Herbard VIII. Von Auersperg

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Herbard from and to Auersperg

Herbard VIII. Freiherr von und zu Auersperg (born June 15, 1528 in Vienna ; † September 22, 1575 near Budatschki in Croatia , fallen) earned great merits as governor of Carniola , as commander in chief of the Croatian and Slavonian military border and as a general. As a supporter and promoter of Protestantism, he made a major contribution to the Reformation gaining a foothold in Carniola. The Slovenes call him Hervard Turjaški . He is referred to as a hero of Krain. Even the Croatians ranked Herbard among the “famous Croatians”. His ancestral seat was Auersperg Castle (Turjak) , built by his ancestors in Carniola .

coat of arms

Coat of arms of Herbard VIII. Von Auersperg

His coat of arms was also the family coat of arms of those of Auersperg. In the red shield an auroch growing out of a mountain of three; on the shield a spangenhelm with red and gold covers; Crest: aurochs growing.

biography

Herbard was born in Carniola during the spread of the Reformation, the strongest Turkish invasions and the peasant unrest. He got the first polish as a boy at the appropriate schools in Vienna. Then he came to the Princely Klevian court as a page . There he also converted to the evangelical faith. In accordance with his inclination and his military talent, the young Auersperg followed the example of many of his ancestors and embarked on a military career. Under the expert guidance of Hans Freiherrn von Lenkowitsch (today's spelling is Ivan Lenkovič in Slovene or Lenković in Croatian ), the then colonel of the Styrian and “windy” border and the organizer of the Turkish border, Auersperg had ample opportunity, especially in the fight against the Turks to be distinguished. His services in the military field were soon so great that in 1548, just 20 years old, he was promoted to captain over the Uskoks in the then strategically important border fortress of Zengg ( Senj ) on the Dalmatian coast. On March 14, 1550 he was raised to the baron status and in 1557 he was appointed vice-commander on the Croatian border. In 1566 he succeeded in defeating a Turkish army in the valley of the Una River near the Novi fortress and taking the Turkish commander prisoner. For this successful mission he was appointed governor of Krain, a task that presented the incumbent with great challenges at that time. He held this office until his death in 1575, after others until 1572. In 1569 he took over the supreme command of the entire Croatian Turkish border as the commanding general.

family

Herbard came from the Pancrazian or Carnic line of the Auersperg . One of the descendants of Pankraz von Auersperg (1441–1496), Herbard's grandfather, was always the heir and owner of the Auersperg headquarters.

Trojan (* October 24, 1495, † September 10, 1541 in Vienna, buried in the local Minorite Church of the Holy Cross), Herbard's father, lived in Ljubljana at a young age , then in Vienna. He soon took an active part in public and political life. He was a knight, chief treasurer in Carniola and in the Windischen Mark , governor in Carniola, imperial councilor and regent of the regiment of the Lower Austrian lands. After the death of Emperor Maximilian I , he and Georg von Schnitzenbaum were given the honor of paying homage to the new Emperor Karl in Spain as representative of Krain . He is also said to have distinguished himself in the defense of Vienna , which was besieged by the Turks in 1529 . It was also Trojan who had the badly damaged Auersperg rebuilt after the devastating earthquake in Carniola in 1511.

After returning from Spain, Trojan married 18-year-old Anna Egkh von Hungerspach (* 1502), daughter of Georg Egkh von Hungerspach auf Neuburg, and Katharina von Liechtenstein from the Karneid family on January 19, 1520 in Görz. Anna was not only wealthy, but obviously in good health; she bore him at least nine children. When he died in 1541, all of his children were still minors. In addition to his wife, Trojan appointed other people in his will to look after the family.

In 1549 Herbard married Maria Christina Freiin von Spaur-Valör, the daughter of the hereditary cupbearer of Tyrol, Ulrich. They had four sons. The youngest, Johann Thomas (1556–1557) died in childhood. The others studied in Tübingen and Padua, where Trojan (1554–1569) died at the age of 15. He was buried in the Augustinian monastery there.

