Noblemen of Arnsberg
The noble lords of Arnsberg (also known as the black noble lords of Arnsberg ) were a medieval noble family with the focus of ownership near Arnsberg in Westphalia . They are to be distinguished from the Counts of Arnsberg and the sex of the Rüdenberger . It is unclear whether the noblemen were a branch line of the counts or whether they were an independent family. They are only documented between 1173 and 1247.
origin
According to Johann Suibert Seibertz, they may have emerged from the house of the Counts of Arnsberg, and the archivist Michael Gosmann also followed suit. It is said to be descendants of Count Friedrich, who died in custody of his brother Heinrich . The count resigned the descendants with the transfer of goods.
Wilhelm Seissenschmidt contradicted this because there is no documentary evidence that Friedrich had sons. Rather, he assumes that it is an independent dynasty family that goes back to the owners of a main courtyard ( curtis ) with a few side courtyards ( mansi ) in the Arnsberger Mark, which was already mentioned in Carolingian times. While the other two old farms in the area had given their goods to the Werden monastery , a third farm remained independent afterwards. This is said to have been in the area of what is now the Dickenbruch district. Even when the Werler counts acquired the other two farms in the 11th century, the third farm was initially able to maintain its independence. These are said to have already been named by von Arnsberg before the counts adopted the name Arnsberg. Seissenschmidt also assumes that the counts, by marrying a daughter from the house of the noble lords of Arnsberg, acquired part of the property on which they later built Arnsberg Castle.
The noblemen sold their ancestral seat and castle, whose name is not known, to Archbishop Philip I von Heinsberg for 150 marks between 1167 and 1191 . Although noblemen they entered into a feudal relationship with the Archbishops of Cologne. Through this step they were able to protect their property from the access of stronger lords, like the Counts of Werl-Arnsberg, and could receive further fiefs from the archbishops, which they could pass on to aftervasals. Especially when the archbishops held court in Soest, the Arnsberg nobles were also present there and witnessed archbishop's documents. Karl Féaux de Lacroix already largely rejected these theses by Seissenschmidt.
At the time of their documentary mention, the noble lords held fiefdoms as well as those of the Counts of Arnsberg. Therefore, they served as witnesses for them too. The noble lords owed considerable fiefdoms to their proximity to the archbishops and the counts.
history
The first representative of the family known by name was a Heinrich. The first message comes from a document from Archbishop Philip from 1173. There he appears last in the row of witnesses among the counts and nobles before the ministerials. If you follow Seissenschmidt, he had two sons, both of whom were also called Heinrich. One was called the black ( niger ) to distinguish it . The two brothers are mentioned in 1179.
For the first time as the black one ( Heinricus Niger ) a brother was named in a document from 1182 for the Wedinghausen monastery . There is only documentary evidence of this and his descendants, the other brother may have died without leaving any descendants.
In 1185 it appears in a document for the Oelinghausen monastery . A year later, he himself received a certificate in which he gave the Wedinghausen monastery a yard in bulk. At that time he was married and probably had children. The Count of Altena and the noblemen of Rüdenberg and von Ardey are named as witnesses . Further documentary mentions followed in the following years. He is mentioned for the last time in 1217 in the document that Count Gottfried II issued on the way to the crusade of Damiette in favor of Wedinghausen. He may have died on the crusade around the age of 60.
The son of the same name of the first Heinrich is mentioned for the first time in 1213. It appears alone in the documents until 1244. As a nobleman, he is always among the noblest witnesses. He is also known as the nobleman and knight ( Miles ). A wife and children are mentioned for the first time in 1245. His wife was named Ermgardis. He appears as a liege lord in a sale in favor of the Welver Monastery. He is mentioned for the last time in 1247.
His daughter Elisabeth married the nobleman Adolf von Holte. The fiefs received from the Arnsberg counts reverted to Count Ludwig . Seissenschmidt thinks he can identify another daughter who married a knight Gerlacus. This appears as a witness in 1261 in a document from Adolf von Holte. There should also have been a son named Helyas afterwards. But this did not come from an equal marriage, since he does not appear as a witness among the noblemen, but always among the ministerials. The son Heinrich von Holte, who emerged from the marriage of Elisabeth with Adolf von Holte, was the last representative of the noble lords of Arnsberg. He was a clergyman and therefore had no children.
coat of arms
The coat of arms, like that of the counts, showed a soaring eagle, but with two heads. The seal of "Heinrich Schwarzer von Arnsberg" (Sigillum.Heinrici.Nigri.De.Arnesberg) from 1186 shows the double-headed eagle standing on a linden tree.
Individual evidence
- ^ Karl Féaux de Lacroix: History of Arnsberg. Arnsberg 1895 pp. 73-75
- ↑ November 20, 1182 Archbishop Philipp of Cologne gives the Wedinghausen monastery a secular tithe in the entire district of Wedinghausen (registration on the digital Westphalian document database)
- ↑ April 10, 1186: Knight Heinrich, called Niger, von Arnsberg (Arnesberg) sells the abbot Christian and the convent of Wedinghausen (Wedinchusen) a hoof to the masses with all accessories for 40 Mark Soester denarii (registered on the digital Westphalian document database)
- ↑ May 14, 1217 Gottfried Graf von Arnsberg (Arnesberg) sold his farm in Rithem and the mill in Ufflen with all accessories to the Wedinghausen monastery for 150 marks in order to get money for a trip to the holy land. (Registration on the digital Westphalian document database)
- ↑ July 25, 1213 Gottfried Graf von Arnsberg (Arnesberghe) sells his hooves to Rythem with accessories to the Wedinghausen monastery for 45 marks. (Registration on the digital Westphalian document database)
literature
- Michael Gosmann: The Counts of Arnsberg and their county. In: Harm Klueting (Ed.): The Duchy of Westphalia. Volume 1: The Electorate of Cologne Duchy of Westphalia from the beginnings of Cologne rule in southern Westphalia to secularization in 1803. Aschendorff, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-402-12827-5 , pp. 175f.
- Wilhelm Seissenschmidt: History of the noblemen of Arnsberg. In: Sheets to the closer customer Westfalens Hefte 2–4 1861 digitized
- Johann Suibert Seibertz : State and legal history of the Duchy of Westphalia. Volume 1, 1: Diplomatic family history of the old Counts of Westphalia zu Werl and Arnsberg. Ritter, Arnsberg 1845 p. 151ff. Digitized