Murder night in Zurich
destruction of Rapperswil
| date | 1336 to 1350 or 1355 |
|---|---|
| place | Canton of Zurich , Canton of St. Gallen |
| output | Victory of Habsburg |
| consequences | "Bund von 1351" between Zurich and the Waldstätte , consolidation of the supremacy of Habsburg Austria |
| Peace treaty | «Peace of Regensburg» from 1355 |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
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| Commander | |
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Rudolf Brun (1336–55) |
Count Johann I of Habsburg-Laufenburg (1336/37)
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The Murder Night of Zurich - also known as the «Zurich Murder Night» or the «Murder of Zurich» - was basically not an isolated event, but a feud in the years 1336 to 1350 and 1355, respectively, in connection with the Bruns guild constitution and the Swiss Habsburg Wars must be considered.
On the one hand , members of the council exiled from the city of Zurich in 1336 (Notabel or Constaffel ), the Habsburg city of Rapperswil and its allies, on the other hand, the city of Zurich and allied noble families.
The conflict resulted in skirmishes that lasted for many years, on the night of February 23-24, 1350 on the night of the murder of Zurich, the imprisonment of Count Johann II von Habsburg-Laufenburg and the destruction of Rapperswil as well as the occupation of Rapperswil possessions by Zurich troops led.
The House of Habsburg emerged victorious from the turmoil surrounding Brun's guild constitution. His supremacy in northern Switzerland was consolidated and control over the Rapperswil possessions remained with Habsburg until 1458. Mayor Rudolf Brun managed by clever tactics to at least transform Zurich's defeat into a personal victory. In 1356, Zurich concluded a union with Habsburg that guaranteed the Brun'sche guild constitution ("1st jury letter") of 1336.
Starting position (summary)
Guild Revolution in Zurich (June 1336)
The craftsmen in the city of Zurich in the 14th century remained largely without political rights and protection, although they were increasingly involved in the city's economic boom. In the judge's letter of 1281 or 1291, which was not beyond doubt , the city council had explicitly forbidden the formation of craft associations ( guilds ), made up of members of the " burgers " - the merchants represented in the Zurich council, noble craftsmen and the city nobles ( ministerials ) - d) still advertise tuon (found) sol enhein (no) guild nor championship with oaths with words nor with werchen ». There were severe penalties for violating the law: demolishing the house, heavy fines and banishment . However, the formation of guilds is said to have been allowed.
In 1335 the council carried out a currency reform which unilaterally favored the class with capital, mainly merchants. The relationship between merchants and craftsmen was strained and the craftsmen of the city of Zurich no longer wanted to be excluded from the city council . On the other hand, the «notables» - the merchants represented in the council, the noble artisans ( goldsmiths , silk manufacturers, cloth dealers, money changers , salt people ) and the city nobles - dominated the council of the city of Zurich, which was originally composed of equal parts, so that before 1336 «the ruling Zurich City Council was composed of one third of noble knights and two thirds of civil notables (pensioners, money changers, merchants and goldsmiths) ”, d. H. the political influence of the city nobles had been significantly reduced. Furthermore, the council tried to extend its sovereignty to the manors and fiefdoms of the city nobility . The city of Zurich's nobles also pursued a foreign policy that was contrary to the merchants . When Rudolf Brun probably skillfully used these tensions in the ruling class, a guild revolution occurred in Zurich .
The revolt of the craftsmen and nobles broke out on June 7, 1336 with a storm on the town hall; the majority of the councils could only save their lives by fleeing. On June 8 or 16, 1336, the rebels gathered in the Barfüsserkloster , where their leader, Rudolf Brun, was appointed mayor of the city by the people's assembly. Brun worked out the Brun'sche guild constitution named after him , the so-called «1. Sworn letter », which was designed based on the model of the oath letter of the city of Strasbourg from 1334.
Exile of 22 councilors and escape to Rapperswil (July 1336)
The city register from 1292 to 1371 contains a regulation under June 7, 1336, how the future mayoral election and the recognition of the government by the citizens should take place. On the first line is «young R. Bruno burgermeister» (Junker Rudolf Brun) to read. The table of contents of the city book created in 1636 speaks of the "twelve bandits of 1336" who had to leave the city at that time.
Of the 24 councilors of the Notabel (merchants), 22 lost their council seat. It has not been unequivocally clarified whether the banishment of the members of the previous council or a dispute between the knight Götz Mülner and some notables of the previous or constaffler of the guild council put additional strain on the new, fragile coalition between the city nobility, craftsmen and merchants right from the start.