Archduke Karl even campaigned for the release of his son Wolf Engelbrecht (1552–1590), who was captured by the Turks in the Battle of Budatschki in 1575, with a corresponding letter to Pope Gregory XIII. In 1577 Wolf Engelbrecht returned to Krain, where he continued his military career. In 1589 he married Elisabeth von Egkh († around 1621). However, since he died a year later, it was assumed that his Turkish “hosts” administered a slow-acting poison to him prior to his release, similar to what was the case with Ludwig von Kosiack .

Herbard's eldest son, Christoph (1550–1592) married Anna von Maltzan († 1583) in his first marriage in 1573 and Elisabeth von Tannhausen (approx. 1558–1595) in his second marriage in 1589. Christoph took care of a large number of offspring that continued the pancreatic line. This is where the princely line came from.

Promoter of Protestantism

The call for a "reformation of the church in head and members" was also loud in Carniola at that time. Like so many of his peers in Carniola, Auersperg was a staunch supporter and promoter of Protestantism. From a young age he was devoted to evangelical teaching. He openly confessed to the Protestant religion and met the anti-Protestant measures of the Catholic hierarchy with a dignified and firm attitude.

The family also had friendly relations with Primož Trubar (born June 9 (?) 1508 in Raščica; † June 28, 1586 in Derendingen), the " Luther " of the Slovenes. When Trubar came to Carniola again from Germany, Herbard's wife sent three horses to meet him and invited him over. The family "also supported the second creator of Slovenian literature, Magister Jurij (Georg) Dalmatin (* around 1547 in Gurkfeld / Krško; † August 31, 1589 in Ljubljana), the editor of the Windische (ie Slovenian) biblical work."

In the church of St. Kanzian, which stood near Auersperg Castle, Auersperg employed only Protestant preachers from 1564 on . In the castle itself he had the old chapel renovated, where from then on services were only held by Lutheran preachers. This chapel, decorated with medieval ornaments, is still called the Luther Chapel today.

In addition to the grievances in the church, Auersperg was not only displeased with the display of splendor at court, which devoured enormous sums of money, but also with the “in the country”, by which he meant the nobility; the funds for financing national defense to ward off external threats would only be approved with hesitation and instead increasing taxes would be imposed on the farmers. Auersperg saw with a clear view another danger, which in this case threatened the country from within.

Battle of Budachki

Preparations

In Bruck an der Mur , where delegates from the hereditary countries discussed measures and the approval of funds to defend the borders at the beginning of September 1575, during the meeting Auersperg received reliable news about major concentrations of Turkish troops near Bihatsch ( Bihać ). Five Begs were preparing to overrun Croatia with a well-armed army. Auersperg said: “I will not avoid the battle, although I know that this time it will cost me my head.” And immediately set off for the border. Plagued by premonitions of death, he spent a few days on Auersperg with his family and made his will. Shortly afterwards he set out for Freienthurn (Pobrežje) on the Kulpa with his son Wolf Engelbrecht and 50 riders. Freienthurn was then a market town with a larger fortress, where the armaments were kept. From there he sent messengers to all officers at the border with the order to equip their men accordingly, to set them on the march and to join him within four days at the Budatschki fortress ( Budački , also Budatsky ). Auersperg himself and his companion arrived at the Croatian nobleman Tušilović near Budatschki on September 21 and set up camp there.

Course of the battle

About 1,000 mounted men and a few thousand foot soldiers joined him. Valvasor reports that Auersperg spent a restless night, as if he suspected that he was betrayed, surrounded and lost. When it was still dark he had his servants awakened, put on his armor and sent four Croatian horsemen to scout out the enemy camp and report to him. It was September 22nd, 1575. He spoke a few words of encouragement to his son and his loyal companion, Friedrich von Weichselberg, captain of the riflemen and his lieutenant Daniel von Tettau and Julius von Sara, after which he inspected the outposts, accompanied by a few followers .

