Kaspar III Winemaker

Kaspar III Vintner medal ( Friedrich Hagenauer , 1526 )

Kaspar III Winzerer (* 1465 or 1475 in Toelz , Upper Bavaria , † 28. October 1542 in Brannenburg , Upper Bavaria) was Duke of Bavarian commander and diplomat, nurses and liege to Tolz and from 1502 also to Dürnstein ( Lower Austria ), under Marshal of the Bishopric of Regensburg , Laird to Obermair, Schachl, Niedermaier and Rampold near Degerndorf (Upper Bavaria).

Life

He was the son of Kaspar II. Winzerer († 1515) and grandson of Kaspar I. Winzerer , both like himself a carer of Tölz.

Winzerer was initially trained for the clergy, but soon devoted himself to military service. As early as 1504 he was knighted by King Maximilian I for the victory over the Bohemians at Schönberg in the Upper Palatinate (September 11, 1504) , which is why he was later also nicknamed the "Golden Knight" ("miles auratus") . In 1517 he held a tournament in Vienna with Maximilian, who had meanwhile been promoted to emperor (1508).

In the spring of 1519 Winzerer was the commander-in-chief of the Bavarian mercenaries in the battle of the Swabian Confederation against Duke Ulrich von Württemberg and took around 40 towns and villages, including Göppingen , Weiler , Au and Teck . In the second campaign against Duke Ulrich in September / October 1519, he also led the Bavarian foot soldiers. On February 24, 1525, under the command of Georg I von Frundsberg (1473-1528) , he helped capture the French King Franz I in the Battle of Pavia . Even before this battle, Winzerer expressed himself very critical of the Pope's policies in a letter from Italy (1525) , but nevertheless did not join the Reformation movement .

Soon afterwards he went to the German Peasants' War . He had been used by Duke Wilhelm IV. To command the Bavarian Landsturm (around 450 soldiers) against the Allgäu and Tyrolean farmers and successfully defended the border. In gratitude, he received the rose island in Lake Starnberg from the Duke as a gift.

In 1526 he commanded the Bavarian troops promised by Duke Wilhelm to the Hungarian King Ludwig II in the fight against the Turks , “a select corps from the better troops and nobility of the country” . Nevertheless, Hungary was defeated at Mohács on August 29, 1526 (see also: Battle of Mohács (1526) ). In February 1527, Winzerer took part in the coronation of Ferdinand I as King of Bohemia, the younger brother of Emperor Charles V, as the ambassador of the Bavarian Duke in Prague .

On this occasion he was recruited as an "experienced warrior" by the Hungarian King John to go into battle against the Turks for a pay of 1,000 Hungarian guilders . His real assignment, however, was to mediate between them and Ferdinand's Hungarian rival King Zápolya (King John) as a confidante of the Dukes Wilhelm and Ludwig in order to prevent the Habsburgs from expanding in power . Since King Ferdinand saw through this tactic, however, he took away from winegrowers the Dürnstein fiefdom castle in Lower Austria and his sub-marshal office of the Regensburg monastery.

On May 26, 1527, the Bavarian dukes wrote to Obersthofmeister Cyriak Freiherr von Polheim and Wartenburg (1495–1533), the ambassador of Ferdinand: “Likewise, we show in good faith that Caspar Wintzerer pulled our knowledge, will and permission to starvation and whether he had immediately rumored that he wanted to complain about things with us or other princes at the Reichstag in Regensburg des Weywoda and obtain help and assistance, of which we still have no knowledge, should Ir kon. More was taken into account that we have not been so agile in our minds that we are much higher or more, let alone Casparn Winzerer, measure ourselves. And like us as much as you con. Wasn't surprising enough that the same should decrease and consider that Caspar Wintzerer should have to do arduously outside of our prior knowledge, but your royal will know that the thought Wintzerer did not move to Prague because of us, that he too, like us Received report since then, at your kon. Was requested by Sigmunden von Dietrichstein or others for service, and that for this reason it was not difficult for him to go hungry from Prague, outside of our will, knowledge and permission (as is the truth in him), that you too could. There was no cause or indications whatsoever that you should take care of us and lose weight; then as we and our requirements meet with your con. Were brothers, our all-gracious lord and cousins, the Roman Emperor, also during the same imperial Mst. And their con. Became ancestors and ancestors, also other princes of Austria, and special against his king. If up to now obedient, official and celibate has been proven in a few ways, your royal dignity is of doubt and mere knowledge, which is why there are long to be counted from unnotes. Didn't want to see or hear anything dear, then that His con. And the same consort became all that they are justified in, not starving alone, but everywhere, when war and rebellion ensued; In this we have to consider not only your royal dignities, but also common Christianity, Wolfahrt. And although we have some concerns about the Weywoda, we want to prove and keep ourselves at all times, as a Christian, honest prince, and against His royal dignity. "

Statue in Bad Toelz

Winzerer was in this diplomatic service until 1539 and lived for a long time in Ofen (today: Budapest) and Großwardein , but also in his father's castle in Tölz. In order to avoid imminent arrest by Austria, despite serious illness, Winzerer moved from Hungary via Poland and the Mark Brandenburg to Hesse in 1534 , where he had to negotiate with Landgrave Philip I. Then, on the orders of the two Bavarian dukes, he had to hide for a while with his friend Frundsberg's son in Mindelheim before he was allowed to return to his native Bavaria.

