Reign of Lösnich

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Coat of arms of the Knights of Losnich as ancestral specimen on the grave slab of the knight Cuno VI. by Pyrmont 1447
Gravestone of Lisa von Pyrmont (von Lösnich), died around 1399, and of Heinrich Beyer von Boppard from the former Marienberg monastery in Boppard
The sovereign territory of the Lösnich rulership in 1675 on the right of the Moselle
The sovereignty of the Lösnich dominion in 1675 left the Moselle
The castle, which was burned down in 1652, in 1689
View to Lösnich from the left side of the Moselle
Coat of arms of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1638 on the portal of today's cemetery chapel and former parish church

The rulership of Lösnich with the village of Lösnich on the Moselle, located in the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich , was a former imperial rule.

The village with its castle was the ancestral seat of the Knights of Lösnich and since the middle of the 14th century an Electoral Cologne fiefdom in the immediate vicinity of the County of Sponheim , the "Cröver Reich" and the Electoral Cologne office of Zeltingen and Rachtig.

From 1673, reports about the Lösnich castle and rule mention that the village of Bausendorf , which was under the auspices of the Electorate of Trier, also belonged to the Lösnich rule. In the municipal coat of arms of Bausendorf, for example, the coat of arms of the Knights of Lösnich, the Lösnich "woman's arm" can be found on a red field. The rulers had other feudal properties with corresponding income in Erden , Rachtig , Kinheim , Neuerburg , Bengel , Remich near Trier, Kommen , Immerath , Steineberg , Strotzbüsch and Rhens .

The life of the residents of Lösnich was shaped by the so-called feudal system until the French troops moved into the Rhineland in 1794 .

Loan letter

The legal relationship between feudal lord and feudal man was described and regulated in the feudal letter. It cannot be said with certainty whether the Lösnich knights themselves were already in a feudal relationship with the Electorate of Trier or the Electorate of Cologne. In a status report from 1690 about the rule, however, it says: “The old knightly family von Lösnich has raised the house of Lösnich sambt from the laudable Ertzstift Cöln to fiefs and carried some appertinentia up to the last of this tribe with the name Conrad, who after the year In 1367 Todts faded without male heirs,… “The first written testimony of a feudal letter is from Heinrich Beyer von Boppard from 1368. As the second husband of Lisa von Lösnich , the last of the Lösnich family, he joined the inheritance of the Lordship of Lösnich.

Electoral Cologne feudal letter from 1509

An excerpt from a copy of a feudal letter from Cologne Archbishop Philip II von Daun from 1509 in the camp book of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt gives an insight into the content of the Lösnich feudal letter. The content and structure of the letter have remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. In 1509, the feudal man of the Castle of Lösnich was Conrad Beyer von Boppard, a great-great-great-grandson of Lisa von Lösnich .

Among other things, it says here: “We Philip, by God's grace of salvation. Kirchen zu Cöllen Ertzbischof, of the Holy Roman Empire German Nation Ertzcanzler and Elector, Hertzog zu Westphalen and to… do announce and confess that we have graciously enfeoffed our dear loyal Conrad Beyer von Boppard, and enfeoff him in force of this letter with six old shields of annual rent on two morning vineyards located in Neissen on the Hoelen, with the Castle Lösnich, as it is understood within the digging of the same castle, with a court of Rense and its members and a meadow the brühl, and what belongs to it, and away with the meadows, bush, felt located on the mountain called Langbusch in Renser Marck, as they come from us and our right to fief, and something from Hans Beyer von Boppard Ritter, from our ancestors received in fiefdom and carried hait and haven daruff by the thought Conrad Beyer von Boppard ... Hulde and eyde received ... our descendants and pen obediently, g to be loyal and fetched, to earn and manage the aforementioned fiefdom, to be the best, to sweep the worst and to be according to all his might, and to continue to do everything that a loyal man owes and owes his master to do , without ... when he ... the ahn praised the hand, which then with his stretched fingers designed eyds holy to god and swore the holy ... "

Further enfeoffments until 1794

As early as 1495, Hermann , Archbishop of Cologne, enfeoffed Conrad Beyer von Boppart. In 1590, Georg Beyer von Boppard followed as the Electorate of Cologne. In 1650 Ferdinand of Bavaria , Archbishop of Cologne, enfeoffed Count Franz Ernst von Chrichingen, in 1652 the enfeoffment to Count Franz Ernst von Chrichingen was renewed by Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern , Archbishop of Cologne.

In 1674 Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern , Archbishop of Cologne, enfeoffed Wolf Heinrich von Metternich with the rule of Lösnich. The mortgage formula in the given description of the feudal property is identical to that of 1509. Elector Clemens of Cologne enfeoffed Melchior von Kesselstatt with the usual mortgage formula on July 30, 1730.

On June 26, 1762, the Archbishop of Cologne, Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, enfeoffed Hugo Casimir von Kesselstatt. The French ended the feudal system in this region in 1794 with the occupation of the areas on the left bank of the Rhine.

Knights and feudal lords

The quartered coat of arms of Beyer von Boppard and Ritter von Lösnich

The family of the Knights of Losnich has been documented and beneficiaries of the rule since the 13th century. Associated goods were also feudal from the Archbishopric of Trier, the County of Sponheim, the County of Veldenz , the Dominion Neumagen and the County of Wied. In addition to other families of knights residing in the Moselle region, the Lösnichers appear again and again as their own certificate issuers and co-sealers from 1226 onwards. The seal shows a woman's arm with a hanging sleeve holding a finger ring. Individual crosses are interspersed on the coat of arms.