The troop was attacked by a Turkish advance command. Auersperg attacked immediately and initially put the Turks to flight. In the meantime the main power of the Turks has come closer and rushed to the aid of the advance command. The pressure from the Turks grew ever stronger and the circle around Auersperg became ever closer. In the fray, while Auerspergs tried to free his comrade Ivan Voljković from the distress, his horse was shot down, he himself was torn down, killed and beheaded.

Auersperg's contingent, which were far inferior in numbers to the Turkish forces - we are talking about 10,000–12,000 men - was crushed. In addition to Auersperg, Friedrich von Weichselberg and Daniel von Tettau and another 200 of the team fell. Auersperg's son Wolf Engelbrecht, Balthasar von Gusitsch, Wolf Ensthaler, Thomas Tschadesch, Hauptmann zu Serin, Julius von Sara and Christoph Purgstaller were captured. Ott and Heinrich von Losenstein, Martin Wolfgang von Mordax (t) and Auerspergs Schreiber were able to flee; they brought the news of the total defeat to Freienthurn.

Burial of Herbard von Auersperg

Herbard von Auersperg was born on September 25, 1575 in Laibach in the Protestant hospital church of St. Elisabeth solemnly buried. Magister Christoph Spindler, Superintendent of the Evangelical Church in Carniola, gave the funeral sermon. It was published by the first Ljubljana printer, Johann Mandelc (Mannel) . In the same year, the biography of Herbard von Auersperg, written in Latin by Georg Freiherrn von Khisl, also a supporter and promoter of Protestantism, was published by Mandelc. The German translation was provided by Hans Krazenpacher in 1576.

The inscription on Auersperg's tombstone read: Eloqium Herbardi ab Auersperg Herois inclyti, qui in finibus Croatiae ad Budatschki adversus Turcas strenue dimicans September 22, 1575 occubuit. Herbardo from Auersperg, sago et toga longe inclyto, Heroi in utraque fortuna spectato, qui praecipuis in Patria forisque gestis cunctis se admirabilem praebuit; cum utrique profuerit consilio et manibus ambiguum ut videtur, prudentior capitaneus Carniolae: an fortior dux militiae esset. Cecidit quisdem sed in acie sed dimicans sed occiens circumventus et pro mole pressus fatumque fato objiciens e vita cedens nos cessit animo, docens aliud esse occumbere aliud debellari, fatis concessit, ut memoriae, sublatus oculis mentium admirationi exhibeatur. Quem suorum gestorum fama, ut heroem magnanimum immortalitati hoc honoris monumento immolat.

Triumphal procession in Istanbul

The victory over Herbard von Auersperg, the captain of the Duchy of Carniola and commander-in-chief on the Croatian military border, was a great success for the Turks operating there. On December 9, 1575, Istanbul saw a triumphant entry by Turkish associations. The secretary of Baron von Ungnad, the then imperial envoy at the Diwan, described the event as follows: The procession was led by a detachment of mounted men from the border with their long-tailed headgear. Two Turks followed with two flags. Immediately afterwards two Turkish soldiers stepped, carrying the impaled heads of Herbard von Auersperg and his comrade Friedrich von Weichselberg on long stakes. Bearers were those who cut off their heads. Deli Peruana, who beheaded Auersperg, was appointed Zaim and his salary increased by 250 thalers. He also had the prospect of advancing to the rank of Alori or Sansabeg. Deli Regiex, who beheaded the Weichselberger, was also Zaim with an annual salary of 2000 Aspern. The governor's chopped off head looked broad and "friendly" with a reddish-gray beard and graying hair. And it looked like he had a wound below the cheek. The skull of the Weichselberger was elongated and without a beard.

