Court of Ottrau

The Ottrau court was an administrative and judicial district of the aristocratic family Rückershausen , Schwertzell and the Landgraviate of Hesse that existed from the 14th century to the 16th century .

Ottrau was an old Hersfeld property. After succeeding in fending off Mainz claims at the court in the 11th century , Hersfeld consolidated his property in the area. As part of the territorialization , the Ottrau court was created in the 14th century. In addition to Ottrau, it also included Oberberf , Ropperhausen and the desert areas of Sachsenhausen , Runderode and Grenff .

Since the beginning of the 14th century, the lords of Rückershausen owned the place as a Hersfeld fief . The first documentary mention is the loan to Johann von Rückershausen with a third of the court. Since 1366 the whole court was the man fief of the von Rückershausen family. In 1551 one of the two lines of the von Rückershausen family died out with Helwig von Rückershausen in the male line. The Hersfeld Abbey confirmed the continuation of the fief for half of the court to his son-in-law Hartmann Schleier. In 1576 the other line from Rückershausen also died out. Now Hersfeld wanted to move in as a settled fiefdom. After mediation by the Hessian hereditary marshal Riedesel zu Eisenbach, the son-in-law of Schwertzell received confirmation as a tenant here as well. The court was thus a condominium between Schleier and Schwertzell. In 1608 Christoph Schleier sold his half to the Hessian landgrave. In the course of the 16th century, Hesse succeeded in gaining high jurisdiction and sovereignty. Schwertzell remained in the possession of the lower jurisdiction as a patrimonial jurisdiction . In the Landgraviate of Hesse, the Ottrau court was incorporated into the Neukirchen office.

literature

• Fritz Adolf Brauer: The Grafschaft Ziegenhain. Territorial history of the country on the middle Schwalm. Elwert, Marburg 1934, pp. 77-79.