After the knighthood of Lösnich died out, the rule changed hands several times over the centuries through natural succession, marriage and sale. The following appear as beneficiaries of the rule for individual genders:

After the male line of the Ritter von Lösnich family had died out, in 1368 rule passed to the Beyer von Boppard and Ritter von Pyrmont families. Lisa von Lösnich, daughter of Conrad von Lösnich, first married Cuno von Pyrmont in 1330 and Heinrich Beyer von Boppard's second marriage after 1351. As a result of Anna Beyer von Boppard's marriage with Christoph von Chrichingen, rule came to the Chrichingen family when Beyer's property was divided at the turn of the 16th century. In 1673, the estate was sold to Baron Wolf Heinrich von Metternich for 15,763 Reichstaler . In 1683/84 he had the building on the castle grounds, which had previously served as a manorial press house, converted into a stately home.

The Knights Beyer von Boppard

After Lisa von Pyrmont (Lösnich) died in 1399, Conrad Beyer von Boppard, her son from her second marriage to Heinrich Beyer von Boppard, followed her in the reign of Lösnich. Conrad's marriage to Maria von Parroye induced the latter to move to Lorraine . The Pyrmontic third of the Lösnich rule, which Cuno von Pyrmont had sold to his uncle Conrad Beyer in 1409, was owned by the Junkers von Strasbach in 1476. In the following years, various Junker families appeared as landlords. These included the Schaflützel von Kerpen, the robes from Seinzfeld and the pistons from Wasenach and later also those from Lyser, the Raab von Pünderich, to name just a few. This third of the lordship of Lösnich, referred to as Junk's part, which had no shares or rights in the castle itself, was acquired in 1615/16 by Elector Lotharius von Metternich for his cousin Christoph von Chrichingen. Through his marriage to Anna Beyer von Boppard, the sister of Georg Beyer von Boppard, Christoph had taken over the lordship of Lösnich at the turn of the 16th century.

After the death of Conrad Beyer von Boppard in 1421, the inheritance fell to his son Heinrich VIII Beyer von Boppard, Lord of Castel-Brehain, underland bailiff in Alsace and councilor for Duke Charles of Lorraine. Heinrich's brother Dietrich Beyer von Boppard, Lord of Castel and Mengers, received on December 14, 1448, from Abbot Wynand of the imperial abbey of Echternach fiefs, tithes and other goods in the lordship of Lösnich as a real man fief.

The Beyer von Boppard probably did not live in the manorial castle in Lösnich themselves. They installed a so-called burgrave on site to exercise their rights . In March 1457, the burgrave named Colin von Mernick is mentioned in connection with a comparison between Abbot Wynand von Echternach and Claisz Ruck von Rachtig. Among the atonement of Gillis von Herrendelle in a matter of atonement of the same because of the Echternach cloister in Rachtig, also with Abbot Wynand von Echternach on June 9, 1475, he appears again. Another burgrave named Wilhelm Pfaffenbruch lived in the castle at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1536 he filed a lawsuit against Klaus and Hans Gelenvon Föhren at the court court in Trier due to the purchase of goods from a cousin of the defendant in Föhren . In 1445 they sold the Liebfrauenkirche zu Trier for 1000 gold guilders, among other things, their goods at Lösnich.

Heinrich's marriage to Agnes von Ochsenstein had three sons, Rudolf, Heinrich X. and Johann Beyer von Boppard. Johann Beyer sealed the purchase contract with the Beyer's coat of arms, which is quartered with the coat of arms of Lösnich. In 1483 Rudolf Beyer and his nephew Johann, a son of Heinrich X., were named feudal men of the Lösnich manor.

Johann Beyer von Boppard, lord of Castel and de la Tour, announced on September 3, 1489 that all fiefs from the Echternach monastery had been received, which the Lords of Lösnich had already borne as fiefs from the Echternach Abbey.

Conrad Beyer, a brother of Johann, was already sealed in 1488 with the coat of arms quartered with Lösnich and in 1495 he enjoyed the Lordship of Lösnich. In 1509 he appears in another feudal letter as a vassal of Archbishop Philip of Cologne, who enfeoffed him with the rule of Lösnich. Adam Beyer (1519), a son of Johann, and Adam's son Johann (1542), as well as Heinrich Beyer, a son of Conrad Beyer von Boppard (1521), also sealed with the quartered coat of arms. Up until the 16th century, the Beyer von Boppard coat of arms was a reminder of the Lösnich knight family, which died out in the 14th century. Heinrich Beyer, the son of Conrad Beyer von Boppard, was married to Landgravine Elisabeth von Nellenburg.

The last of the family, Georg Bernhard Beyer von Boppard, Freiherr zu Chateau-Brehain, Tontron, Latour and Lösnich, found his death in 1598 during the Turkish War at the siege of Ofen at the age of only 33. Since he died unmarried and without descendants, his property was passed on to his two sisters Anna and Maria Elisabeth. Anna, the elder, was married to Christoph von Chrichingen. Elisabeth was married twice: after Johann von Chatelet, Rene, Herr zu Choiseul, Baron von Clemont, followed at her side. When Beyer's estates were divided up at the turn of the 16th century, those in the Trier area, especially the Lösnich lordship, fell to the Chrichingen family, an independent and imperial lordship in the vicinity of Metz.

The barons of Chrichingen

Ruins of Chrichingen Castle in Créhange
The Chrichingian coat of arms
The embroidered coat of arms (right) of the Chrichinger family on the flag of the Heimattreu Lösnich association from 1928

Two noble families, an older and a younger line, named themselves after the place Créhange in Lorraine. The first, traceable since 1150, went out at the beginning of the 14th century. Her property came to the von Dorsweiler family through an heir , one of whom took over the name and coat of arms of the extinct family. The parent company of this family is Torcheville (German Dorsweiler). The progenitor Gottfried (1252–64) was Burgmann of the Counts of Zweibrücken zu Morsberg. The spelling of the family name varies in the literature and in the sources.

