Company with the donkey
The company with the donkey - also "The donkey", "Zum Esel", "Tournament society zum Esel", "Ober-Esel", "Nieder-Esel" or similar. - was a 1387 first testified as Tournament Society occurring Knight Alliance , which soon also members of the nobility belonged. The year of foundation is not known. The federal government united the majority of the imperial nobility from the Wetterau to the Kraichgau . Individual members of the society gained political importance during the reign of King Ruprecht (1400–1410).
Unions
After the fall of the Hohenstaufen and with the dwindling power of the emperors, the imperial ministerial authorities felt threatened by the increasing strength of the territorial lords and cities. In the 14th century, the granting of nobility privileges through nobility letters (letter = certificate) from the emperor began. The long -established knightly nobility wanted to distance themselves from this newly created post office . In order to protect rank and rights, the knights therefore sought to join forces in landscaped associations. A politically motivated unification was prohibited under Article 15 of the Golden Bull , but an association on a sociable basis was permitted. So it came to the formation of knight and tournament societies, especially in Swabia, Franconia, Bavaria and on the Rhine. The surviving federal letter of the knight and tournament society "with the donkey" from 1425 and the surviving account and protocol book from the years 1387–1435 give an insight into the organization and activities of such a union.
Society
The oldest surviving message of the Society with the Donkey comes from the year 1387, the date of foundation is not known. With Frankfurt and Heidelberg, this knightly union had two centers. Frankfurt was the center of the journeymen from Nieder-Esel , who had their headquarters north of Frankfurt, in the Taunus or in the Wetterau between Lahn and Main. The journeymen south of Frankfurt - on the Rhine, on Bergstrasse , in the Odenwald and in the Kraichgau - formed the group of the Ober-Esel with Heidelberg as the center. In these also historically very different landscapes, society with the donkey was led by elected "kings". The vast majority of the imperial nobility in the area of society belonged to the donkey society. The knights from the Wetterau and the Odenwald had the largest share, but the nobility from the Kraichgau were also involved in large numbers.
Mutual help, protection of honor and the settlement of disputes among journeymen were the main purpose of the knighthood, along with the organization and implementation of tournaments. The cultivation of knightly virtues and a knightly courtly way of life promoted class awareness. In the first few years one does not hear about political activities. Since around 1400 individual members appear at historical events, as councilors and officials of the princes or as mayors and envoys of the cities. So the federal government did not have a uniform political appearance. The reign of Ruprecht von der Pfalz (German king 1400–1410) was the heyday of society with the donkey; In 1408 the number of journeymen is given as 110. Ruprecht's influential advisers included many members of the Federation: Hermann von Rodenstein , Dieter von Handschuhsheim, Eberhard and Johann von Hirschhorn , Reinhard von Sickingen, Wipert von Helmstadt , Count Philipp von Nassau-Saarbrücken , Henne von Werberg and others. Reichsministeriale from the "Eselsbund" accompanied the king on his journey to Rome . After Ruprecht's death, the high political influence of the company was lost. King Ruprecht relied on the nobility from Kraichgau and the Palatinate who were devoted to him , while under King Sigismund the Swabian nobility played a role. In 1422 the knight societies received King Sigismund's privilege to unite and unite unhindered. One can assume that the imperial direct nobility from the donkey society was involved in the general Franconian knight union founded in 1427 and in its alliance with the Swabian and Bavarian societies. The sources report nothing about this. Since 1431 the journeymen were free to leave the company with the donkey. In 1431, at the meeting of counts and knights from many parts of Germany, the donkey knight Frank von Kronberg appeared in Windsheim as a representative of the Wetterau , but no representative from the Odenwald and Hesse. The different interests of the knights stood in the way of the smooth continuation of the society.
