Ludwig Pfyffer from Altishofen

This article deals with the Swiss statesman; the Swiss Guard of the same name is portrayed under Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen (Swiss Guard) .

Ludwig Pfyffer

Ludwig Pfyffer (von Altishofen) (* 1524 in Lucerne ; † March 17, 1594 in Lucerne) was a Swiss statesman and military leader in foreign service.

Life

Ludwig Pfyffer was the son of Leodegar Pfyffer ( Kleinrat and Säckelmeister) and Elisabeth, b. Kiel. Leodegar's father, Kleinrat Johannes Pfyffer (1438–1540), is considered the progenitor of the Lucerne patrician family Pfyffer von Altishofen . One of Ludwig's brothers, Jost Pfyffer (1531–1610), was a businessman, councilor, governor and mayor . Another brother, Rudolph Pfyffer (1545-1630), was Vogt, colonel in the French service, minor councilor and master of the banner .

Ludwig Pfyffer entered the French military service as an officer in 1553, after having held various high offices in his home country. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Dreux in 1562 and was appointed Colonel of the Swiss Guards . This regiment formed the core of Charles IX's armies . in the Huguenot Wars . At the same time took Pfyffer 1566 as an envoy of the Confederation in the Diet of Augsburg , where he Emperor Maximilian II. In the knighthood was charged.

A year later, under constant attacks by the Huguenots, he led the royal family safely from Meaux to Paris . He also took part in the battles of Saint-Denis ( Second Huguenot War , November 1567) and Jarnac ( Third Huguenot War, March 1569) and decided that of Moncontour (October 1569). He was raised to the French nobility and accepted into the prestigious French Order of Michael .

After the Peace of Saint-Germain , Pfyffer returned to Lucerne, where he held the dignity of mayor . As the head of the Catholic Party of the Confederation, he promoted the Counter Reformation and operated the unification of the Catholic cantons. In 1577 he called the Jesuits , campaigned for the Borromean League (1586) and the alliance of the Catholic cantons with Spain (1587) and recruited Swiss regiments for the French League . These distinguished themselves in 1590 under the command of his brother Rudolph at the Battle of Ivry .

Because of his influence, Pfyffer was called the “Swiss King” by contemporaries. In 1571 he built Altishofen Castle after buying the rule from the Teutonic Order . In 1588 he acquired the Wyher moated castle near Ettiswil . Pfyffer is considered to be the founder of the Lucerne patriciate .

literature

• Philipp Anton von Segesser : Ludwig Pfyffer and his time. A piece of French and Swiss history in the 16th century . 3 vol., Wyss, Bern 1880–1882.
• Gerold Meyer von Knonau :  Pfyffer von Altishofen, Ludwig . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 25, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, pp. 727-737.
• Markus Lischer:  Pfyffer, v .. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 20, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-428-00201-6 , p. 368 ( digitized version ). (Family item).
• Markus Lischer: Pfyffer, Ludwig (from Altishofen). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Philippe Rogger: Family power politics and military entrepreneurship in the Catholic suburb. The Pfyffers of Lucerne in the context of the Thirty Years' War. In: André Holenstein, Georg von Erlach, Sarah Rindlisbacher (eds.): In the eye of the hurricane. Federal power elites and the Thirty Years War. Hier + Jetzt, Baden 2015, ISBN 978-3-03919-366-0 , pp. 122-137.