Eberhard von Stetten

Epitaph for Eberhard von Stetten at Horneck Castle

Eberhard von Stetten (†  March 5, 1447 ) was a knight of the order . He had been a Teutonic Knight since 1406 , then Comthur der Kommende Virnsberg and then the Kommende Nürnberg . From 1441/1443 to 1447 Stetten was the order's German master. The "Gender Register of the Reichs Frey immediate knight creates land to Francken Löblichen Ort Ottenwald" lists the following about Eberhard von Stetten: "Eberhard von Stetten of the high German knight order, was in 1444 the 24th German master over the German and Italian lands, such as also as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, elected and confirmed, ruled for 4 years and died in 1448. "

origin

Eberhard von Stetten came from a Franconian noble family that had produced several knights in the past, including several German masters. Zurich von Stetten was German master from 1293 to 1323, and Ulrich I von Stetten was German master from 1329 to 1330.

Commander in Nuremberg

In 1424 and 1434 Eberhard von Stetten was Commander in Nuremberg.

German master

Exchange of goods between the Teutonic Knights and the Knights of St. John

One of the most important events that occurred during Stetten's tenure was the exchange of goods between the German Order and the Order of St. John . Stetten's predecessor, Eberhard von Saunsheim , had already negotiated such an exchange internally with Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen . These arrangements were necessary because the goods to be surrendered were directly subordinate to the Deutschmeister and no longer to the Grand Master. This was the result of a transfer of power in favor of the German master, which began under Stetten's predecessor at the latest. Stetten was also able to further expand its power base. The barter proposed by his predecessor involved an exchange of Apulia and possessions around Naples from the hand of the Teutonic Knights for Alt- and Neumark der Johanniter. In addition, as already requested by Saunsheim, the previous high-level chamber ball in Koblenz should be directly subordinate to the Deutschmeister. Stetten managed to leave the Grand Master alone with Dr. Andreas Ruperti, negotiator on the side of the Johanniter, to negotiate. Although the Grand Master wrote to Stetten in April 1446 to discuss the exchange and other issues such as personnel and ownership in more detail, it was practically ignored. Bernhart Jähnig's statement that "nothing tangible [...] immediately followed this letter" is still a clear understatement, because it wasn't until 1451 that talks between the Hochmeister and Deutschmeister took place again on the subject of the exchange of goods.

Challenges in office

At the same time, Eberhard von Stetten had big problems elsewhere. A letter from the contour of Althaus im Kulmerland to the Grand Master shows that the German Master was indebted due to severe damage caused by the Armagnaks on the Upper Rhine and in the Ballei Lothringen . Dieter Heckmann suspects that Stetten "was now unable to redeem the Alsace-Burgundy Ballei , which had been pledged to the Grand Master since 1388. " Consequently, he had to confirm the pledge.

Peace of Constance

After the Battle of Ragaz , the last military conflict in the Old Zurich War , hostilities ceased on June 12, 1446 on the initiative of three electors in Constance under the leadership of Count Palatine and Imperial Vicar Ludwig IV . These peace talks are also known as the Peace of Constance. "The Stories of the Swiss Confederation" reports: "After all hope of conquering Switzerland disappeared at Ragaz, the gentlemen became more willing. Ludwig used this mood with the most venerable zeal to unite the parties at the Peace Congress in Constanz . He himself appeared [...] with his most distinguished friends, the senior councilor of Kurmainz, the grandmasters of the German and St. John, with an entourage of 300 horses. " Stetten's personality is summarized as follows: "Eberhard von Stetten, in German and Welschen Landen master; he also in the Palatinate Council; Etterlin." Another source goes into the reason for Stetten's participation in more detail: "The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Eberhard von Stetten, also attended the peace congress in Constanz mentioned above in 1446 because the order was to restore calm in Switzerland because of its possessions was important in this country. "

residence

Since the German masters have always stayed mainly at the imperial court, they usually did not have a real residence, and while Horneck Castle on the Neckar was often described as such, the castle was not a permanent seat. Eberhard von Stetten was the first to establish a permanent seat in Bad in 1444 Mergentheim .

