Fabian von Schoenaich

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Fabian von Schoenaich (baron since 1547) (born February 19, 1508 in Linderode ; † September 23, 1591 in Beuthen an der Oder ) was a general and imperial war council. He brought together large estates, which threatened to be lost again after his death. Nevertheless, the free class rule Carolath-Beuthen emerged from this .

Origin and military advancement

He came from the original noble family Schoenaich. His father came from the Sprottau line of the family and was Georg von Schoenaich , lender of Sprottau. The mother was Katharina (born von Gladiß).

At the age of 13 he came to the court of King Sigismund of Poland as a noble boy . In the following years he made wars against the Russians and Ottomans. In 1535 he fought alongside his father in the Netherlands and in 1538 in Hungary. In 1541 he became Rittmeister. A year later he fought on the side of Duke Moritz of Saxony in the Wurzen feud . He fought in Hungary under Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg . In the meantime appointed colonel, Schoenaich fought in 1543 before Landrecy. Two years later he took part in Duke Moritz's campaign against Heinrich the Younger of Braunschweig.

Military in imperial service

During the Schmalkaldic War he fought on the imperial side. During the Battle of Mühlberg he commanded three hussar regiments and successfully fought the right wing of the cavalry of Elector Johann Friedrich . He also took Duke Ernst von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen prisoner. While still on the battlefield, Charles V knighted him and accepted him into the Order of the Golden Fleece . Elector Moritz appointed von Schoenaich captain of the Principality of Sagan and Priebus . He kept this office even after the elector swapped the area with King Ferdinand for the rule of Eulenburg. On behalf of the emperor, he was to recruit a thousand horsemen to defend Transylvania in 1551 . Schoeneich recruited 2,000 men. He did not manage to keep the troops in check and on the march to Hungary there were attacks and insubordination.

Expansion of the property

Despite the failure of this campaign, Schoenreich made a substantial fortune during his years of military service. He was even able to give loans to King Ferdinand . As a result, he also received the main team over Sorau and Triebel . Sorau, Triebel and, for twenty years, sagas were acquired by the Bishop of Breslau shortly afterwards . In 1557 Schoenaich retired to Sprottau and took over the inheritance of his father, who died in 1556.

In 1555 he married Euphemia (née von Seydlitz) . The marriage resulted in a son who died soon after.

A short time later he also became the guardian of his nephew Johann Georg and became his asset manager. With his own and managed assets, he acquired a large number of mortgaged villages and in 1558 bought the Muskau estate . He also acquired the pledge property of the royal rule Freistadt and in 1561 the Kastelleanei Beuthen (thus correspondingly the rule Carolath-Beuthen).

As a result, Schoenaich tried to increase the yield of his property and created new villages for this purpose. In the city of Bytom he favored the introduction of the Reformation .

Emperor Maximilian II also made use of Schoenaich's services. For this he recruited troops and was involved in the siege of Gotha . In gratitude he was appointed to the council of war. Elector August also appointed him a councilor.

In Silesia he was now one of the richest aristocrats and tried to acquire a principality. First attempts failed. In 1568 he then acquired the Parchwitz rule.

Dispute over possession

Making the property hereditary failed under Emperor Rudolf II. The background was that he did not lend the emperor any money; In addition, his subordinate officers complained about irregular pay payments. The nephew Johann Georg also sued the court for the surrender of his inheritance. Under pressure from the emperor, Parchwitz was compared in 1573, which von Schoenaich only partially fulfilled and transferred to his nephew Muskau. A second settlement in 1578 and the summons to Prague in 1579 he did not comply.

In 1580 his first wife died. Two years later, the 73-year-old married the much younger Elisabeth von Landskron. As a personal asset , under pressure from his wife's family, he had to hand over the rule of Carolath to her. After the death of his nephew, he took possession of Muskau and thus prevented it from being confiscated as a reverted fiefdom . The Silesian goods reverted to the emperor and he criticized Fabian von Schoenaich for claiming Muskau.

As a result, the Schoenaich family tried to obtain enfeoffment with the entire hand of the emperor in order to keep the property together. However, Fabian von Schoenaich shied away from the necessary bribes. Because his cause threatened to fail, old Schoenaich traveled to Prague in 1590. But he was not received at all. When he returned to Beuthen, he was handed a long complaint, but the court no longer pressed for a trial, as Schoenaich's death seemed imminent. Rudolf II saw himself as the heir to the property. 100,000 thalers alone are said to have included cash and bonds.

When Fabian von Schoenaich died, the heirs were able to hide their financial assets from the emperor. Maintaining land ownership proved more difficult. Georg von Schoenaich finally succeeded in buying back the Carolath, Beuthen and Milkau estates from the emperor in 1594 subject to conditions for 100,000 thalers. He also married the widow Fabian von Schoenaichs. Instead of the Carolath rulership, he succeeded in transforming the treasure trove into a cash payment of 30,000 thalers. Because of his services in 1601 he was allowed to establish a civil status.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Schoenaich, Fabian von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION officer
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1508
PLACE OF BIRTH Linderode
DATE OF DEATH September 23, 1591
Place of death Beuthen on the Oder