Bilstein (noble family)

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Coat of arms of the nobles of Bilstein

The noble lords of Bilstein were a medieval noble family in the later Duchy of Westphalia with property (called Land Bilstein ) mainly in today's Sauerland . They were based in Bilstein Castle in what is now Lennestadt . The Westphalian family must be distinguished from the Frankish family of the Counts of Bilstein , who were wealthy on the Werra and in northern Hesse.

Area scope

The territory of the Westphalian noble lords included the court of Bilstein with the parishes of Helden, Förde, Veischede, Kirchhundem , Rahrbach , Oberhundem and Lenne . These formed the core of the so-called Land Bilstein.

Remains of the Peperburg

In addition, as part of the state of Fredeburg, there was the Eslohe and Reiste court . These included the parishes of Eslohe, Reiste, Wenholthausen and Cobbenrode . Another dish was Fredeburg. This included the city of Fredeburg and the parishes of Dorlar , Wormbach , Berghausen and Kirchrarbach . Then there were the Oedingen and Schliprüthen courts .

The lords and the Counts of Arnsberg shared rulership over the Land of Fredeburg . The gentlemen and numerous knights were involved in the great Waldenburg .

The lordship of Bilstein bordered Nassau and Wittgenstein in the south, and in the east it bordered the property of the noble lords of Grafschaft and the Grafschaft monastery . To the north was the state of Fredeburg and thus the sphere of influence of the Counts of Arnsberg. In addition, the state of Bilstein bordered the former Waldenburg office.

History and Development

Originally, the family lived in Peperburg Castle in Förde near Grevenbrück and then bore the name Gevore , but also Vuore , Vore or Voere . The oldest known representative was Heinrich von Gevore , who appeared in 1141 as a witness for Archbishop Arnold I of Cologne. Wolmarus de Bilstein , Abbot of Werden and Helmstädt, did not belong to the Westphalian family, as they did not yet have this name.

Sure news from the family comes from 1170, when another Henricus de Vare was named as a witness at the foundation of the Bredelar monastery and in 1173 when the Wedinghausen monastery was confirmed. In the years that followed, Heinrich was mentioned several times as a witness for the Archbishops of Cologne, for example at the foundation of the Oelinghausen monastery . With other leading aristocrats, he traveled to Cologne in 1216 or 1217 after the end of the first Limburg War to attend a court meeting of Archbishop Engelbert I. Brothers of Heinrich named Wittekind and Hermann seem to have been canons of Cologne Cathedral .

His successor was his son Theoderich I or Dietrich I. He was also one of the most important aristocrats in southern Westphalia after the Counts of Arnsberg and, like his father, appeared several times as a witness in documents. For the first time in 1225 he was mentioned in one of Bilstein's. His brothers were also high-ranking clergy in Cologne. One, Heinrich , was provost of Sankt Severin , the other, Gottfried, a canon at the cathedral.

The power of the House of Bilstein was so important that Dietrich had his own small administration consisting of at least one bailiff and one Truchseß. The occupation of his castle Borghausen was provided by a family of Dusentschüren. Dietrich himself moved his seat from Förde to the newly built Bilstein Castle. Safety aspects were particularly important for the construction of the castle. The estate in the valley near Förde offered less protection than a castle on a mountain. Another thesis assumes that the abundance of game in the vast forests of the Veischederbergland was the reason for the construction of Bilstein Castle and the relocation of residence to there. This may have been a minor issue; Strategic aspects, however, appear more credible for relocating.

Dietrich I's successor was his son Dietrich II. Like his ancestors, he was brought in as a witness to important files such as those of the Counts of Arnsberg. In 1250 Dietrich took part in the feud between Archbishop Konrad von Köln against Bishop Simon von Paderborn . Like other high-ranking Westphalian aristocrats ( viri nobiles et magnates partium Westfaliae ) alongside the Counts of Arnsberg, Altena and the Mark , Dietrich II justified the action against Paderborn in a letter to the Pope.

Dietrich II's successor was his son Johann I. His brother Gottfried von Bilstein was abbot of the Grafschaft monastery. Johann first appeared in the documents in 1255 as Lord von Bilstein. In 1282 Johann was appointed Land Marshal of Westphalia by Archbishop Siegfried of Cologne and in 1298 he played an important role in the implementation of a state peace for Westphalia. Johann sold the Bilstein share in Waldenburg to Hunold von Plettenberg . He also sold Bilstein Castle to the Landgraves of Hesse in 1293 and took it from them as a fief. The rulership rights in the Land of Bilstein were not affected.

Bilstein Castle

Johann's successor was Dietrich III. By marrying Katharina von Arnsberg, the family ties to the Arnsberg Count's House became even closer. As a result of the marriage, the count's main courts of Oberhundem , Oberveischede and Bruchhausen came to the Bilstein family. In 1313 Dietrich received goods and a number of bailiffs from Wilhelm von Arnsberg as fiefs. The Vogtei Epfingsten near Soest was one of them . A conflict arose with the chapter of the Meschede Abbey , which owned the main courtyard there. Dietrich attacked the people of the monastery, stole cattle from them and imprisoned some. After a threat from Archbishop Heinrich II and mediation by Wilhelm von Arnsberg, a settlement was finally reached. The customs in the city of Werl also belonged to Dietrich's property through family ties . In 1328 he sold this to a group of citizens from Attendorn and Soest. Dietrich died on November 5, 1335.

The last nobleman of Bilstein was Johann II. He was married but remained childless. The states of Bilstein and Fredeburg initially became the property of the Grafschaft Mark. Later they became part of the Electoral Cologne Duchy of Westphalia.

coat of arms

The coat of arms shows three green posts in gold. On the helmet with green and gold covers a gold ball with three green stakes, above three green peacock feathers.

Johann I and his son Dietrich III. von Bilstein used a seal with 3 roses in the escutcheon.

Local and municipal coats of arms

people

Regents

Members of the family

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Max von Spießen : Book of Arms of the Westphalian Nobility, Görlitz 1901–1903, Volume 1, p. 13 - digitized