Christoph Ferdinand I. von Degenfeld

Christoph Ferdinand I von Degenfeld (born August 11, 1699 , † September 27, 1766 in Ehrstädt ) was the landlord of Waibstadt , Unterbiegelhof and Ehrstädt, and from 1760 also of Neuhaus and Eulenhof Castle .

Life

He was a son of Ferdinand Friedrich I von Degenfeld (1661-1717) and Maria Philippine Dorothea von Helmstatt († around 1706). Two brothers died at a young age, so that when their father died, only he and his older brother Carl Gottfried (1690–1727) were alive. As an heir, Carl Gottfried received the Electoral Palatinate fiefdom from a third of Wagenbach, which his father had inherited from his wife's property as a Kunkellehen . Christoph Ferdinand was not yet of legal age when his father died and only received the remaining goods from his father when he came of age, namely the wormsy half of Ehrstädt and the family entourage-Goods in Waibstadt and Unterbiegelhof.

Due to the division of the estate, the Degenfeld-Neuhaus property was split into five parts; in addition to the estates of Christoph Ferdinand and his brother, the three sons of their uncle Christoph Friedrich I had shared their property with each other. Financial distress and the small-scale relationships led to numerous disputes about fief claims, maintenance, building charges, patronage rights and much more, so that even the alliances between the brothers became fragile. Christoph Ferdinand was indeed with his cousin John Frederick I (1683-1760), heir of Schloss Neuhaus embroiled in a protracted conflict, but both denounced Christoph Ferdinand brother Carl Gottfried with the same goal, namely those from his fiefdom in Wagenbach to push. Carl Gottfried finally died in custody in a fortress in 1727, but the Wagenbacher fief did not go to any of the opponents, but to the female bereaved.

After Johann Friedrich's brothers had died by 1723 and his son in 1742, Christoph Ferdinand Agnat took possession of Johann Friedrich's property, namely the Württemberg half of Ehrstädt, Neuhaus Castle and Eulenhof. The dispute between the cousins, which had been going on for a long time, only deepened because Johann Friedrich did not expect that Christoph Ferdinand would take good care of his bereaved and while he was still alive he tried to capitalize on the fiefdom as much as possible and his cousin with him Invoices for improvements to the goods that he would inherit exceeded.

After the death of Johann Friedrich in 1760, Christoph Ferdinand took over his inheritance and thus reunited the entire Degenfeld-Neuhaus property. However, the long-standing quarrels within the family still had repercussions. So there was a long dispute over the handing over of the feudal documents. And Johann Friedrich's bereaved relatives also filed a lawsuit about their maintenance claims. In addition, there was soon a dispute with the local pastor of Ehrstädt, who was still employed by Johann Friedrich in 1760, who demanded better pay and the urgently needed repair of the rectory and church, the construction of which the family had long fought over. The Ehrstädt community finally filed a lawsuit because of the high labor and duties that Christoph Ferdinand would have pressed as local ruler, as well as various benefits that the former local ruler Johann Friedrich grants, but which Christoph Ferdinand would refuse. And the knightly canton of Kraichgau also had reason to complain, since Christoph Ferdinand and his sons did not meet their tax obligations from the free aristocratic estates and instead tried to pass them on to their subjects.

In quick succession, there were countless negotiations with the Württemberg and Worms fief administrations and with the knightly canton of Kraichgau , in which Christoph Ferdinand and his sons did not attract attention because of their diplomatic skill. Rather, they presented themselves autocratically and did not save with contempt for the deceased Johann Friedrich, who was referred to several times as "the old dog food" by Christoph's son Reinhard Philipp Friedrich . Christoph Ferdinand himself stated that “he shit on his fiefdoms” if he had to adhere to the conditions proposed by the committees. So there was no settlement at a negotiation of the Kraichgau knighthood directorate in Ehrstädt on May 21, 1765, or at a negotiation of the knights directorate on December 3, 1765 in Fürfeld , even if this would have been extremely favorable for Christoph Ferdinand and his sons.

These disputes continued after Christoph Ferdinand's death in 1766. He left three sons who had grown to age and inherited not only his property but also the disputes. And they continued the autocratic local rule of their father over their subjects. The knight canton of Kraichgau was tired of the negotiations and handed over the disputes against the Degenfeld brothers to the imperial court in 1767. The Ehrstädt community, which sued the local lords in front of the Wormsian and Württemberg fiefdoms, the Kraichgau management and now also before the court court, was completely impoverished. The local rulers had the community leaders arrested several times. In 1768 there was an uprising among the Ehrstadt citizens. But the uprising was of no use either, since the rebels were ultimately only penalized, most of which went into the new building of Ehrstädt Palace in 1769 . It was not until 1774 that a comparison was made between the Degenfeld brothers and the Ehrstädt community, which for a long time regulated the relationship between local rule and subjects.

family

He married on February 13, 1722 at the Eulenhof Clara Juliana von Gemmingen-Widdern (1699 / 1700–1766), the daughter of Johann Reinhard von Gemmingen-Widdern (1648–1713). The marriage had four sons and six daughters.

• Reinhard Philipp Friedrich (1722–1784) ∞ Johanna Sophia Juliana Christiana von Gemmingen-Widdern (1725–1766), Charlotte Wilhelmine von Gemmingen-Widdern (1733–1790)
• Maria Sophia Juliana Christiana (* 1724) ∞ Carl Leberecht von Proeck
• Wilhelmina Friederica (1725– after 1767) ∞ Ludwig Friedrich von Stein
• Maria Philippina (1726-1800)
• Ferdinand Friedrich II. (1728–1736)
• Maria Auguste Luise (1729–1805)
• Friederike Helena (1732–1805)
• Maria Sophia Christiana (1736–1772) ∞ Wolfgang Christoph von St. André (1713–1769)
• Christoph Eberhard Friedrich (1737–1792) ∞ Sophia Luise Salome von Stain zum Rechtenstein (1740–1811)
• Christoph Ferdinand III. Friedrich (1739–1812) ∞ Dorothea Regina Eleonore von Stain zum Rechtenstein (1744–1799)

literature

• Friedrich Hub : Genealogy of the von Degenfeld family at Schloss Neuhaus, Ehrstädt, Waibstadt and Wagenbach. In: ders .: Ehrstädt and Neuhaus Castle. Ehrstädt 1967, pp. 420-438

Remarks

1. ↑ Friedrich Hub lists him as Christoph Ferdinand II. , But he is the oldest of that name and is otherwise as Christoph Ferdinand I performed. His namesake Christoph Ferdinand von Degenfeld (1716–1742), who was the son of a cousin of the person described here and who is named in Hub Christoph Ferdinand I , is second in the age list.