Lion covenant

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The company with the Lewen (also known as Lion Society and Lion Federation called) was on 17 October 1379 of 17 counts , knights and noble servants in Wiesbaden founded nobility . It was "one of the most important aristocratic associations of the 14th century".

Based on the Counts of Nassau and the Counts of Katzenelnbogen , as indicated by the heraldic animal and the first meeting points in Wiesbaden and Sankt Goar , the company was initially established in the Wetterau . Over time, other aristocrats joined them, so that the company was ultimately divided into six sub-companies, Lorraine, Franconia, the Netherlands, Swabia, Alsace and Breisgau.

history

The society was recruited from supporters of the antipope Clemens VII. Archbishop of Mainz Adolf I of Nassau , brother of Count Walram of Nassau , is said to have helped determine the place and time of the foundation of the Lion League , who at the same time supported Pope Clement VII had decided. All of the founding members were partisans of the Archbishop of Mainz. The Löwenbund openly confessed to Clemens VII. The elaboration of the very extensive and sophisticated contract work is attributed to the archbishopric-Mainz chancellery. Other members were supporters of Duke Leopold of Austria , also a supporter of Clemens.

The members of the Löwenbund pledged to protect each other and to provide help against attacks from outside. Any disputes among one another should be reported to the three captains elected for a year and settled by them with the help of arbitrators at an arbitration day in Wiesbaden or another city to be determined. The two annual member assemblies took place alternately in Wiesbaden and Sankt Goar .

Every knight should wield a golden lion and every squire a silver lion as a symbol and identification mark. Those who failed to do so had to pay a turnosen , which went to the poor people in honor of St. George , the patron saint of knighthood.

The contract was initially concluded for three years until December 25, 1382 and kept in the Katzenelnbogischen Rheinfels Castle. However, it was already noted in the articles of association that if the society were to find itself in a military conflict at this point in time, the alliance would be extended until the end of the war.

The open confession of the Lion League members to antipope Clement VII provoked the neighboring supporters of Pope Urban VI. On January 11, 1381, the Count Palatinate and the Archbishops of Trier and Cologne united in Wesel to form the so-called “ Electoral Alliance”, the aim of which was to bring the Clementists back to obedience by force of war in accordance with the resolutions of the Urban Association of King Wenceslas if necessary.

The lions' union grew rapidly through the accession of many princes, counts, lords, knights and servants. Ulrich von Württemberg joined the federal government in 1380. The lion society expanded so much along the Main, Rhine and Lahn, in Swabia, Alsace, in Breisgau, in Lorraine and in Franconia that many sub-groups had to be formed under the leadership of "kings".

On June 28, 1380, the "Lion Society" allied with the city of Basel . At the time, this was ruled by a group of nobles who were employed by Austria and its Duke Leopold.

The great influence of the Lion Society was also evident in the fact that on December 21, 1380 another independent "Society with sant Wilhalmen" was formed in the vicinity of the Counts of Helfenstein . This society took over the statutes of the "lions" literally and on March 1, 1381 concluded an alliance agreement with the lions. On March 8, 1381 the "Society with Saint Wilhelm" merged with the Franconian "Society with sant Gyren" .

As a counter-reaction from the cities, among other things, the second Rheinische Städtebund , which merged with the Schwäbischer Städtebund in the founding year . Extensive fighting broke out until the peace of Ehingen was concluded on April 9, 1382 through the mediation of Duke Leopold of Austria .

This was the last official mention of the Lions' Association. A number of the members of the society mentioned by name took part in the battle of Sempach on July 9, 1386, of which over a dozen lost their lives. But whether this happened within the framework of society has not been established.

rating

The planned expansion and the establishment of a functioning structure of sub-societies was unique for the time at the Lion Society. For example, in the course of the misdirection, it was possible to operate freely in the area of ​​the "subsidiaries". For the possible event of war in alliance contract specific arrangements have been made: "So shall ieder Count four with Gla e fen , the Herre ye two and ye of knights and Kneht itself or a show to o virtues with a Gla e fen Send" .

