The Ox War (novel)
The 15th century ox war novel is a historical novel by Ludwig Ganghofer published in 1914 .
Plot of the novel
The novel, dedicated to Peter Rosegger , is set in the Berchtesgadener Land and tells the story of the Ramsau farmer Runotter and his daughter Jula in the conflict between the Berchtesgaden monastery and the Ramsau farmers.
The pregnant wife of the farmer Runotter is raped by the Canon Aschacher and dies after giving birth to a cripple. Nevertheless Runotter remains loyal to the monastery. The obstinacy of the monastic bailiff Someier leads to a conflict between the Berchtesgaden monastery and the Ramsauers, while Lampert, son of the bailiff, and Jula Runotter discover their affection for one another. The dispute is sparked by the question of the grazing rights of 17 Runotters cows that graze on the Hängmoos. In the opinion of the stubborn bailiff Someier, only oxen and calves have something to look for on this alpine pasture. When Runotters Sennhütte burned down, her deaf-mute, crippled brother killed and Jula was mistreated, the peasants rebelled. The dispute spreads more and more until it turns into an outright war. In this war, which has arisen because of a nullity, all those involved are left to participate on the side assigned to them by fate. Runotter fights with his daughter Jula, disguised as a man, and the Landsknecht Malimmes against the monastery, on whose side Jula's beloved son of the bailiff stands. In the decisive battle, Runotter can take revenge on Aschacher, but at the same time he saves the life of the provost and imperial prelate Pinzenauer undetected and dies. The war ends and Jula marries the bailiff's son. The novel has a happy ending, but chaos reigns in Germany.
Historical background
Ganghofer's novel uses a historical conflict as a background: the ox war 1421–1422 , a military conflict between the county of Haag under George III. and the Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut under Heinrich XVI. in the years 1421 to 1422. Count Georg III. from the Fraunberger dynasty tried to expand the power of his county of Haag with the war against Heinrich. Despite surprising military victories against the Lower Bavarian duke, this war ultimately brought him nothing.
In truth, the Berchtesgaden monastery with its provost and imperial prelate Peter Pinzenauer was not directly affected by this conflict, just as the ox war in October 1611 between the archbishopric of Salzburg and the duchy of Bavaria was triggered by the salt deposits of the prince provost of Berchtesgaden, but by no means the reasons given in the novel.
Film adaptations
The novel was filmed several times:
- The Ox War (1920) , directed by Franz Osten
- The Ox War (1943) , directed by Hans Deppe
- The Ox War (1987) , directed by Sigi Rothemund