On July 28, 1618 Christoph von Chrichingen received the former shares of the fief of Conrad von Lösnich in two farms in Bengel and two vineyards across from Lösnich from the Count of Sponheim , Georg Wilhelm Pfalzgraf zu Rhens , as a fief. These fiefs had reverted to the Count of Sponheim when Georg Beyer von Boppard died.

Sale of the Junk parts

Christoph von Chrichingen, through whose marriage to Anna Beyer von Boppard the Chrichinger had come into the possession of the Lords of Lösnich, sold on January 10, 1621 the pensions and inclines of the so-called Junk part of Losnich. He had inherited this from Lotharius von Metternich. He sold it to the Peter Fröauff von Zeltingen family on a pledge and subject to the right of repurchase. 3597 Gulden , each Bernkasteler to 24 albums currency, paid the Fröauffs and thus were able to enjoy the income of wine and wine interest, at grain and Haferpächten, geese and oil, as well as the Ackerniesung which Herrenbußen and small and large interest rate from the third part of the rulership of Lösnich. The brothers Peter Ernst, Franz Ernst and Lotharius von Chrichingen, as the sons of Christoph von Chrichingen after his death, confirmed this sale in 1624 and committed to complying with the established agreements. The Junk part then remained in the hands of the Fröauffs von Zeltingen until 1759, when the Counts von Kesselstadt family finally managed to buy it back by paying the redemption sum.

Lending disputes with Kurköln

The tensions that arose from the lease disputes with Kurköln resulted in the electoral Cologne bailiff from Zeltingen, Carl Hornung , having the symbol of high jurisdiction in Lösnich, a gallows placed on the floor, cut off without further ado in September 1622 . The Lösnich subjects, including their bailiff, were summoned to Zeltingen, where they were asked to pay a considerable fine. Even bailiff Hornung did not stop at confiscating all the manorial goods.

In the hope of being able to put an end to the pressure from the Electorate of Cologne via a higher court, the Chrichingen members wrote a petition to the Imperial Court of Justice in Speyer for "turbulent Lösnicher Jurisdiction in mandatum sine clausula", whereby the defendant should be asked to call the Lords of Chrichingen to satisfy their claims immediately.

Electoral Cologne occupation of Lösnich Castle

This complaint seems to have had no effect, however, on October 18, 1622 there was another attack by the bailiff Hornung: he had the Lösnich castle occupied with the help of Zeltinger and Rachtiger riflemen on orders from the Electorate of Cologne. However, Lothar von Chrichingen managed to bring the castle back into his hands on October 31st. In a report by Carl Hornung to the Cologne office in Bonn , it is said that Lotharius personally came to Lösnich. He would have taken their defense, including “Kraut und Londt”, from the Cologne subjects ordered to the house of Lösnich, badly beaten them up and shamefully expelled from the house. Lothar von Chrichingen thereupon restored the old conditions and also had the symbol of high jurisdiction that had been cut off again in its old place. In a report by Carl Hornung dated February 3, 1623, it says that the rulers in the village of Lösnich had their own mayor and court, which would be installed by the rulers and for the appearance of which an upright gallows had been placed on the ground in the Lösnich district was to warn the citizens and subjects.

But it was not until 1629 that Franz Ernst von Chrichingen, Lothar's brother, succeeded in settling the disputes that had arisen between Kurköln and the Chrichingen family. As dean of Cologne and canon of Mainz, Trier and Strasbourg, he had rendered various spiritual services to Ferdinand Elector of Cologne and the archbishopric, which probably played a not inconsiderable role in the achievement of this agreement. As a result, the Chrichingen family was enfeoffed with the Lösnich castle and the feudal pieces specified in old feudal letters in the same way as its predecessor, the Beyer von Boppard in their last feudal letter from 1590.

Like their predecessors, the Beyer von Boppard, the barons of Chrichingen were represented by a burgrave in Lösnich and did not live in the manorial buildings themselves. On February 24, 1628, the burgrave Joachim Knoppes received the order from his lord Franz Ernst von Chrichingen that the Lösnicher High Court , symbolically erected for the constant admonition of the Lösnich subjects and demonstration of the lordly high judiciary , should be rebuilt due to disintegration. This order was carried out on March 6th, 1628 by the burgrave in the presence of all the citizens of Lösnich. On July 7th, 1652 Franz Ernst von Chrichingen pledged the income of the Lösnich rule to his bailiff and burgrave Johann Horst for a sum of 1,566 Reichstalers. Another bailiff of the Chrichingen, Franz Unbescheiden von Lösnich, raised on July 20, 1663 at the instigation of his Mr. Franz Ernst von Chrichingen pensions and inclines of the rule Boppard.

The Thirty-Year War

During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) the Chrichingen family suffered the misfortune that all three brothers, Franz Ernst, Peter Ernst and Lothar, died by 1637. The last two named left two underage sons, who were only able to obtain an enfeoffment with the lordship of Lösnich in 1650 after reaching the age of majority . Until then, the castle had changed hands several times. The French and the Swedes took turns to set up camp in the Lösnich castle .

The loss of households and the associated decimation of the population during the Thirty Years' War show information about the hearths or hearths of the villages and towns. A fireplace is to be equated with a household of 6 to 7 people. Thereafter, in the Electorate of Bernkastel, their number fell from 588 to 390 in 1654/56.

The occupation by the French and Swedes, as well as the destruction of the castle in 1652 by the governor of Diedenhofen, Comte de Marolles, show that the inhabitants of Lösnich were not spared the horrors of this war.

From 1637 to 1650 a Baron de Logier enjoyed the rule in Lösnich as a result of the dismissal of the Chrichingischen servant in "Schloss Lösnich" by an Elector of Cologne official.