A reduction of the lion society to an "only" anti-city alliance falls short of the mark, even if individual members such as Reifenberg , Hattstein and Kronberg , declared enemies of the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt am Main , were among the founding members.

Members

Founding members

Count

cleric

Knight

Noblemen

  • Kuno von Reifenberg
  • Frank von Kronberg
  • Wolf of Sachsenhausen

Other members

Basler, or from the area around the city of Basel

literature

  • Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini , Andreas Ranft (eds.): Orders of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 ( Kieler Werkstücke. Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages 1).
  • Sonja Zielke- [Dünnebeil], Die Löwen-Gesellschaft, a nobility association of the 14th century , in: Journal for the history of the Upper Rhine 138 (1990) pp. 27–97.
  • Arthur Funk: On the history of the Schloßberg near Nieder Modau. Association for local history, Ober-Ramstadt 1985.
  • Karl E. Demandt : History of the State of Hesse. Revised reprint of the 2nd revised and expanded edition. Stauda, ​​Kassel 1980, ISBN 3-7982-0400-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Order of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . P. 103.
  2. ^ Andreas Ranft: Noble societies: group formation and cooperative in the late medieval empire . In: Kiel historical studies . tape 38 . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1994, ISBN 3-7995-5938-8 (also: Kiel, University, habilitation thesis). , P. 209
  3. ↑ This name, which is confusing today, meant the area between the Main, Rhine and Lahn.
  4. ↑ A turnose is an old coin currency. The Turnos, also the Turnose, is the German copy of the Gros tournois that the French King Louis IX. (Louis the Saint, 1226–1270) was struck for the first time in 1266. According to: http://www.muenzen-lexikon.de/lexikon/t/pt118.html ( Memento from November 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ^ Andreas Ranft: Noble societies: group formation and cooperative in the late medieval empire . In: Kiel historical studies . tape 38 . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1994, ISBN 3-7995-5938-8 (also: Kiel, University, habilitation thesis). , P. 209, refers to: K. Ruser: On the history of the societies of masters and servants in southern Germany during the 14th century. In: Zeitschrift für Württembergische Landesgeschichte 34/35, 1975/76, p. 58. This in turn refers to: StA Basel, Ratsbuch A2, foul. 133r-134r
  6. ↑ Orders of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . , P. 111, refers to: Vienna, HHStA, Allgemeine Urkundenreihe
  7. ↑ Orders of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . , P. 117
  8. ^ Andreas Ranft: Noble societies: group formation and cooperative in the late medieval empire . In: Kiel historical studies . tape 38 . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1994, ISBN 3-7995-5938-8 (also: Kiel, University, habilitation thesis). P. 210
  9. ^ Andreas Ranft: Noble societies: group formation and cooperative in the late medieval empire . In: Kiel historical studies . tape 38 . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1994, ISBN 3-7995-5938-8 (also: Kiel, University, habilitation thesis). , P. 209, refers to: K. Ruser: On the history of the societies of masters and servants in southern Germany during the 14th century. In: Zeitschrift für Württembergische Landesgeschichte 34/35, 1975/76, p. 58
  10. ^ Karl Ernst Demandt : History of the State of Hesse . Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 1959.
  11. ↑ Arthur Funk: The history of the castle hill near Nieder Modau .
  12. ^ Contemporary copy of the Bundbrief in: Basel, Staatsarchiv, Ratsbuch A2, fol. 133r-134r, quoted from: Orders of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . , Pp. 105-106
  13. ↑ contemporary copies in the Marburg State Archives: Samtarchiv supplement, 1.13 and feud letters of the Lion Society from August 1380: Stadtarchiv Frankfurt, Reichssachen 1380, No. 108 and Kopialbuch 12, fol. 10v; quoted from: Knight orders and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . , Pp. 106-107
  14. ↑ Basel, State Archives, Ratsbuch A2, fol. 134v, quoted from: Orders of knights and noble societies in late medieval Germany . In: Holger Kruse, Werner Paravicini, Andreas Ranft (Hrsg.): Kieler Werkstücke, Series D: Contributions to the European history of the late Middle Ages . tape 1 . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-631-43635-1 . , P. 107