Bussnang (noble family)

The Barons of Bussnang were from the 12th to the 15th century, a noble family in today's Eastern Possession focus to Bussnang and Weinfelden . Her residence was Bussnang Castle until the beginning of the 15th century . The family maintained close relationships with the Diocese of Constance and the Prince Abbey of St. Gallen , from which they held fiefs and pledges and in which they repeatedly held important positions. In the 14th century, the Bussnang also increasingly leaned on Habsburg Austria .

Main line

Coat of arms of the barons of Bussnang

The first known representative is Albrecht (proven from 1150 to 1180), above all as a witness for the Bishop of Constance, including his alleged brother Berthold von Bussnang . After Albrecht's death in 1216, presumably the son of the first-named Albrecht, the family inheritance was shared between his sons Albrecht and Heinrich, but part of the property was still administered jointly. Heinrich and his descendants formed an independent branch of the family from then on, named after their Griesenberg castle.

In contrast to that of Griesenberg, the main line from Bussnang was unable to expand its holdings. However, they continued to hold important ecclesiastical positions, such as Konrad as abbot of St. Gallen, his nephew Berchtold as canon in Chur and Konstanz and canon in Zurich, Elisabeth (occupied from 1307 to 1318) and Margaretha (1422) as abbesses of Säckingen and Anna in 1398 until 1404 as abbess of the Zurich Fraumünster. The Bussnang also pursued a skilful marriage policy - among other things in the 13th century with the Wartenberg and the Counts of Toggenburg , in the 14th century with the Hohenklingen , Altenklingen and Enne - which was not particularly profitable economically. Around 1420, the family began liquidating their property, which was almost complete with the death of Conrad IV , the last known male representative of the family, in 1471.

Line from Griesenberg

Coat of arms of the Lords of Griesenberg

Neu-Griesenberg Castle, built in 1291, fell into the depths in 1760 due to the erosion of the rock.

The main focus of the Griesenberg line was on the western part of the family estate with the eponymous castle (Alt-) Griesenberg . The family had a close relationship with the St. Gallen abbots Konrad von Bussnang and later Wilhelm von Montfort , with whose niece Adelheid Heinrich (documented 1285? To 1324) was married. In return, the family took over various abbot fiefdoms and pledges, for the first time in 1269 Albrecht, Uncle Heinrichs, who was married to a Regensberg woman, as a pledge of interest in Dürnten and Mönchaltorf .

At the end of the 13th century, the Griesenberg abbot supported Wilhelm von Montfort in his long-standing feud with King Rudolf I and Albrecht I of Habsburg and had to accept the destruction of Alt-Griesenberg and the abbot feudal castles Wildberg in what is now the community of Jonschwil and Iberg . The new residence was the Neu-Griesenberg Castle, built around 1291, right next to the village of Griesenberg . As compensation, Heinrich and his cousin Lütold received the farms of Bazenheid and Rickenbach as a pledge from the abbot, as well as the town and farm of Wil for a few years , which were replaced in 1302 by the Bailiwick of Bernhardzell .

After the reconciliation of the new abbot with Habsburg, Heinrich also entered the Austrian service, was the confidante of the widow of King Albrecht I and the young Austrian Duke Leopold I of Habsburg and held the office of governor in Aargau . After Lütold's death in 1324, the last of the line, his daughter Adelheid, who was married to Diethelm V. von Toggenburg, took over most of the property. In 1371 the inheritance fell to her daughter Clementa and her husband Heinrich von Hewen .

See also

• Dietbert von Bussnang , † 1186, abbot in the monastery of St. Blasien in the southern Black Forest

literature

• Martin Leonhard: from Bussnang. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  This article is largely based on the entry in the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS), which, according to the HLS's usage information, is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution - Distribution under the same conditions 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Karl Brenner: The barons of Bussnang in general. In: Thurgauian contributions to patriotic history. Volume 11 (1870), Issue 11 (archived in E-Periodica.ch of the ETH-Bibliothek , PDF; 1.4 MB)
2. ↑ ^{a b} List of archaeological sites. On the website of the Office for Spatial Development of the Canton of Thurgau, June 2009 (PDF; 0.1 MB)