Riedesel rule
Riedeselsches Junkerland is the name for the imperial Lauterbach-Eisenbachsche dominion area in the eastern Vogelsberg in Hesse , which arose in a long and conflict-prone process of replacement from the former feudal lord, the Abbey of Fulda . As a knighthood dependent on the benevolence of the emperor, the small rule became imperial in 1648. It existed until the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803. After that, it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Hesse as part of the Province of Upper Hesse . The rulers were the Riedesel zu Eisenbach, raised to the baron status in 1680 , and Hereditary Marshals of Hesse from 1432 , who belonged to the Frankish knighthood, which was directly part of the empire. The original seat was Eisenbach Castle, which later became Eisenbach Castle .
Prehistory to 1648
Since Christianization, the Fulda Abbey has been the feudal lord of the area, which in turn appointed bailiffs to exercise secular jurisdiction. These feudal takers were originally the Eisenbach family in the area around Lauterbach. When this sex died out in the male line in 1428, the fiefdom passed to Hermann Riedesel (1407–1463) from the Riedesel family by married inheritance . Herrmann Riedesel, known as the Golden Knight , not only acquired Lauterbach Castle in Lauterbach (Hesse) and Eisenbach Castle , but also Ludwigseck Castle near Ersrode . In 1432 he became a Riedesel Hereditary Marshal of the Landgraves of Hesse for the first time .
Already during the Eisenbacher era there were frequent conflicts with the feudal lord, the abbot of Fulda, and these came to a head after the transition from Lauterbach to the Riedesel, as there were disputes about the extent and limits of the former Eisenbach fiefdom. In the years 1465–1471 there were bloody clashes between the abbey and the Riedesel, with most of the villages between Lauterbach and Fulda, and especially those in the controversial court of Moos , devastated. The feud even became part of the Hessian fratricidal war from 1469 , since Landgrave Ludwig II. The Riedesel, his brother Heinrich III. but the abbey supported.
When the Riedesel accepted the Lutheran faith in 1527 and carried out the Reformation in their territory, there was a complete break with Fulda. Hermann IV. Riedesel zu Eisenbach had accepted the Lutheran faith in 1527 through his connection to the Hessian Landgrave House at an encounter with Luther's friend Philipp Melanchthon and introduced the Reformation in Junkerland. His brother Theodor stayed with the Catholic Confession and tried to reverse it. The two brothers faced each other for a while as bitter opponents in Eisenbach Castle. Hermann IV. Died in 1529, Theodor in 1531. Hermann's son, Hermann V., took over the reign in 1532 and, as the "promoter of the Protestant religion", pushed through the Reformation in the Riedeselland. At times this led to military countermeasures by the Fulda Abbey, and in 1548 Fulda conquered the city of Lauterbach by surprise. After years of unsuccessful trials, the Riedesel tried to regain possession of the town, but it was not until 1552 that, with the help of the Protestant Count of Oldenburg, Christoph von Oldenburg , they managed to regain control of Lauterbach by force.
The unclear legal situation was only ended in 1684 by a contract between the Abbey of Fulda and the Riedesel. The Vogtei Lauterbach was declared a fief and given to the Riedesel as an inheritance.
Development after 1648
The de facto imperial direct small state, with the residence town Lauterbach , was not rich. The possibilities to levy taxes from the population were limited, as the low-yielding soils in the Vogelsberg yielded only modest agricultural yields. Nevertheless, the Riedesel managed to hold the Junkerland together for almost 400 years.