The replica of Eberhard von Stetten's grave slab can still be found today at Horneck Castle on the Neckar. The original was made of sandstone and stood in the former palace chapel, but is now in the possession of the Teutonic Order in Vienna.

Death and succession

According to consistent sources, Eberhard von Stetten died of natural causes while in office. The time of death is usually given as spring 1447. In the work "History of Prussia: Bd. The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen 1467" the following is assumed: "May 9th, 1447 seems to be the right time of his death, because this day leads Bachem Chronolog. " Eberhard von Stetten is buried in Horneck Castle, his first seat, next to five other German masters from the 15th and 16th centuries. The custom that the Grand Master should be presented with two potential successors in the election of the new German Master, one of whom he confirms, had already been ignored in the election of Stetten. The Grand Master had only confirmed this on condition that the old custom would be adhered to again in the future. When, after the death of Stetten, the council authorities only proposed one successor, namely Jost von Venningen , the Grand Master saw his prerogative and demanded that an opposing candidate be set up and a declaration signed that such practices should not be used in the future. In the end, the Grand Master decided in favor of the candidate supported by the councilors, but the struggle for influence in the order delayed the determination of a successor considerably. In the end, Jost von Venningen was appointed the new German master in Frankfurt in September 1447.

literature

• Bernhart Jähnig : Exchange of the Balleien Brandenburg and Apulia? On the history of the negotiations between the Teutonic Order and the Order of St. John at the Roman Curia around 1450. In: Christian Gahlbeck, Heinz-Dieter Heimann , Dirk Schumann (eds.): Regionality and transfer history - Knights of the Knights Templar and St. John in north-eastern Germany and Poland (= Writings of the State Historical Association for the Mark Brandenburg. Volume 4). 2014, ISBN 978-3-86732-140-2 , pp. 338ff. ( online at Google Books).
• Johannes von Müller : The stories of the Swiss Confederation Other book. Fourth part. Except for the times of the Burgundian War , 2nd edition, Leipzig 1822 ( online at Google Books).
• Johannes Voigt : History of Prussia. Eighth volume: The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen in 1467. Königsberg 1838 ( online at Google Books).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ New General German Adels Lexicon, Volume 2, p. 29.
2. ↑ An attempt at a chronology of the grand masters of the German order from 1190–1802, p. 40.
3. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, p. 342.
4. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, p. 342
5. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, p. 342.
6. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, p. 342.
7. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, pp. 343, 344
8. ↑ Regionality and transfer history: Knight orders of the Templars and Johanniter in north-eastern Germany and in Poland, p. 344.
9. ↑ Dieter Heckmann: Economic Effects of the Armagnakenkrieges from 1444 to 1445 on the Teutonic Knights Lorraine and Alsace-Burgundy, 1992, Stuttgart
10. ↑ The Histories of the Swiss Confederation first [-fifth part, first section] ...: Th. Except for the times of the Burgundian War, pp. 168, 169
11. ^ The Stories of the Swiss Confederation first [-fifth part, first section] ...: Th. Except for the times of the Burgundian War, p. 168.
12. ↑ Helvetic Church History: from Joh.Jakob Hottinger's older works and other sources revised, Volume 3, p. 174.
13. ↑ The knight being and the Templars, Johanniter and Marianer or Teutonic Knights in particular, Volume 3, p. 32.
14. ↑ The knight being and the Templars, Johanniter and Marianer or Teutonic Knights in particular, Volume 3, p. 32.
15. ^ History of Prussia: Vol. The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen in 1467, pp. 127, 128
16. ^ History of Prussia: Bd. The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen in 1467, pp. 129, 130
17. ^ History of Prussia: Bd. The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen in 1467, pp. 129, 130
18. ^ History of Prussia: Bd. The time from Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen 1441 to the death of Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen in 1467, p. 130.