It seems certain that in the period from June 8th to July 18th 1336, probably twelve or 22 councilors, the majority of whom came from the merchant patrimony, and their families were banished from the city of Zurich. A source writes: “On July 18, Brun went to settle accounts with the members of the old council. 22 of them were declared incapable of counseling, of which twelve were temporarily banished from the city. " Some of the exiles - especially the Bilgeri family - were ministerials from the Counts of Rapperswil. The majority of the exiles therefore fled to Rapperswil to see Count Johann I von Habsburg-Laufenburg , who was indebted to the city as well as to some of the exiles and who might have hoped for their support to repay his debts.
Counter-government of the “outer Zurich” in Rapperswil (1336–1350)
Under the protection of Count Johann I von Habsburg-Laufenburg , the exiles formed a counter-government of the “outer Zurich” in Rapperswil and began forays through the subject area of the city of Zurich with the aim of destabilizing the new government of Zurich.
Against the opponents of the new city government who remained behind in the city, action was taken several times, as can be concluded from an above-average number of (presumably politically motivated) executions and the instruction that the former councilors and their supporters do not join societies with more than three people were allowed to come together. The counter-government of the "outer Zurich" recruited mercenaries during the years of their exile in Rapperswil and, with the help of their partisans, planned the overthrow of Brun's regime in the city, reports the Zurich historiography.
Zurich also sought support from allies and found him with Count Kraft III. from Toggenburg . Count Kraft III. endeavored to occupy a profitable middle position between the Swiss Confederation and Habsburg, and was in conflict with Count Johann I because of Grynau Castle , which secured a strategically important crossing over the Linth between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen. With the support of the Count of Toggenburg , the patrons of the Grossmünster - pin , pulled Mayor Brun with a small army against Count John I. In the battle of Grynau on 21 September 1337 defeated the Zurich Count John I of Rapperswil-Laufenberg, who together with his opponent, Count Kraft III. from Toggenburg, perished. This in turn provoked the intervention of the Habsburg Duke Albrecht II of Austria , who forced Zurich to renounce all conquests and to hand over their property to the exiles, which the city of Zurich refused. Brun then tried to secure himself with peace and aid alliances with neighboring towns and aristocratic families, including in 1340 with Constance and St. Gallen, in 1343 even for a short time with Rapperswil, in 1345 with the bishop and the city of Basel and Schaffhausen, and finally in 1349 Zurich joined the Swabian Association of cities .
Count Johann II, who had come of age and who was still a minor when his father died, is said to have been offered the repayment of all debts and the redemption of the Wollerau and Pfäffikon farms pledged to the city of Zurich by the exiled councilors. Johann II presumably continued the feud in the second half of the 1340s and, like his father, became the leader of the coalition against the Brunian regime. It is historically certain that he captured Abbot Konrad II von Gösgen during an attack on Pfäffikon between July 1347 and June 1348, but released him again. The Einsiedeln monastery archives go into these events in more detail: «Worse were the events that took place in Pfäffikon, where Count John II of Rapperswil united with the citizens of Rapperswil between July 31, 1347 and June 26, 1348 the fortress of Pfaffikon attacked, robbed it completely, and carried away the abbot who was just there with him. In any case, the events are related to the political upheavals that took place in Zurich at the time. There, Brun had carried out a constitutional amendment in 1336. The knight nobility, dissatisfied with this, fled to the Count of Habsburg-Rapperswil. As a result, a real guerrilla war broke out. Abbot Konrad, in any case well acquainted with Brun - one of his sons held the Rued Abbey Parish (Canton Aargau) - acknowledged the changes made with other gentlemen. That is probably why the abbot incited the hatred of Rapperswil. Count Johann I fell near Grynau on September 21, 1337, but his son Johannes II continued the feud and, as I said, attacked Pfäffikon, and even the abbot fell into his hands. How long Abbot Konrad was imprisoned cannot be determined; surely he was free again on June 26, 1348 and Pfäffikon was back in his hands, because on this date a reconciliation between the abbot and the Rapperswiler came about through the mediation of some gentlemen. The damage had to be replaced, for which Abbot Johannes paved the way for lifting the ban that had apparently been imposed. Count Johann II and his brothers promised to take the house of God, its people and goods under their special protection. "
Murder Night in Zurich (February 23/24, 1350)
procedure
Zurich historiography reports that on the night of February 23-24, 1350, a coup d'état was agreed upon on the city, the “Murder Night of Zurich”. The allies within the city walls were supposed to let the "outside" in through the gates and then murder Brun and his followers together in their sleep or "on the night of February 23rd to 24th, 1350 attempted the 1336 after Brun's guild revolution from the Nobles displaced from the city ‹nights bi slafender diet› [when all the people were asleep] to bring Zurich back under their control ».