Since 1531, Winzerer had gradually fallen out of favor with the Bavarian dukes because of his "double game", for whose support he even had to expressly ask in 1534. But when he did not want to return to Hungary in 1535, he was accused of friendship with Austria and even thought of arresting him. Only after this threat did Winzerer go back to the oven. But when another Turkish war threatened in 1537 , he was allowed to return to Bavaria.

In 1538 he was forgiven by the emperor and winemakers got his imperial fief back. He did not return to Bavaria until autumn 1539 - his last letter from Hungary was from August 1539 - and died only three years later.

Winzerer was an experienced general, but also associated with artists and scientists. He must have been an educated man, he was u. a. a lover especially of Cicero's works.

In his first marriage, Winzerer was married to Margareta von Höhenrain , the daughter of the Waldecker Reichsherrn Georg , and in his second marriage to Ursula von Bubenhofen , with whom he had two sons Wilhelm († 1542) and Hans Kaspar († 1561), the last of hers Family line.

On October 28, 1542, Kaspar III died. Vintner because of injuries sustained in a fighting tournament in Brannenburg. While jostling with Jörg von Frondsberg, although blunt lances were used, he was unfortunately fatally injured and later succumbed to these injuries. He was buried in his hometown of Tölz in the parish church of the Assumption , where he was buried in the side chapel behind an imposing marble tablet. (See also under sources )

Honors

Winzerer III statue in Bad Tölz , Marktstrasse

• Winzerer is the hero of numerous sagas and legends in Upper Bavaria and Austria. After the Franco-German War left his hometown (bath) Tolz at the instigation of the historian, politician, enthusiastic Bismarck -Anhängers and native Tölzers Johann Nepomuk Sepp in 1887 a bronze - statue erected of the "Golden Knight". The figure was modeled by F. Schwarzgruber (the first name itself is unknown to the Heimatmuseum Bad Tölz) and cast by Ferdinand von Miller . The individual inscriptions under the four side reliefs read:

- Kaspar v. Winemaker, the golden knight, in a tournament with Emperor Max I in Vienna in 1515

- Capture of King Franz I of France in the battle of Pavia 24 Hornung in 1525 under field captain Jörg Frondsberg u. the Landsknechtführer v. Winemaker

- death of the hero father v. Winemaker. Pflegeers zu Tölz in a fighting game with Jörg Frondsberg the younger zu Brannenburg Oct. 28. 1542

- Emperor Napoleon III's prisoner tour near Sedan , Sept. 2, 1870 . In addition on a special plaque: The honorable memory of the warriors who died in the campaign against France 1870–71 .

The last relief suggests that Kaiser Wilhelm I , Moltke and Bismarck himself Napoléon III. would have carried away . According to a commemorative publication specially written by Sepp for the unveiling of monuments, it is intended to create a “thought bridge” to the arrest of King Francis I of France by vintners in 1525.

• There are Winzerer streets in Munich and Brannenburg.

swell

1. ↑ His grave or memorial stone in Bad Tölz mentions the year of birth 1475, a commemorative coin from 1526, however, the year 1465.
2. ↑ The legend of his death through an injury during a knightly exercise with Georg (Jörg) von Frundsberg remains a legend: His brother in arms had died in 1528, the grandson of the same name was only 9 years old.
3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in: "Sources on Bavarian and German History", Volume 1, page 43 

literature

• Hartmann, August: Kaspar Winzerer and his song. With studies on Michael Lindener's life and writings , in: "Oberbayerisches Archiv", Volume 46, Historischer Verein von Oberbayern (Ed.), Munich 1889/1890
• Hartmann, August: Letters from Kaspar Winzerer II and III , in: "Oberbayerisches Archiv", Volume 46, Historischer Verein von Oberbayern (Ed.), Munich 1889/1890
• August Hartmann:  Winemaker, Kaspar . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 43, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1898, pp. 511-513.
• Langheiter, Alexander: Kaspar Winzerer d. J. (or III.) . In: Wurst, Jürgen and Langheiter, Alexander (Ed.): Monachia. Munich: Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, 2005. P. 126. ISBN 3-88645-156-9
• Rattelmüller, Paul Ernst: In Treue Fest , Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, Munich 1978, ISBN 3442265088 (with portrait of Kaspar Winzerer)
• Joseph von Stichaner : The sex of the winemakers , in: Upper Bavarian Archive, Volume 5, Historical Association of Upper Bavaria (Ed.), Munich 1844
• Sepp, Johannes: life and deeds of the field captain Kaspar von Winzer, colonel of the Landsknechte, burgrave of Dürnstein, statesman and keeper of Tölz. For the unveiling of the warrior monument with the bronze statue of the golden knight. Toelz, June 26, 1887

Web links

Commons : Kaspar III. Winemaker  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The death of the golden knight Kaspar III. Winemaker