Kasimir (Brandenburg-Kulmbach)

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Margrave Kasimir, contemporary portrait painted by Hans Süß von Kulmbach
Margrave Casimir, portrait by an unknown painter
Depiction of Kasimir in the margrave window of St. Sebald in Nuremberg, work by Hans Süß 1515

Casimir von Brandenburg-Kulmbach (born September 27, 1481 in Ansbach , † September 21, 1527 in Ofen ) was Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach from 1515 to 1527.

Origin and family

Casimir, from the house of the Hohenzollern family , was the eldest son of Frederick V and Princess Sofia Jagiellonka , a daughter of King Casimir of Poland .

As early as 1498, his father handed him the governorship of the margrave under the guidance of experienced counselors during his numerous trips . In 1515, together with his brother Georg the Pious, he ousted his father, whose lavish lifestyle put a considerable strain on the finances of the margravate. Since his brother often stayed at the Hungarian royal court, he also took over the governorship in Brandenburg-Ansbach for him .

The disempowerment of the father not only led to the indignation of the other brothers, but also to far-reaching political countermeasures. When the Brandenburg Elector Joachim I wanted to campaign for the release of Frederick II on his trip to Augsburg, he was refused entry to the Plassenburg. Joachim's brother Albrecht fell away from his side because he had come to an agreement with the emperor and received the cardinal's hat. An agreement was not reached until 1522, in which the claims of the other brothers were also met.

On August 25, 1518, Kasimir married Susanna of Bavaria , the daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria . Maximilian I , the bride's uncle , also took part in the glamorous wedding at the Reichstag in Augsburg in 1518 . The proximity to the royal family was also evident at the coronation of Charles V in Aachen in 1520, where he was given the honor of exercising the pre-cutting office at the coronation meal.

The following resulted from the marriage:

⚭ 1537 Elector Friedrich III. of the Palatinate (1515–1576)
⚭ 1551 Margrave Karl II of Baden-Durlach (1529–1577)
  • Friedrich (* / † 1525)

After Casimir's death, his brother Georg took over the reign of Brandenburg-Kulmbach until Albrecht Alcibiades , Kasimir's eldest son, came of age in 1541.

Life

Engagement in the Swabian Federation

As a follower of Emperor Maximilian I , Kasimir fought alongside his father and the Baden Margrave Christoph I , in the Swabian War as a military leader of the Swabian Confederation against the Swiss Confederation and in 1499 led the peace negotiations in Basel . In the following years he also served as a military leader and diplomat in the Habsburgs' service. In this regard, it is proven in 1506 in Schwäbisch Hall opposite the Swabian Confederation and in 1509 at the Reichstag in Worms. In 1513 he was an imperial commissioner at the assembly of the Swabian Federation in Nördlingen because of Götz von Berlichingen's breach of the peace . Together with the Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV, he supervised the course of the war. He was also involved in the measures of the federal government against Ulrich von Württemberg , so in May 1519 he commanded 700 horsemen who advanced to Ehningen .

Disputes with the imperial city of Nuremberg

Painting of the so-called "Battle in the Forest" on June 19, 1502

The traditional dispute between the castle and margraves with the imperial city of Nuremberg included the dispute over the protection of the parish fair of Affalterbach in 1502 . When the Nuremberg Council claimed the right of protection in the Affalterbach enclave and Kasimir tried to prevent this, a political power game developed. While strong Nuremberg troops had arrived early in Affalterbach, Casimir turned and invaded the suburbs of Nuremberg. With heavy losses, flags were wrested from the retreating Nuremberg troops as trophies, which were displayed in the Schwabach church. This conflict has also been handed down in folk songs. Even later, Kasimir was involved in border disputes with Nuremberg.

Frankish War

As one of the leaders of the Swabian League since 1499, Kasimir refused his membership for the unification period after 1522. It became apparent that the imperial city of Nuremberg , traditionally an enemy of the castle and later margraves, would front against Hans Thomas von Absberg and his sympathizers intended to do. In 1523 several castles were destroyed during the Franconian War , which is documented in the Wandereisen woodcuts from 1523 .

Distribution map of the uprisings during the Peasant War around 1525

Peasants' War

The Peasants' War was announced in 1525 by incursions into the neighboring dioceses of Würzburg under Bishop Konrad II of Thüngen and Bamberg under Bishop Weigand von Redwitz . In April 1525, Kasimir and the neighboring princes met in Neustadt an der Aisch to discuss how to avert the uprisings that threatened to spread from Swabia to the Odenwald . In addition to Casimir and the two bishops, the prince-bishop of Eichstätt, the counts of Hohenlohe Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein and Georg von Waldenburg and the counts of Limpurg , Wertheim , Henneberg and Castell also took part in the deliberations . The mistrust based on previous differences because of overreaching at the borders of the secular and spiritual principalities caused the deliberations to fail. In contrast to his brother Georg , Kasimir was hostile to ambivalent about the Reformation . The onslaught of farmers, including the Black Pile, brought the Diocese of Würzburg to its knees. The bishop fled and the defenders withdrew to the Marienberg fortress in Würzburg .