In the middle of the 15th century the group of the head donkey “fell asleep”, but in November 1478 - after the praiseworthy society ... had not been handled for a long time, but had been abandoned - a new establishment took place. The dress code became more meticulous and the tournament system flourished again. The maintenance of the chivalrous tournament had outlived itself, however, and with it the time of the company with the donkey. On January 11, 1490, the last chapter meeting of the group of the upper donkey took place. Only twelve members were still present: Schenk Erasmus, Herr zu Erbach and zu Bickenbach · Erhart von Helmstatt (King of the Society) · Ott vom Hirschhorn · Hans von Sickingen · Erkinger and Hans von Rodenstein · Blickher von Gemmingen · Johann von Helmstatt · Carius and Hans von Gemmingen · Conrad von Frankenstein and Conrad von Sickingen. Only a few weeks later, the “Knights on the Kraichgau” founded a “brotherhood” on February 1, 1490 for a period of ten years. The knight society that cultivates sociability in the tournament has transformed into an association with political goals.
Journeymen
Only those "who are noblemen and co-arms of four ancestors and have not entered into an unequal marriage " were accepted as journeymen . Thus, the nobility was a prerequisite for membership as a birth status and the postal nobility was excluded. All journeymen had to agree to the admission of a new member who swore to the federal charter, a document with the statutes, before joining the society. Everyone was committed to loyalty, advice and help to the other, even in an unintended need. The burdens of society were distributed among the members according to their ability to perform. Once or twice a year the journeymen met for a chapter (meeting of equals). It served the decision on common matters, the admission of new members, the election of the "king" (captain) and the settlement of disputes among the journeymen.
The oldest known federal letter is dated April 23, 1414. The following journeymen from Ober-Esel have signed and sealed: Hans von Hirschhorn the Younger · Wilhelm Rüde · Schenk Conrad, Herr zu Erbach the Younger · Hans von Renchingen · Conz von Hornbach · Albert von Venningen Siegfried von Venningen Reinhard von Nippenburg Ulrich von Rosenberg Eberhardt von Gemmingen Eberhardt von Nyperg Wiprecht von Helmstatt the Younger Hans von Helmstadt zu Aspach Conrad von Rosenberg the Elder Hans von Venningen zu Marchalburg Reinhardt? · Conrad von Frankenstein · Hermann von Rodenstein the Younger · Conrad von Hartheim · Wiprecht von Helmstatt the Younger · Hans von Venningen the Elder · Eberhardt von Venningen · Hans von Helmstatt the Younger · Wiprecht von Helmstatt the Elder · Götz von Berlichingen · Swicker von Sickingen the younger Reinhard von Sickingen Hans von Sickingen Hermann von Sickingen Contz Landschad Heinrich von Sickingen Eberhard von Menzingen Hans von Helmstatt Eberhardt von Hirschhorn Hermann von Rodenstein Hans von Hirschhorn Eberhardt von Hirschhorn the Younger Hans Landschad from Steinach . It is possible that this federal letter from 1414 is the "founding document" of the group vom Ober-Esel, although the following journeymen are mentioned from the area of the group in a list of members before 1414: Konze von Berlichingen (1395), Albrecht VI. von Erligheim (1396), Diether IV. von Handschuhsheim (1387), Wiprecht von Helmstadt (1395), Hans V. von Hirschhorn (1395), Konrad Landschad von Steinach (1394), Hermann II. von Rodenstein (1387), Schwarz- Reinhard IV von Sickingen (1394), Swende von Weinheim (1400). It could be that in 1414 society with the donkey was divided into the groups of lower and upper donkeys.
The traditional federal letter of the Nieder-Esel group dated August 29, 1425 was summoned and sealed by 17 new journeymen with the donkey : Gilbert Wais von Fauerbach ·? ·? ·? · Reinhard von Schwalbach · Philipp? · Hermann? · Rudolf von Sachsenhausen · Dietrich Specht of Bubenheim · Gilbrecht Wais of Fauerbach · Heinrich Rode · Hermann von Hohenweissel · Emmerich carbene · Wenzel von Cleen · hen Rödelheim · Georg Brendel of Homburg · hen of Bellersheim .