The "followers of Rudolf Brun" mentioned were probably Rudolf Brun himself, the guild masters and the Constaffel councilors of the small council. The guilds were not only economic and political organizations, but also military ones. The council of the guild constitution was formed from their guild masters, as well as from the members of the city nobility and the merchant patrimony, who provided the knighthood and thus the core and leadership of the military force and the political leadership. A citizen could only get into the council through the guilds, likewise a council seat was reserved for nobles and patricians only through the Constaffel. The expression "The guilds should have a banner" corresponded to their military meaning and structure. The guild was an army unit and organizational base for guard and military service. Eberhard III. von Mülner, a confidante of Bruns, is said to have taken part in a meeting in Einsiedeln in 1350 in preparation for the night of the murder in Zurich. This could indicate that Brun and his supporters were not surprised by the night of the murder, but that they were involved in its planning and intended to lure the "outside" into an ambush.
History tells that Mayor Brun learned of these overturning plans through betrayal and that his supporters must therefore have been well prepared. The exact course of the fighting will probably remain unexplained - but illustrations in contemporary chronicles suggest that the battle was extremely bitter on both sides in the streets of the city of Zurich. The same sources suggest that the conspirators were able to penetrate through the city gates and the skirmish killed 28 people on both sides.
Several sources illustrate the bloody resistance of the members of the “Zunft zum Widder”: “Murder night in Zurich on St. Matthias Day (February 23). The former rulers have become conspirators and seek to take control of Rudolf Bruns and his loyal followers, but are overwhelmed and largely killed by the vigilant citizens. The butchers do grim work with cleavers and knives and receive special rights (St. Petersfahrt) "and" The attack on Brun and his followers failed, according to the legend, mainly thanks to the heroic intervention of the butchers' guild. " «The procession of the guild to St. Peter , which is held today at the end of January or beginning of February, reminds… of privileges that Mayor Rudolf Brun thanked the guild for their murder on the night of 23/24. February 1350 has bestowed proven bravery. " Back then, the butchers were given the right to roam the city of Zurich on Ash Wednesday , armed with cleavers and beating, with their banner, the «Isengrind» awarded by the council and a bear skin, symbol of the enemy trapped on a chain. This butcher's move is likely to be one of the roots of the Sechseläuten move .
Participants and their fate
Depending on the sources, “an unknown number of conspirators” is said to have been killed in a scuffle, one source mentions “15 conspirators fell, 35 were captured. Of these, Brun let 18 wheels and the others heads ”, others call“ quite a few prisoners ”. It can be considered certain that Count Johann II von Rapperswil-Laufenburg was among the numerous prisoners, who remained incarcerated in the city of Zurich's Wellenberg for around two years . During his imprisonment in the Wellenberg he composed the minnie song “Blümli blawe”, which Goethe immortalized in the ballad “Das Blümlein Wunderschön: Lied des Captured Count”.
The property of all the conspirators was confiscated by the authorities. The "Tütsch Hus" (German House), confiscated from the executed co-conspirator Niklaus Bilgri, is said to have served as the official residence of a council commission for the administration and sale of goods confiscated from the conspirators from 1350 to 1356.
Other well-known members of the Zurich city nobility ( ministerial families) were knight Wizli Wisso and his brother Johannes. Wizli Wisso was the grandson of the knight of the same name who, as a citizen of Zurich on the Habsburg side, was killed in the Battle of Morgarten in 1315 . His property was confiscated and in 1354 the "Haus zum Loch" was sold to Elsbeth (Elisabeth) Schwend. Johannes Wisso, son of Elisabeth Schwend and Wisso Wiss, was not executed as a canon at the Grossmünster, but had to leave Zurich. Despite the reconciliation with Brun that had already taken place in 1357, the exile was not lifted until November 8, 1373, after the collapse of Brun's rule. The confiscated property of his brother, who was killed on February 24, 1350, was not returned to him. Rudolf Manesse , Otto's son, was another victim on the side of the "outer", while the majority of the Manegg Manesse belonged to Brun's followers.
The Bilgeri family was one of Brun's declared opponents: four of their councilors had been banished and they had lost their seven council seats in June 1336. Rudolf Bilgeri lost his life in the fight, Werner and Klaus Bilgeri were captured and executed. Werner's brother Burkhard was able to escape, became Johanniter in 1358 at the Ordensburg Alt- Wädenswil and reconciled with the council in 1374.
Beringer von Hohenlandenberg was another possible co-conspirator who granted asylum to some of the 1336 exiles in his castle in Schauenberg near Winterthur and who is said to have been killed while fighting in the streets of Zurich.