End of the lending disputes

It was not until 1650 that Franz Ernst von Chrichingen, one of the sons of the three Counts of Chrichingen who died in 1637, was given the castle and lordship of Lösnich again. In addition to a further loan in 1652, the Lords of Chrichingen did not reappear until 1671.

In the meantime, Louis XIV , the "Sun King", had begun to put pressure on his foreign policy interests, especially his territorial interests in relation to the areas on the left bank of the Rhine, with mercenary associations that were constantly invading. Maximilian Heinrich , Archbishop and Elector of Cologne, sent Franz Ernst von Chrichingen a very sharply worded letter on January 14, 1673. In it he revealed to him that he had found out that the latter with his regiment in the Lorraine service and other "Brandenburg peoples" had invaded the Electorate of Cologne and had inflicted all kinds of distress on the subjects. The elector made it clear to him that he was therefore entirely justified in viewing his feudal estates as forfeited. However, he gave him four weeks to renounce the said services and to replace the damage caused. This letter had been sent to the Executor of Zeltingen, Johann Kraus concerning the delivery to the house Lösnich with a request that the current projects of the Count until further statement on arrest to place.

It is not known how and whether the Count commented on these allegations by the Elector. However, the situation did not seem to be working in his favor. As early as May 1671, he had given his bailiff in Lösnich, Franz Unbescheiden, all powers with regard to the Lordship of Lösnich. On February 16, 1672, he had submitted an application to the Electoral Cologne chancellery for the preparation of a loan letter in the manner of the Beyer von Boppart mortgage. However, this request was not granted by the Electorate of Cologne. Instead, the feudal letter was based on the content of the last feudal letter drawn up by Chrichinger.

Sale of dominion

On August 1, 1673 Franz Ernst von Chrichingen finally preferred to sell the Lordship of Lösnich including pensions, rights and justice for 15,763 Reichstaler with the consent of his wife Maria Elisabeth, née Countess von Montfort, to the Baron Wolf Heinrich von Metternich.

The barons of Metternich

Family coat of arms of those of Metternich
The coat of arms of Anna Clara Freiin von Metternich 1719 (right)

The extensive Rhineland noble family of the von Metternich produced a number of bishops and archbishops and belonged to the German aristocracy. In the 13th century, a branch named itself after the place of the same name Metternich near Weilerswist in the Euskirchen district. The coat of arms of the owners of the Vellbrück farm, which is surrounded by water, showed the three shells in the coat of arms.

Purchase of the Lösnich estate

Wolf Heinrich von Metternich Burscheid, descendant of Dieter von Metternich zu Zievel, who had come into possession of Bourscheid Castle in Luxembourg through marriage in 1494 , acquired the Lönich estate for 15,763 Reichstaler through purchase in 1673. This sum corresponded roughly to the average income that the Lösnich rule brought in within a year. According to a rough calculation of March 7, 1671, these consisted of:

  • 21 loads of wine
  • 48 Malter 2 real grain
  • 60 Malter 2 Echtel Habern (oats)
  • 48 chickens
  • 10 tenth lambs
  • 3 Reichstaler 12 albums court costs

The income listed resulted in a capital sum of 23,098 Reichstalers and 44 albums . Of this amount, a total of 8,500 Reichstaler had to be paid to various people due to pledges. In addition to Wolf Heinrich von Metternich, these included the Fröauffs von Zeltingen, who had acquired the Junk part of the Lösnich estate from Christoph von Chrichingen in 1621. This left the rulers with a remaining sum of 14,598 Reichstalers and 44 albums. This list of income from 1671 may explain how the calculation of the aforementioned sales amount came about.

Tribute and oath of loyalty

On October 2, 1674, the contractual sum was paid by Wolf Heinrich von Metternich to Franz Ernst von Chrichingen and the new owner appeared in person to formally take over the rule in Lösnich. The citizens of Lösnich were asked as subjects to pay homage to the new master and to take the oath of loyalty. A notary “instrument” was specially written about this ceremony, which describes the exact course of this act in detail:

On October 2, 1674, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., all subjects of the Lösnich lordship appeared in the usual courtroom under the churchyard. The bailiff of Lösnich, Franz Unbescheiden, proclaimed a "Constitution" written by the same as the authorized representative of the Count of Chrichingen, which confirmed the sale of the Lordship of Lösnich to the Baron von Metternich and declared it legal. With this "constitution" all subjects were asked to pay homage to the new master and to swear allegiance to him. Bernhard Schurph, until then the reigning mayor, Wolf Henrich von Metternich was the first to express his wishes for salvation and blessings for the acquisition of the rulership of Lösnich in the name of all subjects and connected with it the request that Wolf Henrich the wisdom from the year 1529 as the legal basis between rulership and acknowledge subjects.

After Wolf Henrich had promised this, the citizens of Lösnich stepped forward one after the other and swore him the oath of loyalty. After the mayor, first the four magistrates followed and then the entire citizenry. The subjects from Bausendorf and Olkenbach, who also belonged to the Lösnich rule, were the last to pay homage. The public services were then replaced. Franz Unbescheiden and Bernhard Schurph were taken over as bailiffs and mayors by Wolf Henrich von Metternich.

Conversion of the press house into a residential building

The former wine press house, which was converted into a residential building in 1683/84
Map of the Mont Royal fortress near Traben-Trarbach, 1693

In 1683/84, Wolf Henrich von Metternich had the building that served as a wine press house next to the castle grounds near the banks of the Moselle, today's rectory, converted into a stately home. In its dignified baroque style, this building joins the ranks of the electoral courtyards and cellars at Bernkastel and Wehlen and the Amtshaus at Zeltingen, which originated in the late 17th century.

