and Hinko von der Dubá, the sons of his brother Benesch, lord of Rathen Castle . Albrecht Berka von der Duba and his brothers did not keep to their uncle's agreement with the Saxon elector and began again to raid and plunder surrounding areas. Elector Friedrich the Meek then besieged the New Wildenstein, initially together with Siegmund von Wartenberg zu Tetschen . On June 4, 1436 the Berken von der Duba capitulated and had to conclude an alliance agreement with the elector, now against Siegmund von Wartenberg, who had fallen out with the elector.

In the following years the disputes between the Berken and the elector continued. In 1437 the Lords of Wildenstein and the Wartenberger again marched against Saxon villages, whereupon the elector received a renewed homage from the Berken on August 17th of this year, which gave him the opening of their castles and their help in the siege of the castle belonging to Siegmund von Wartenberg To agree to Arnstein . In 1438 the Wildensteiners conquered Rathen Castle, which their father had had to cede to the Elector ten years earlier. The elector besieged Wildenstein Castle again from autumn 1439, Albrecht Berka von der Duba was captured and his brother Benesch killed.

Albrecht managed to escape from the electoral custody and to bring the rule back into his possession. On December 6, 1440 he sent the elector a new feud letter . Negotiations followed, which resulted in a new atonement treaty on March 10, 1442. At the same time, Albrecht again feuded the league of cities, this feud would last until 1443 and from 1448 again until 1450. After Friedrich the Meek had acquired the rule of Hohnstein from Hinko Berka von der Duba in 1443, he also entered into negotiations to take over the rule of Wildenstein. Albrecht Berka von der Duba submitted to the elector in 1446, who offered him parts of the dominions of Tollenstein and Schluckenau in Bohemia as compensation for the cession of Wildenstein. The negotiations resulted in a final agreement on April 7, 1451 in Neustadt. In addition to the Bohemian lands, the elector had to pay a certain amount of money. Then an electoral team took over the castle and lordship of Wildenstein. The rule was affiliated to the electoral office of Hohnstein. The last time the rule was mentioned in the Treaty of Eger in 1459, which determined the border between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Electorate of Saxony in the largely still existing course today.

expansion

Two towns and over 20 villages as well as various castles in Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland belonged to the Wildenstein rule:

Cities

Villages

Castles and lookouts

literature

  • Peter Rölke (Ed.): Hiking & Nature Guide Saxon Switzerland. Volume 1, Berg- & Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 1999, ISBN 3-934514-08-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alfred Meiche: Historical-Topographical Description of the Pirna Official Authority , Dresden 1927, Wildenstein, p. 119 (PDF; 32.1 MB)