With considerable financial and personal efforts, Casimir prepared to repel the incursions into his territory; he called his subjects to arms and hired mercenaries. After his army had gathered in Ansbach, Kasimir moved on May 13, 1525 with 600 horsemen, 1000 foot soldiers and 14 guns from Ansbach to Markt Erlbach . The margraves exercised a protective right in relation to the Free Imperial City of Rothenburg . There Casimir won his first victory over the peasants and left the city with rich booty. Shortly afterwards, however, the weak council handed the city over to citizens who came to terms with the farmers. The unrest spread from there to Kasimir's territory, namely to the offices of Crailsheim, Lobenhausen- Anhausen, Werdeck-Gerabronn and Bemberg-Wiesenbach. When Kasimir withdrew to Ansbach and ordered new troops to be raised in the Kulmbacher Oberland, they revolted. So Casimir was forced, with the help of Bohemian mercenaries, to limit himself to the defense of the most defensive castle complexes.

With the advance of the Swabian League and other allies of the Würzburg bishop, the unorganized peasant heaps in the Würzburg area were smashed. With massive losses, their resistance and morale collapsed in a very short time. Casimir, whose measures had earned him the name "bloodhound", also gained the upper hand. Rebel villages, which did not surrender without resistance, fell victim to arson . But Casimir also caused considerable devastation in his own country: he had entire villages burned down and rioters executed . In Feuchtwangen there should have been 300 people. In Kitzingen , Kasimir wanted to make an example: he assured the bailiff Ludwig von Hutten that he would spare the lives of the residents, but punished them severely with chopping off the oath finger , dazzling and banishment . His “master” Augustin poked the eyes out of 58 people, as they “didn't want to see any more margraves” before the unrest broke out. Contemporaries classified this act as an outrage. He also punished Rothenburg and forced the city to cede territory. The marketplaces of Rothenburg and Schweinfurt were colored red with the blood of the beheaded. Since Kasimir was referred to as a federal executor, it can be assumed that he acted on behalf of the emperor or the Swabian Federation in punishing the imperial cities. He sent his brother Hans Albrecht to punish the Bayreuthers for lack of support in raising troops. Only when it became known in November 1526 that innocent people were also affected by his punitive measures did he stop them.

Follower of the Habsburgs

His loyalty to the Habsburg royal house again proved through his participation in the Reichstag in Augsburg as imperial commissioner in December 1525 and Speyer in August 1526.

At the coronation of the future German Emperor Ferdinand as King of Bohemia in 1527, Casimir, who was severely ill with illness, joined the campaign to Hungary against Johann Zápolya . Since Kasimir's brother Georg the Pious also took part, Kasimir returned to establish a governorship and to bring auxiliary troops into the war zone. In July 1527 he reached the Hungarian border, the fortresses on the Danube surrendered and he moved into Ofen . There he died of the dysentery in the presence of his brother Georg and King Ferdinand, to whom he entrusted the care of his five-year-old son Albrecht Alcibiades . His brother was to administer the Principality of Kulmbach until Albrecht came of age in 1541.

Theodor Hirsch closes his biography with the statement that because of the atrocities of Kasimir, no biographer has yet been able to do justice to a balanced description of Kasimir's life.

literature

Web links

Commons : Kasimir (Brandenburg-Kulmbach)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see also root list of the Hohenzollern
  2. ^ Johann Heilmann : War history of Bavaria, Franconia, Palatinate and Swabia from 1506 to 1651 . Volume 1. Munich 1868. p. 10.
  3. ^ Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch until 1933. Ph. CW Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 1950; Reprint ibid 1978, p. 62 f.
  4. ↑ Th. Stark: Festschrift 400 anniversary of the Reformation in the church district of Münchberg . Court. Pp. 12-16.
  5. ↑ Max Döllner (1950), p. 62, note 35.
  6. ↑ Peter Blickle: Community Reformation: The People of the 16th Century on the Way to Salvation (1987), page 82
predecessor Office successor
Friedrich II. Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
1515–1527 		Georg
Albrecht Alcibiades
personal data
SURNAME Casimir
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Kasimir von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1515–1527)
DATE OF BIRTH September 27, 1481
PLACE OF BIRTH Ansbach
DATE OF DEATH September 21, 1527
Place of death oven