Four more standard-bearers stepped behind it. This was followed by Laurenz Petričević, a captured Hungarian captain with a Hungarian hat and Croatian boots. He was the castle administrator of Mr. Jobst Thurn at the castle Seisenberg (Žužemberk) on the Gurk (Krka) in Lower Carniola. Behind it stepped two captured drummers and a piper, followed by twenty captured young men with iron chains around their necks. Almost the last to walk was a young Burgstaller with white sleeves and leather trousers and a green and blue feather on his hat. Nessim Tihaja, a courtier of Ferhad-Beg, followed with prisoners from Croatia and Carniola, he was promoted to the rank of Tschausch (about: Sergeant).

The heads of Herbard von Auersperg and Friedrich von Weichselberg

Auersperg's head and Friedrich von Weichselberg's, who had fallen at his side, had their skin peeled off and tanned. The heads prepared in this way raised the relatives for 20,000 thalers. Valvasor, who had taken a very close look at Auersperg Castle, reports in his work “ The Honor of the Hertzogthums Crain ” that the stuffed heads are kept in a small shrine made of cypress wood in the castle's armory as family relics. The cypress wood shrine has been lost since the devastating battles between the partisans and the White Guards (Domobranci), who holed up in the castle in September 1943, when the fortress of Auersperg was reduced to ashes. There are black and white images of the stuffed heads. But there is also a color photo of it; that could mean that the little shrine is still being kept somewhere.

Ferhadija Mosque

Ferhad-Beg financed the construction of the Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka with the ransom for the stuffed head skins and the ransom that was paid to the Turks for the release of Herbard by Auersperg's young son Wolf Engelbrecht . The mosque was built in 1579 and 1580. It has a square floor plan with a dome and three other smaller domes in the entrance area.

Above the entrance is the inscription:

Ovu velebnu bogomolju podiže u ime Allaha dobrotvor Ferhad-beg, pomagač vjernika. Žednim mačem uklesa u marble svoje junačko ime. Ratnim imetkom podiže dobro taj odabrani muž. Spahija, prispjevši gradjevini reče joj kronogram: "Ú ime Allaha sagradjeno je ovo mjesto za vjernike!"
(This lofty place of worship was built in honor of Allah by the benefactor Ferhad-Beg, the helper of the faithful. With a thirsty sword he chiseled his heroic name into the marble. This eminent man used the fortune acquired during the war in an exemplary manner. A Spahi, arrived there left the following chronogram: "In honor of Allah, this place was built for the believers.")

In the courtyard on the right side of the mosque is a richly decorated crypt. The corpse of Ferhad-Pasha from Ofen (Budim (Budapest)), the vizier of Ofen, who was murdered by one of his slaves in 1590, was transferred there. The Ferhadija Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Banja Luka, which is considered to be one of the most distinctive monuments and one of the most beautiful architectural structures in Bosnia.

The mosque was razed to the ground by Serbian nationalists in 1993, and the foundation stone for its reconstruction was laid in 2001.

Consequences of defeat

Herbard's brother, Weichard von Auersperg, succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief at the border. Since there was a lack of money, he had to dismiss the soldiers deployed there for some time. They scattered to the winds, marauded around, robbed and murdered if necessary to survive. Alongside the Turks, they became one of the greatest dangers for the rural population there. This catastrophic situation made it possible for the Turks to cross the Kolpa almost unhindered for further raids in Carniola. The situation on the border became unbearable. Archduke Karl therefore bought the land between the Kolpa, Korana and Dobrna rivers from Count Zriny and had the Karlstadt ( Karlovac ) fortress built there in 1579 , which later became one of the main obstacles to further penetration by the Turks.

