Gerlach II (Limburg)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerlach II of Limburg "the Elder" (* unknown; † April 14, 1355 probably in Limburg an der Lahn ) was Lord of the city of Limburg and head of the House of Limburg . He took over the government after the death of his father Johann I in 1312. Gerlach was related to most of the aristocratic families in the area.

The chronicler Tilemann Elhen von Wolfhagen describes him, in his Limburg Chronicle, written before 1402, as a virtuous nobleman and the brightest poet in German and Latin .

Life

The core of the Limburg rule was the city of Limburg an der Lahn and some villages in the area. Gerlach took over the government when the city was in full bloom. Tilemann Elhen wrote in his chronicle that there were more than 2000 people who were capable of arms living in the city. The Limburg suburban settlements extended beyond Gerlach's territory, which led to frequent disputes with the neighboring Counts of Diez .

Gerlach worked several times as an arbitrator in disputes between neighboring noble families. Like his father, he was chairman of the tribunal of the Ottonian line of the House of Nassau . In 1329 he brokered a comparison between Gerlach von Nassau and Wilhelm von Katzenelnbogen . In the following year he made an arbitration award between Wilhelm von Katzenelnbogen and Johann II von Katzenelnbogen. In 1331 Gerlach joined the peace alliance of Archbishop Baldwin of Trier. In 1339 he brokered a comparison between Gottfried von Diez and the House of Nassau.

Under Gerlach's government, numerous building projects, some of which his father had started, were completed in Limburg. These included the stone Lahn Bridge Limburg (1315) and the new building of the church of the Franciscan monastery (1320, today city church). He had the Wilhelmite Monastery, founded on the Lahn Island before 1289, relocated to a new building in the suburb in front of Diezer Tor in 1317 . He also sponsored the Holy Spirit Hospital in the Brückenvorstadt, which was founded before 1312. The farmers from Gerlach's villages were also forced to carry out the construction work. However, the construction projects exceeded the financial capacity of the Limburg rulers, and Gerlach had to borrow money from Limburg merchants again and again.

Under Gerlach's rule in 1337 the Jews were expelled from Limburg. They were only allowed to resettle in the city in 1341 on the orders of Emperor Ludwig IV . In the same year King Charles IV, at Gerlach's request, allowed the city of Limburg to levy a bridge toll.

In 1342 a city fire broke out in Limburg, which destroyed large parts of the city. During the reconstruction, the city fortifications were extended to the suburbs at Diezer Tor with the construction of the arbitration grave in order to offer more protection in a feud with the Counts of Diez .

The consequences of the fire and the costs of the feud finally exceeded Gerlach's financial resources, so that he had to pledge half of his rule to Archbishop Balduin von Trier. At the beginning of 1346 he pledged the second half to Baldwin.

After Charles IV was elected King of Germany, war broke out. Baldwin supported Charles IV, while Gerlach was one of the supporters of Emperor Ludwig IV. In return, Emperor Ludwig issued a comprehensive letter of freedom for the city of Limburg in 1346 and granted Gerlach 20,000 pounds of Heller.

There were also fighting in the Lahn valley . Reinhard I. von Westerburg , who was in Ludwig's camp, had conquered Grenzau Castle in Trier and on April 20, 1347 attacked a relief army of Baldwin from an ambush. Almost 200 soldiers were killed in the battle before Reinhard, pursued by Trier riders, fled to Limburg Castle . Baldwin asked Gerlach to open Limburg Castle so that he could have Reinhard arrested, and pointed out that Gerlach had sworn to pledge the castle to do so. Gerlach agreed to have this matter examined legally. About 800 Westerburger soldiers stood at Dietkirchen on the day of the judgment . The Trier troops had set up camp near Diez . In the court hearing, Gerlach stated that Reinhard's attack had taken place on the orders of Emperor Ludwig IV, that Baldwin was an enemy of the empire, and that the oath that was taken was therefore not binding on Gerlach. The Trier troops then withdrew and Reinhard von Westerburg was able to return home.

After the death of Emperor Ludwig in 1347, Gerlach managed to reconcile with King Charles IV, and Karl confirmed the rights granted by Emperor Ludwig IV.

In 1349 the plague raged in Limburg. Tilemann Elhen reports of 2,400 deaths (not counting children). The rule of Limburg did not recover from the consequences.

In 1351 Gerlach joined a feud between the House of Nassau and the House of Hatzfeld .

Gerlach died on April 14, 1355, probably in Limburg.

family

Gerlach's first marriage was to Agnes von Nassau-Siegen. The marriage was concluded between 1312 and 1314. From this marriage there were three children:

  • Johann († August 21, 1336); married to Anna von Katzenelnbogen, daughter of Wilhelm I. (Katzenelnbogen)
  • Jutta († March 12, 1336); married to Johann von Katzenelnbogen
  • Uda; marries wild count Gerhard II von Kirburg in 1338

After the death of his first wife, he married Kunigunde von Wertheim. At least the following children can be assigned to this marriage:

swell

literature

  • Tilemann Elhen von Wolfhagen: A well-described chronicle of the city and the gentlemen of Limpurg on the Lahn . Ed .: Peter Jentzmik. 2nd Edition. Glaukos Verlag, Limburg 2003, ISBN 3-930428-19-9 (Unchanged reprint of the baroque edition from 1720 by Verlag Winckler, Wetzlar).
  • G. Ulrich Großmann: Limburg an der Lahn, guide through the city and its history . 5th edition. Trautvetter & Fischer, Marburg 2000, ISBN 3-87822-114-2 .
  • Franz-Karl Nieder: The Limburg dynasts and the German kings 1292 to 1356 . In: Nassau Annals . tape 117 . Publishing house of the Association for Nassau Antiquities and Historical Research , 2006, ISSN  0077-2887 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz-Karl Nieder: The Limburger Hospital and the Anna Church; Limburg 2005; P. 61
  2. ^ Franz-Karl Nieder: The Limburger Hospital and the Anna Church; Limburg 2005; P. 11
personal data
SURNAME Gerlach II.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gerlach the Elder; Gerlach II of Limburg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lord of Limburg an der Lahn
DATE OF BIRTH 13th century or 14th century
DATE OF DEATH April 14, 1355
Place of death uncertain: Limburg an der Lahn