Loads of war

The reunion events of Louis XIV in the years 1679 to 1688, which followed the opening of the French Reunion Chamber in Metz on October 23, 1679, also affected the Moselle region, in particular the Kröver Empire and Traben-Trarbach. France raised claims to a large number of areas in the "Roman Empire" and relied on ancient deeds of ownership that were unearthed by the Reunionskammer. The former Mont Royal fortress on the heights of Traben-Trarbach, which was built by the French Reunion troops under fortress builder Vauban , also took its toll on the surrounding villages. Duties and forage deliveries to the fortress Mont Royal became a constant burden, also for the residents of Lösnich.

The withdrawal of the troops and the razing of the fortress by the French themselves in June 1698 brought some relief for a short time. But the Spanish Wars of Succession (1701–1714) followed with renewed war burdens due to the constant billeting of troops passing through.

A report on war costs and damage incurred in the Lösnich court on April 27, 1705 makes it clear which victims were claimed by the population. On November 8, 1704, it was half of the "Brünk Regiment" that was lodged in Lösnich. By December 24th of the same year, 380 men had to be fed with "house and trunk and logiment". On January 4th it was a company of the "Brünnig Dragoons Regiment" that had to be fed in Losnich until January 14th. From June 14th to September 29th it was another company of this regiment and from September 29th to April 27th of the following year it was half a company of the same regiment. The damage caused by these burdens was put at a total of 2,334 Reichstaler and 44 albums.

Wolf Henrich von Metternich lost two of his three sons, Philip Karl and Franz Wolf, within four months in 1690. His third son Lothario Erwin was 26 years old. One of his two daughters, Anna Klara, married in November 1690 into the family of Barons von Kesselstatt and after the death of her father in 1700, together with her husband Casimir Friedrich von Kesselstatt, inherited the Lönich estate.

The Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt

Marriage coat of arms of Casimir Friedrich von Kesselstatt and Anna Klara von Metternich on the high altar of Losnich from 1719
Marriage coat of arms of Baron Carl Friedrich Melchior von Kesselstatt and his wife Isabella Maria Theresia Freiin Raitz von Frentz, depiction on the altar of the Kesselstatt Chapel in Kröv
Former press house built in 1808 by the imperial counts of Kesselstatt in Lösnich in 2013 after being converted into a holiday home

With the marriage of Anna Clara von Metternich, daughter of Wolf Heinrich von Metternich, with Casimir Friedrich von Kesselstatt in November 1690, the rule finally passed to the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, who had their ancestral home at Föhren Castle near Schweich . Casimir Friedrich, born as the sixth son of Johann Eberhard von Kesselstatt, continued the tribe, although he had already committed himself to the spiritual class as Canon of Mainz. After resigning himself in 1687 and abandoning his intellectual status, nothing stood in the way of his marriage to the niece of the Elector of Mainz, Lothar Friedrich von Metternich . Casimir Friedrich had three sons. He was followed by Carl IV. Friedrich Melchior von Kesselstatt in taking over the rule of Lösnich. He referred to himself as Herr zu Föhren, Ahrenrath, Dodenburg, Bruch and Lösnich. He was married to Isabella Maria Theresia Freiin Raitz von Frentz. From 1740 to 1745 he had the Kesselstatt Palace built in Trier near the Liebfrauenkirche. He died on September 18, 1751 at the age of 58. Of his seven children, Hugo Casimir Edmund von Kesselstatt, who was raised to the rank of imperial count by Emperor Franz-Josef II on January 15, 1776, followed him in the reign of Lösnich . He died on March 3, 1796 at the age of 68 in Würzburg and left behind 17 children that his wife Maria Catharina Freiin Knebel von Katzenellenbogen had given him. The areas on the left bank of the Rhine had been occupied by the French since 1794. In the obituary notice of the deceased count published in Würzburg in 1796, it is noticeable that when listing his titles and offices he has held, "Lord of the Reichsherrschaft Lösnich" appears first before the rule of Föhren, the actual ancestral seat of the Kesselstatt family.

After the feudal system was abolished in 1794, the Kesselstadt family had properties in Lösnich until the middle of the 19th century, which they gradually sold. In 1859, for example, for 1934 Reichstaler , the community bought the manorial house, which had been rented as a parsonage since 1803.

In 1808 the brothers Edmund and Clemens Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, two sons of Hugo Casimir Edmund von Kesselstatt, who died in Würzburg in 1796, built a new wine press house with five presses on the ruins of the former Lösnich castle. They expanded the still existing cross-vaulted cellar of the old castle with a second cellar with a barrel vault. The plan to also build a basement for the manorial house was probably rejected, although the plans already existed.

The Counts of Kesselstatt, who were not originally native to the Moselle Valley, found themselves wealthy in Kröv as early as the 15th century , as did in the neighboring communities of Kinheim, Kindel, Kinderbeuren, Reil and Bengel. In the course of the 18th century, members of the sex also appeared in public in high positions.

Under the Landhofmeister Count Johann Hugo von Kesselstatt (1727–1796), the Kesselstatt house achieved considerable ownership. However, his son Karl obviously did not understand how to lead the inheritance to the best. Close to ruin, he transferred the property to his brothers, who tried hard to maintain the family property. From a family fideikommiss confirmed on December 16, 1835, it emerges that Count Edmund von Kesselstatt owned the lordship Lösnich, as well as Föhr, Becond, Thürnich, Kevenich, Naurath, Arenrath, Bruch, Dodenburg, Rivenich, Scharfbillig and Stollberg, the Kondelwald, the Meulenwald and the parent company in Trier itself. The total content of the property assigned to the Entrepreneurship was 21,210 acres , 114 rods and 41 Magdeburg feet, of which a property tax of 3226 thalers and 2 groschen was levied in 1832.

