Levin Zanner

Levin Zanner , also Sander, Zander, called "Rittmeister Immernüchtern" or "Nimmernüchtern", called (* in Klein Heere / Amt Wohldenberg ; Wernigerode (?); † October 7, 1641 in Hildesheim ) was a German Freireuter ( free militant , free corps leader ) in the Thirty Years War .

Live and act

Nothing is known about Levin Zanner's family origins and early years. During the Thirty Years' War he supported the fortress commander Johann von Reuschenberg , a colonel of the Catholic League , who defended the fortress Wolfenbüttel against attacks by Protestant troops as the leader of a cavalry troop between 1634 and 1641 . The imperial troops of Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim had conquered Wolfenbüttel in 1627; the city was considered one of the strongest fortresses in northern Germany at that time. Zanner probably lived within the fortress ring in the Kleiner Zimmerhof No. 16.

Zanner did not belong to the regular fortress troops, but was a "Freireuter", comparable to a free militant or free corps leader. Sometimes he is referred to as the Rittmeister . During numerous raids and raids, Zanner brought captured cattle, goods and money back to the fortress. His raids were feared by the farmers in the surrounding villages. Among the opposing troops he was considered bulletproof ("immune") and in league with dark powers. He allegedly killed "an awful thousand" Swedish soldiers in combat.

On October 7, 1641, Zanner was captured by Protestant troops near Lutter am Barenberge and brought to Hildesheim. According to tradition, it was considered invulnerable ("solid or frozen"). Allegedly 20 bullets were shot at him without success ("none of which got through") before he was finally beheaded. Zanner's funeral took place on October 8th on the Galgenberg in Hildesheim in the presence of Duke Christian Ludwig of Braunschweig-Lüneburg .

meaning

Zanner, who was also called “sober” or jokingly “sober” because of his drinking habits, gained contemporary notoriety as a freerider and leader of a horse troop during the Thirty Years' War. For example, in 1640 a chronicler referred to him as the "keyserliche famous soldier always sober". His deeds found their way into the Theatrum Europaeum in 1692 , the large collection of descriptions of the Thirty Years' War.

In the 19th century it was acknowledged that Zanner had "made himself famous as a partisan [of the imperial]". He had "superbly supported" the Wolfenbüttel fortress commandant Johann von Reuschenberg, and his death was a "misfortune" for the fortress defense.

Nowadays Levin Zanner is characterized as a "symbolic figure" of the long history of sieges of the Wolfenbüttel Fortress.

See also

Wilhelm Raabe painted a picture of Zanner in his story Lorenz Scheibenhart in 1858 . Raabe calls him Sander.

literature

• Dieter Lent : Zanner, Levin. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 755 . (with archival records from the Wolfenbüttel State Archives)
• Th. Voges: Tales from the history of the city of Wolfenbüttel. J. Zwissler, Wolfenbüttel 1882 (Chapter 30: Rittmeister Nimmernüchtern, pp. 92–94)
• Additional entry in: Bernhard von Poten :  Reuschenberg, Johann von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 296-298.

Web links

• Levin Zanner (pikeperch, sander, always sober). In: Thuringian University and State Library Jena: Central German testimonies from the time of the Thirty Years' War. (Short biography)
• Levin Zanner (Zander, Sander, Always Sober, Immenrichter). In: Bernd Warlich: The Thirty Years' War in personal testimonies and reports (biography)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Dieter Lent: Zanner, Levin. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 755 .
2. ↑ Cf. Levin Zanner (Immernuchtern, Immenrichter). In:. Bernd Warlich: The Thirty Years War in personal testimonials and reports  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. with reference to Volkmar Happe: Chronicon Thuringiae. 1640.  
3. ↑ Dieter Lent: Zanner, Levin. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 755 . with reference to Matthäus Merian : Theatrum Europaeum […]. Part 4, Frankfurt am Main, 3rd ed. 1692 (online edition)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Pp. 239, 372, 588 f., 597, 599 f.  
4. ^ Frederick of the blankets: Duke Georg of Braunschweig and Lüneburg. Contributions to the history of the Thirty Years War. Hanover 1834, p. 132.
5. ^ Bernhard von Poten:  Reuschenberg, Johann von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 296-298.