The high nobility soon invaded society - princes, counts, free lords - who had no priority within the confederation. The aristocracy was not involved in founding the company . The mentioned list of members gives names: 1398, Philipp, Graf von Nassau-Saarbrücken 1409, Simon, Graf von Sponheim 1410, Gerhard, Graf von Sayn 1415, Heinrich, Graf von Nidda 1418, Dieter Isenburg (noble-free family ) 1428 , Reinhard, Herr von Hanau , Imperial Count since 1429 · 1430, Philipp, Count von Katzenelnbogen .
A citizen of Mainz is also mentioned in the list of 78 noble families, probably a member of the letter nobility: 1392, Heinrich Jude vom Stein .
king
All journeymen were obliged to obey the annually elected “king”. The king administered the federal treasury and represented the company in public according to the instructions of the chapter. Disputes between the journeymen among themselves or with third parties came at the chapter before the king. If this could not settle the dispute amicably, he appointed two arbitrators who took up the matter. Fines were due for simple violations of the order, but the referees could also impose prison sentences. The feud was forbidden to the journeymen. Vengeance was not allowed, but the chivalrous justice of the peace demanded atonement . If the defendant did not appear in court, or refused the atonement and committed malpractice, he was expelled from society. With the endeavor for peace between the journeymen, the Knight League supported the imperial land peace , which was renewed again and again . Heilmann von Praunheim, Gernant von Buseck , Hermann von Rodenstein, Johann von Linden, Dieter von Handschuhsheim and Gilbert Wais von Fauerbach were the first "kings" after 1387.
Name, coat of arms and costume
Namesake and heraldic animal of the company was the donkey, now a symbol of stupidity and stubbornness, but also known as a thinker among the animals. In the Middle Ages, however, the donkey was associated with the life of Jesus, with the stable in Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt and the entry into Jerusalem. The Virgin Mary - symbol of purity, piety and humility - also appeared in the badge of society. The coats of arms of the knight and tournament societies are based on the model of the religious orders of knights . The knight associations often chose an animal as a symbolic figure.
An entry in the accounting and log book describes the uniform clothing in 1412: The journeymen wore a red skirt, on the left side of which the maiden and a donkey stood facing each other in a scene with anvil, tongs and hammer as a symbol of the forged loyalty. The right side was also decorated with the virgin and a donkey. The scarves were numerous with the symbol of the forged hands. The embroidery of gold on the knights' skirt, and silver on that of the squire. The journeymen had to wear this costume on tournament and chapter days. Appearance on these days was compulsory and not absent without excuse was a punishable offense.
List of noble families in society with the donkey
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literature
- Karl J. Svoboda: From the constitution of the canton Kraichgau of the immediate free knighthood in Swabia with special consideration of the territorial element. In: Journal for the history of the Upper Rhine . Volume 116, 1968, pp. 253-289.
- Alfred Friese: The knight and tournament society "with the donkey". A contribution to the cultural history of the Middle Rhine-Hessian nobility in the late Middle Ages. In: Archive for Hessian History and Archeology . New series, Volume 24, 1952/1953, pp. 153-184.
- Gustav Kolb: The Kraichgau knighthood under the government of Elector Philip of the Palatinate. In: Württemberg quarterly for regional history . New series, Volume 19, 1910, pp. 1–154.
- Lotte Kurras: Tournament book from the Kraichgau knighthood . Commentary on the facsimile edition of Cod. Ross 711. Belser, Zurich 1984.
- Clemens Rehm, Konrad Krimm: Between princes and farmers - imperial knighthood in the Kraichgau. Heimatverein Kraichgau, Sinsheim 1992.
- Andreas Ranft: Adel companies . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1994.
- Karl J. Svoboda: The society "with the donkey" on the Rhine, Main and Neckar. In: Ruperto-Carola. Announcements from the Association of Friends of the Student Union of Heidelberg University. Volume 38, 1965, pp. 164-167.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Friese p. 160f.
- ↑ According to Kolb p. 14, note 5.
- ↑ Kolb p. 83.
- ↑ Kolb p. 14f.
- ↑ Svoboda p. 282f.
- ↑ Kolb p. 13 note 4.
- ↑ Friese pp. 170-180.
- ↑ Friese pp. 180-184.
- ↑ Friese p. 158.
- ↑ Friese p. 165.