The church patronage St. Vitus

The new parish church of St. Vitus in the center of the village of Lösnich, built in 1879/80

Countess Mechthild von Sayn donated the patronage rights of the church in Losnich to the Teutonic Order in 1252 . Her late husband, Count Heinrich von Sayn , had bought together with her the right of patronage to Lösnich with goods in Zeltingen and Rachtig for 900 Cologne marks from the Benedictine Abbey of Mönchen-Gladbach . From this abbey the Lösnich church apparently got its namesake St. Vitus , of whom important relics are kept in Mönchen-Gladbach . The rulership was thus not in possession of the patronage and tithe right of the church in Lösnich.

The choir of the old church still stands today in the Lösnich cemetery and is now used as a cemetery chapel. The nave and tower were laid down in 1881, one year after the inauguration of a new and larger church in the center of the village. The Teutonic Knight Philipp Bernard von Lontzen, called Roben, commentary on Trier and Beckingen, had the old church built in 1638 on the foundation walls of a previous building. In the course of secularization , the parishes in the Diocese of Trier were reorganized in 1803. Losnich only became an independent parish after the reorganization in 1827. Today the parish belongs to the parish community of Bernkastel-Kues.

Judgeism and Jurisdiction

Border stone of the imperial counts of Kesselstatt in Lösnich with coat of arms

Herr von Lösnich had high , middle and basic jurisdiction on site . As a sign of this power, a so-called "open gallows" was constantly set up in the usual courtroom under the church. Even today, the field name "Galgenrech" or "Galgenrecht" reminds of the former court of the High Court.

Once the “high court” had lapsed and the subjects' way of life gave the necessary occasion for “expansion of all kinds of vices and malice” - as happened in June 1688 - the gallows was set up again as a warning for the subjects. On June 3, 1688, Wolf Heinrich von Metternich felt compelled to have the dilapidated high court rebuilt as a sign of baronial violence for the reasons mentioned. Early in the morning at eight o'clock, all the subjects of the Lösnich rulership, called by the bell ringing of the censor Thomas Damble, had to arrive at the usual court in Lösnich with appropriate tools. The assembly of the gallows was carried out under the direction of the carpenter Jacob Eich from Neuerburg, who had come specially with two servants. After the "Secretario" Johannes Christophel had hammered in the first nail, the subjects followed with chipping their hands and tools. In a written declaration of intent by the baron, presented by Johannes Christophel, the Lösnich subjects were urged in future to behave in such a way that there would be no need to apply the high court penalty.

The legal relationship between the Lösnichers and the rulers was shown in detail in the “Schöffenweise”, a record of the rights and obligations of both parties. In villages that, like Lösnich, belonged to a landlord, it was customary to meet at certain times of the year to discuss matters together. Resolutions made at these meetings were recognized as legally valid and recorded in writing. From this the so-called wisdoms developed over time . An important part of this wisdom was the precise description of the local area of ​​application in which the rulers could exercise their manorial power. The territory of the village of Lösnich with its usable areas was marked all around with high court stones. All subjects who lived in this district or who had their "home" were obliged to pay the gentleman a smoke and fire tax in the form of a so-called "smoke chicken" every year at Shrovetide. Ordinary labor included making hay or chopping grain for the rule two days a year. Special duties were incumbent on those who cultivated the property of the rulers or who had the best of their heads . They were guilty of giving up their best head of cattle after the head of the family had died. In addition to the usual Fronden, they had to carry out messenger services, bring wood into the castle, carry fruit to the granary and grind wine in or out. For this they were invited annually on Easter Monday by the rulers to “meal and drink” and at the same time reminded of their “duties”. Losnich jury records from the years 1529, 1536, 1687 and 1716 are still preserved today in copies. The village court in Lösnich can also be traced back to a lay judge constitution. The college of the Lösnich village court consisted of six sworn lay judges and the mayor , who presided over the court as a non-judgmental judge and head. The election of lay judges took place partly through self-completion within the college, whereby the rulers reserved approval, appointment and vows. Sometimes the choice was left to the villagers themselves.

The Lösnicher jury seal

The Lösnich jury seal from 1792

The aldermen of Lösnich had their own official seal. A well-preserved copy of this seal impression can be found in a renovation book by the mayor Sebastian Ehlen from 1792. Today's city and community coats of arms can be traced back in many places to former Scheffensiegel from the Middle Ages. The structure of the Lönich seal also follows the forms common in the Middle Ages.

Usually the portrait gives an indication of the owner of the seal. The use of the so-called Christ monogram " IHS ", whose origin points to the late Middle Ages, seems to be of particular importance . One of the forms of interpretation for this monogram is that it can be derived from the letters of the first two and the last letter of the name of Jesus (Greek), i.e. JESUS. Above the "H" in the middle is a depiction of a cross, below the "H" a heart with three nails. A Christian symbolism that is used in a similar form by the Jesuits in their coat of arms. It can also be found in the current papal coat of arms of Francis I , who belongs to this order.

The income of the rulership

The rulers drew the majority of their income from leaseholds and leases. The partial farmer or leaseholder had to deliver half or third part of the gross income to the landlord. In 1674 the Lösnich rulers were entitled to half of the grapes from 17,382 vines and the third part of 7401 vines within the district. Additional income existed e.g. B. in fruit, wine, oil and chicken interest and Besthauptigengeld. Outside the Lösnich district in Erden, Rachtig and Kinheim there were an additional 53,194 vines from the lordship, which flowed with their lease shares into the income of the lordship.

