Hermann I. of Castell

The count's epitaph in the church in Rüdenhausen

Hermann I. Graf und Herr zu Castell († around 1289 ) was ruler of the County of Castell from around 1253 until his death . He founded the line from the Upper Castle and is considered the progenitor of all Counts of Castell who are still living today .

The county before Hermann I.

The development of the county is closely linked to the social processes of the High Middle Ages. In the second half of the 11th century, a noble freeman with his seat in Castell Castle is mentioned for the first time. He had probably been compensated for his services by one of the larger rulers in the area, namely the Abbey of Fulda , and belonged to the so-called service nobility, the ministerials .

In competition with the other aristocratic families in the region, the Castell accumulated more and more own property and, in the course of the 12th century, formed a domain in the south and west of the Steigerwald. Around the year 1200, the gentlemen of Castell also assumed the title of Count , soon followed by the formula “ dei gratia ” (Latin: by God's grace). The area that the counts ruled was by no means uniform, but consisted of bailiwicks and whole and half village lords.

Life

Very little is known about the Count's life. He was the child of Count Friedrich I and his wife Bertha, who came from the Henneberg family. Hermann’s youth and education are again in the dark. After the death of his father, he took control of the county around 1250, which he had to share with his brother Heinrich. Count Hermann zu Castell was first mentioned in 1253.

At the same time, the most important settlement within the dominion, Volkach , established itself as a city; it was first mentioned as such in 1258. With this rise, the castellian dominion reached a great extent and, in addition to the city, also included several important bailiwicks over villages on the edge of the Steigerwald. The rise was not hidden from the Würzburg prince-bishopric, which was also based on the Main and its settlements.

In the following years there were disputes between the brothers Heinrich and Hermann. While Heinrich made pacts with the Counts of Henneberg, who tried to limit the influence of the bishops, Hermann stood at the side of Bishop Poppo von Trimberg . In the years 1265/1267 the dispute escalated: Hermann and Heinrich divided up the territory between them, so that two lines were created. Hermann headed the line from the Upper Castle , Heinrich resided in the Lower Castle .

The sources do not specify the eighties of the 13th century. According to tradition, Count Hermann is said to have undertaken a trip to Jerusalem in order to bring several monks of the Carmelite Order with him to the county. In 1282 Hermann donated one of the first monasteries of this order in Germany on the shabby ruins of the Vogelsburg . He planned to make this place a family burial place.

Count Hermann I zu Castell died around 1289 and was buried in the Vogelsburg monastery . The original epitaph of the count can be found today in the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Rüdenhausen, copies are on display at the Vogelsburg and in the Museum Baroque Barn of the city of Volkach.

Marriage and offspring

Hermann married Sophie von Wildberg around 1263 , whose family was also close to the Würzburg bishop. The sources are mostly silent about the couple's children. Only the successor of Hermann, Friedrich, is known.

• Friedrich († around 1349)
• Bertha († around 1337)

literature

• Wilhelm Engel: House u. Reign of Castell in Franconian history . In: Society for Franconian History (ed.): Castell. Contributions to the culture and history of home and dominion. New Year's Sheets XXIV . Würzburg 1952. pp. 1-19.
• Otto Meyer: The Castell house. State and class rule over the centuries . In: Otto Meyer, Hellmut Kunstmann (ed.): Castell. State rule - castles - status lordship . Castell 1979. pp. 9-53.

Web links

Commons : Hermann I. zu Castell  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Meyer, Otto: The Castell House . P. 14.
2. ↑ Digital library: Historical Atlas of Bavaria. Part of Franconia. Series II. Issue 3 , page 3, accessed on March 20, 2015.
3. ↑ Meyer, Otto: The Castell House . P. 18.
4. ↑ Engel, Wilhelm: Haus u. Reign of Castell . P. 4.

predecessor	Office	successor
Friedrich I.	Count of Castell 1253–1289	Friedrich II.