Genealogy (excerpt)

Pankraz (1441–1496), ⚭ 1479 Anna von Frangepan (Frangepani, Slovenian and Croatian: Frankopan ),

Children (of the Pankraz):
  1. Rosina (1471–1525), 1 ⚭ Caspar von Pergheim , 2 ⚭ Ladislaus von Thurn ,
  2. Octavian († around 1507),
  3. Gottfried (died as a child),
  4. Darius († around 1510),
  5. Trojan (he follows) ,
  6. Hercules († 1488),
  7. Juno († 1489),
  8. Sophie († around 1488),
  9. Anna (lived around 1488), ⚭ around 1520 Andreas von Lamberg ,
  10. Caspar,
  11. Barbara,
  12. Catherine,
  13. Monica,

Trojan (1495–1541), ⚭ 1520 Anna von Egkh-Hungerspach (* around 1502, † around 1544)

Children (of the Trojan):
1. Christoph Georg (* around 1522),
2. Polyxena (1524–1568), ⚭ 1545 Jobst von Gallenberg (* around 1520–1566),
3. Maxentia (* around 1526), ​​⚭ 1545 Alexander von Obratschan († around 1561),
4. HERBARD VIII. (He follows),
5. Esther (1511-1536),
6. Weichard (1533–1581), ⚭ 1564 Dorothe von Meseritsch – Lomnitz ,
7. Dietrich (1534–1571), ⚭ 1560 J ustina Countess of Lodron – Laterano († 1599),
Children (of Dietrich)
1. Johann Paris (around 1560),
2. Johann Anton (around 1562),
3.Jobst Joseph (around 1563),
4. Anna, 1 ⚭ Gabriel Freiherr von Egkh – Hungerspach , 2 ⚭ Otto von Radmannsdorf († 1610), 3 ⚭ Johann Freiherr von Boß ,
5. Juliana († 1594), ⚭ 1592 Georg Siegmund Count von Stubenberg (1570–1632),
8. Juditha (* 1536), ⚭ 1552 Johann von Scharff,
9. Anna (* 1539), 1 ⚭ 1560 Georg von Auersperg († around 1565); 2 ⚭ 1567 Wilhelm von Lamberg († 1598),

HERBARD VIII. (1528–1575), ⚭ 1549 Maria Christina Freiin von Spaur-Valör ,

Children (of Herbard):
1. Christoph (1550–1592), 1 ⚭ 1573 Anna von Maltzan († 1583); 2 ⚭ 1589 Elisabeth von Thannhausen (approx. 1558–1595); Christoph continued the pancreatic line. This is where the princely line came from.
2. Wolf Engelbrecht (1552–1590), ⚭ 1589 Elisabeth von Egkh († after 1621),
Daughter (of Wolf Engelbrecht):
Christina Sidonia († 1658), ⚭ Georg Freiherr von Maxlrain ,
3. Trojan (1554-1569);
4. Johann Thomas (1556–1557)

reception

By the imperial resolution of Franz Joseph I on February 28, 1863 Herbard VIII. Von Auersperg was added to the list of the "most famous warlords and generals of Austria worthy of perpetual emulation" , in their honor and memory there is also a life-size statue in the general hall the then newly established Imperial and Royal Court Weapons Museum (today: Army History Museum Vienna) was built. The statue was created in 1868 from Carrara marble by the sculptor Anton Paul Wagner and was dedicated by Emperor Franz Joseph himself.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Meyers Konversationslexikon 1888 , 4th edition, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna 1885-1892; 2nd vol., P. 48
  2. ^ Meyers Konversationslexikon 1888 2nd vol., P. 48
  3. ↑ Meyers Konversationslexikon 1988, 2nd volume, p. 48
  4. ↑ Der Große Brockhaus, Handbuch des Wissens, 15th edition in 20 volumes, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1929–1935, Volume 2 (1928), p. 52
  5. ↑ Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck : The Army History Museum Vienna. The museum and its representative rooms . Kiesel Verlag, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7023-0113-5 , p. 31

literature

personal data
SURNAME Auersperg, Herbard VIII. Von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Auersberg, Herwert von; Turjaški, Hervard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian military leader
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1528
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH September 22, 1575
Place of death near Budatschki ( Croatia )