Grape harvest regulations

In order to ensure that the levies were properly carried out, the harvest and grape harvest were subject to certain regulations and rules, which are also recorded in a wisdom from 1687. After the rulers had opened the ban on grape harvesting, the feudal people were required to register with the rulers and obtain permission to harvest. Once they had received this, they each had to bring the entire harvest to the manorial press house in Lösnich. Here they were received by a stately servant who selected the second or third part of the grapes from their harvest. The feudal man was then obliged to carry this portion himself to the wine press, for which he was given a "Kraus Wein" drink. The Erden feudal people also had to bring their grapes to the Lösnich wine press house, whereas in the case of the Kinheimers, who were subject to tax, the lordly share was selected by the officials called Windelbotten directly in the vineyard. The feudal people only had to load the grapes onto the stately "ship" with which the grapes were brought to the Lösnich wine press house.

Moving into the community

Moving into the village was subject to special regulations. A stately ordinance from 1756 regulated the admission of strangers. The reason for the decree was that, according to the court, people who had no property or possessions had settled in Lösnich for a number of years without having paid the usual collection fees and without being able to pay the community requirements, burdens and manorial obligations. But they would share the community usability with the residents, who would then necessarily perish together with the poor. In order to counter this grievance, the following conditions were imposed on the foreigners who wanted to move:

  1. They had to be able to prove 200 Rhenish guilders on movable and moveable property through no fault of their own by attesting their place of birth and home , or they had to be so wealthy that they could deposit 200 gulden with the court in Lösnich as bail or cash.
  2. Men had 40 women and 25 Reichstaler paid debit money. After these conditions had been properly met and all the necessary certificates had been provided, the consent of the rulers had to be obtained.

Stately decree prohibiting night owls

Towards the end of the 18th century there seemed to have been increasing reasons in Lösnich to take strict action against the so-called "night owls".

The Counts of Kesselstatt tried to put a stop to this activity with several decrees . In March 1783, the nightly "drinking and colliery" was put under severe punishment and the landlords were forbidden to dispense wine, beer, brandy or other beverages after nine o'clock in summer and after eight o'clock in winter, including Sundays and public holidays. The ordinance seemed to have been forgotten again when the Counts of Kesselstatt saw themselves compelled to issue another decree in December 1786. In response to the announcement that drinking and swarming would noticeably increase in Lösnich, especially at night, which would cause tumults and disturbances, the counts were once again forced to vigorously counteract such mischief. The Lösnich court was ordered to arrest troublemakers, report the case and investigate. In order to avoid costly “right-hand trades”, the counts promised a quick investigation, also with the aim of preventing the perpetrator from being stuck for longer than absolutely necessary.

The judges themselves were also warned not to drink alcohol at their court sessions. They were instructed to move the sessions into the morning hours, if necessary to continue them in the afternoon, but to refrain from the consumption of "intoxicating beverages". A fine of 3 gold guilders was imposed for the offense . The mayor of Lösnich published the stately decree in January 1787.

Despite the threats of punishment, there was a further appeal on this matter in 1792. Count Johann Hugo von Kesselstatt reacted to cases of "night owls" in Lösnich that had become known to him. Since some Lösnich had, so to speak, "drove through" their assets and would have come into the "most needy circumstances", he instructed the Lösnich court and the mayor to observe and warn drinkers and enthusiasts more intensely. If this also had no effect, the case should be reported to the authorities . In 1794 another case was finally reported. Despite repeated warnings, the bailiff and vicar did not succeed in persuading the culprit to give in. In the case of the same, however, a punishment was waived for the time being, since in the opinion of the Lösnich court he would have shown good behavior by then. In the event of a further violation, however, the court was instructed to coerce the suspect into obedience over bread and water for three weeks . But not only he, but also those who would dispense or dispense the wine should be held accountable as "co-starters".

swell

  • Stadtarchiv Trier, 54290 Trier, Weberbach 25, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt DK xxxx (see individual records)
  • Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz, 56068 Koblenz, Karmeliterstraße 1/3, (see individual records)