Securing power within
The Riedesel also pursued a level-headed policy internally. Their little rulership not only had its own constitution and jurisdiction, but also its own regional church, which even had its own hymn book. The territory of the Riedeselschen Junkerland was self-contained and consisted of six judicial districts: Zehnt Lauterbach , Stockhausen and Landenhausen , Engelrod (and Hopfmannsfeld ), Moos , and Freiensteinau . Outside this area were the Ober-Ohmen court and the Ludwigseck office near Rotenburg on the Fulda . At the time of the last Eisenbacher and the first Riedesel, other areas were temporarily added, such as B. Herbstein , Ulrichstein and Salzschlirf . The Riedesel family met once or twice a year to determine their "government policy". The land was administered by a bailiff and the centgrave . The bailiff was on the one hand the syndic of the rule, but also represented it externally, the centgrave had to organize internal matters. Subordinate to them were the mayors of the individual judicial districts with judicial, administrative, military, police and tax powers. At the same time, there was a second organizational unit with the forest officials, headed by the chief forester and chief hunter. In this way the administration of the Junkerland was relatively stable.
Securing power to the outside world
The small estate was surrounded by five neighbors. Only one was smaller: the Schlitzerland of Count Görtz. The two large neighbors - the Landgraviate of Hesse and the Abbey of Fulda - tried again and again to incorporate the Riedeselsche Land, which the Riedesel tried to avoid through a mixture of skillful diplomacy and armed struggle. The politics of the Riedesel always adapted to the possibilities offered by the balance of power in the neighboring territories at the time. If one of these overlords wanted too much, the Riedesel knew how to prevent this with the help of the others - if necessary by invoking the emperor.
Two important treaties formed the basis of their political system, the one from 1684 with the Fulda Abbey and a second from 1713 with Hessen-Darmstadt . The agreement with Fulda was the more important. The city of Lauterbach was hereditary at that time, since then had the Riedesel as masters, was the only city in the Junkerland and now also its capital.
Personalities
Hereditary Marshal
The respective head, d. H. the senior of the entire house of Riedesel was regent of the Junkerland and at the same time Hereditary Marshal of Hesse.
Bailiffs
The bailiffs, all of them studied lawyers, presided over the administration and the courts and represented the regent internally and externally, unless the hereditary marshal himself appeared.
| Bailiff | Term of office | Life dates | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wernerus Crispinius | April 12, 1576 - September 23, 1604 | 1535-1604 | |
| Johannes Ursinus | July 6, 1606 - January 6, 1619 | -1619 | Son-in-law of the previous one |
| Dr. jur. Heinrich Bernhardt | 1619 - May 18, 1626 | - 1626 | |
| Lic. Georg Heselbach | 1626-18. January 1633 | - 1633 | |
| Dr. jur. Johannes Brandes | September 1633 - June 11, 1650 | -1650 | |
| JUD Martin Rasor | 1650 - October 31, 1662 | ||
| Lic. Johannes Fischer | April 10, 1663 - September 29, 1671 | - March 9, 1672 | |
| Johann Jost Hartmann Fischer | 1671-1679 | Son of the previous one | |
| Lic. Bernhard Caspar Melchior | 1679-1. November 1698 | ||
| JU Lic. Johannes Höck | 1696-1715 | October 18, 1658 - |
literature
- Eduard E. Becker: The Riedesel to Eisenbach. Vol. 1: From the first appearance of the name to the death of Hermann III. Riedesel 1500 , Marburg 1923
- Eduard E. Becker: The Riedesel to Eisenbach. Vol. 2: Riedeselisches Urkundenbuch 1200 to 1500 , Marburg 1924
- Eduard E. Becker: The Riedesel to Eisenbach. Vol. 3: From the death of Hermann III. Riedesel 1501 until the death of Konrad II in 1593 , Marburg 1927
- Fritz Zschaeck: The Riedesel to Eisenbach. Vol. 4: From the death of Konrad II in 1593 to the contract with Hessen-Darmstadt 1593–1713 , Offenbach 1957
- Karl Siegmar Baron von Galéra: The Riedesel zu Eisenbach. Vol. 5: From the Reich to the Rhine Confederation 1713–1806 , Neustadt an der Aisch 1961
- Lauterbach-Kleinod am Vogelsberg , Volume 43 of the local history book series of the Lauterbacher Fotoclub eV, Lauterbach 2000