literature

  • Hans Vogts: The art monuments of the Bernkastel district. Reprint of the edition from 1935. Verlag der Akademischen Buchhandlung Interbook, Trier 1981, ISBN 3-88915-001-2 .
  • Jacob Grimm: Weistümer II. Göttingen.
  • Erwin Schaaf: The Lordship of Lösnich-Bausendorf - a small medieval territory. In: District Bernkastel-Wittlich, yearbook 1999. Editor : District administration Bernkastel-Wittlich. Pp. 150-160.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 5196, p. 282.
  2. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 5196, p. 280.
  3. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 5196, p. 299.
  4. Stadtarchiv Trier, DK 2826, copy from the Electoral Cologne man book on the enfeoffment of the knight Heinrich Beyer von Boppard in 1368.
  5. Stadtarchiv Trier, DK 2826, report on the condition of the Immediate Castle and Lordship of Loesenich in the Roman Empire
  6. ^ Trier City Archives, DK 2826, report from 1674.
  7. Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 2826, report from October 22, 1690.
  8. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2826, report by the 1690th
  9. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 5196, Stock Book Volume III, p. 174 cf.
  10. Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz, inventory 52, 12 No. 2
  11. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2826, report by the 1690th
  12. Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz, holdings 54, 13, K184
  13. Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz, holdings 54, 13, K184
  14. MUKB, Beyer-Eltester, Volume III, p. 241, No. 300
  15. Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz, Section 41, No. 3, Pyrmont
  16. ^ Möller family tables, family tree of the Beyer von Boppard, p. 50.
  17. ^ Christian Stramberg: The Moselle valley between Zell and Koblenz. P. 199.
  18. Stadtarchiv Trier, DK5196, p. 191, cf. State Main Archives Koblenz, Dept. 52.12 No. 10, letter of purchase from the Lordship of Lösnich from August 1, 1673.
  19. Trier City Archives, DK5196, p. 242 ff.
  20. Chr. Stramberg, The Moselle valley between Zell and Konz, printed 1837, p. 197.
  21. ^ Pohlmann Karl, Lehnsurkunden der Grafen von Veldenz, p. 263, no. 610
  22. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2826.
  23. Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt DK 2826, report v. 1673, para. 15
  24. ^ Wampach IX, alt. Lux. Terr., P. 302, no.875.
  25. ^ Wampach IX, alt. Lux. Terr., P. 348, no.916
  26. ^ Wampach IX, alt. Lux. Terr., P. 918.
  27. ^ LHA Koblenz, Dept. 56, No. 1709; LHA 2035.
  28. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, p. 193, see also LHA ​​Kobl., Dept. 206 IV, 31
  29. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstadt, DK5196, p. 193, see LHA Kobl., Dept. 206 IV, 31
  30. ^ Wampach IX, alt. Lux. Terr., P. 505, no.1036.
  31. LHA Koblenz, Section 54.3 B (Beyer von Boppard)
  32. LHA Kobl., Dept. 52.12, No. 2, Lehnsbrief
  33. LHA Kobl., Dept. 52.12, No. 2, Lehnsbrief
  34. LHA Kobl., Section 54.3 B.
  35. ^ Möller family tables, Beyer von Boppard
  36. Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 2826, report v. 1673, cf. Möller, Stramberg
  37. ^ Chr. Von Stramberg, The Moselle Valley between Zell and Konz, printed 1837.
  38. Chr. Stramberg, the Moselle valley between Zell and Konz, printed 1837.
  39. Möller Stammtafeln, p. 104, Criechingen
  40. ^ LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54, 13 K403
  41. LHA Koblenz, Section 54, 13 K403, copy of the Pfandbrief
  42. ^ LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54, 13 K403
  43. ^ LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54, 13 K403
  44. ^ LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54, 13 K403
  45. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK66, D2
  46. LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54.13 K408
  47. LHA Koblenz, Section 54.13 K409
  48. LHA Koblenz, Section 54.13 K409
  49. LHA Koblenz, Dept. 54.13 K409
  50. Werner Schuhn, The Thirty Years War in Trier Land in: Contributions to Trierische Landeskunde, teaching materials for history and geography, pp. 151–161, Trier 1975, printed by: fotokop Wilhelm weihert KG, Darmstadt
  51. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2826, report of the 1,673th
  52. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2826, report of the 1,673th
  53. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 181.
  54. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 182.
  55. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 190.
  56. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 190b
  57. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 185.
  58. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 191.
  59. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 191.
  60. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 184.
  61. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, Stock Book Volume 3, p. 242.
  62. Thomas Jacobs, Gottard Coen, Thomas Weingarten and Niclas Schmittges; two more lay aldermen were just to be filled.
  63. Johannes Heriges, Niclas Weingarten, Jost Christophel, Baltasar Moseler, Peter Baur, Peter Joisten, Joes Moseler the Old, Thomas Weber, Joes Mosler the Younger, Wilhelm Rodt, Blesius Schmidt Richtsbott, Johanis Damble, Peter Coen junior, Adam Jungeler, Claus Moseler, Johannes Orthmann, Emmerich Schroder, Peter Casper, Johannes Jacobs, Peter Coen senior, Niclas Damble and Peter Simon. Jacobs Conradt, the widow of Adam Wagenmacher, the widow of Niclas Rosen, the widow of Adam Hildebrand, the widow of Adam Moseler, the widow of Niclas Wagenmacher and the Jews living in Lösnich, the With and the Meyer Jews were not present.
  64. ^ Hans Vogts: The art monuments of the Bernkastel district. Reprint of the 1935 edition, published by the publishing house of the Academic Bookstore Interbook Trier, pp. 235, 236.
  65. Trier City Archives, Archiver of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK2838, War Burdens 1674–1714.
  66. Trier City Archives, Archiver of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK2838, War Burdens 1674–1714.
  67. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK2838, burdens of war from 1674 to 1714.
  68. Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 2826.
  69. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK8128.
  70. State Main Archive Koblenz, Best. 54, No. K8121 / 8131
  71. City Archives Trier, DK8128
  72. LHA Koblenz, Order 54, No. K195, p. 17.
  73. trier-info.de
  74. LHA Koblenz, Order 54, No. K195, p. 23.
  75. Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt
  76. State Main Archives Koblenz, holdings 655,123 No. 360
  77. City Archives Trier, Archives of the Imperial Count von Kesselstatt, DK3836
  78. Chr. Stramberg, The Moselle Valley between Zell and Konz, printed 1837, p. 205 ff.
  79. MRUB, Beyer, 848f; No. 144, MRR 221, No. 935
  80. MRUB, Beyer, Volume III, 540, No. 729; MRR III, No. 246
  81. Festschrift, singer festival in Lösnich, 1928, P. Koster, p. 21; C. Stramberg, p. 197.
  82. Mittelmosel Nachrichten, January 22, 1981, Der Kreis Bernkastel, J. C. Cumor, 1969.
  83. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK5196, p. 272.
  84. Trier City Archives, DK 2826, description of the Lösnich rule from 1673/74
  85. Trier City Archives, DK 5196, Weistum from 1687, Stock Book Volume III
  86. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 2897, pp. 119–120.
  87. Trier City Archives, DK 2897.
  88. Stadtarchiv Trier, archive, DK 2826, report from 1674.
  89. ^ Trier City Archives, DK 2826, report from 1674.
  90. Stadtarchiv Trier, Archive of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK, ordinance of May 8, 1756, issued by Hugo Casimir Edmund Freiherr von Kesselstatt
  91. a b c Trier City Archives, Archives of the Imperial Counts of Kesselstatt, DK 2826.