In the days before February 23, 1350, Brun's opponents are said to have tried to prevent the ringing of the storm bells and thus the collection of able-bodied men from guilds and Constaffel. Ulrich von Beggenhofen was banned from the city for three years after the council opened an investigation against him: Beggenhofen is said to have been seen several times by witnesses near the bells of the Great Minster in the days before the night of the murder . In addition, the council ordered the tower guards, without the permission of the so-called tower lords, to deny access to the church spiers to anyone except the Sigrist and the bell-ringers (violations were henceforth punished with imprisonment and fines).
Destruction of Rapperswil (Sankt Matthis 1350)
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Rudolf Brun and his troops presumably marched before Rapperswil on February 24, 1350, which surrendered out of concern for Count Johann II, who was being held captive in Zurich. However, the count's brothers are said to have hoped for the Habsburg relatives to intervene and sabotaged a peace treaty: With this reason, Brun destroyed the Alt-Rapperswil (Altendorf) fortress in the March and razed the walls of the town and castle of Rapperswil so that it was no longer defended could become. Troops from the city of Zurich also occupied the Untere March and thus gained control of the Bündner passes. The city of Zug , allied with Zurich, summarized the events from their perspective: “The councilors who had been driven out of the city - not all of them suffered this fate - fled to Rapperswil. They found an ally in the local lord of the city, Count Johannes von Habsburg-Laufenburg, with whom they in turn attempted a violent and bloody but unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing the city on what would later become known as the Murder Night of Zurich in 1350. From Zurich's point of view, this breach of the peace was seen as a cause of feud and was rewarded with the conquest of Rapperswil and the capture of Johannes von Habsburg-Laufenburg [Count Johann II], who was held responsible for the bloodshed. Since the latter refused to accept a corresponding peace offer from Zurich, the feud could not be ended ».
Effects and union of 1351 with the forest site
Through this approach, Brun became hostile to Habsburg Austria, close relatives of the Counts of Rapperswil. The mayor of Zurich nevertheless submitted a new alliance offer, which was rejected: the city of Zurich was dependent on a good understanding with Habsburg, whose territory almost completely surrounded Zurich at the time, mainly because of the trade connections. Since Zurich was at the same time enemies with Basel and Strasbourg, it got into a dangerous situation. In order to survive against Habsburg, Brun had to look around for new allies and decided to enter into the "Bund von 1351" with the four Waldstätten , which were again at war with Habsburg - the city of Zurich joining the emerging confederation .
The exile and later execution of a large part of the former council members also had an effect in other areas: After the churches and monasteries in Zurich had experienced a veritable wave of foundations at the beginning of the 14th century, after 1336 there was a lack of powerful donors for a long time, and in comparison to In other cities, church grants in Zurich turned out to be very modest overall. The then Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian had sided with Brun and his regime after the overthrow. Unlike the Franciscan and Augustinian orders, the Zurich preachers ( Dominicans ) confessed to the Pope and therefore had to leave the city for several years. His exile led the convent first to Winterthur, Kaiserstuhl and later, like the exiled Zurich councilors, to Rapperswil. The return of the preachers to Zurich probably coincided with the height of the crisis in 1349/50 - after the pogroms against the Jewish population of the city of Zurich in the plague years of 1349/50 or rather after the destruction of Rapperswil by Brun.
Despite an arbitration award, the conflict escalated after Duke Albrecht II of Habsburg demanded the restoration of the destroyed fortresses of Rapperswil and Altendorf, both of which were Habsburg fiefs. After Albrecht had started a siege of Zurich in September 1351, Brun consented to arbitration, which was in favor of the Habsburgs and was not accepted by the Waldstätten. At the end of December 1351, Brun ordered a looting campaign through eastern Aargau, which culminated in the battle of Dättwil .
The “Brandenburg Peace” between Zurich, the Habsburgs and Rapperswil finally came about through the mediation of the Margraves of Brandenburg : Count Johann II was released with the assurance of the original feud that the city of Rapperswil would no longer be allowed to accept Ausburger and Zurich would accept all Habsburg and Rapperswil areas vacate. As the new owner, Duke Albrecht had the castle and town of Rapperswil rebuilt from 1352 onwards. In 1353 the Waldstätte continued the fighting, and it was only when Emperor Charles IV marched with an army outside Zurich that Zurich consented to the "Regensburg Peace" of 1355. This essentially confirmed the peace treaty of 1351, but obliged Zurich to use force to force the Waldstätte, which is allied with Zurich, to comply with it if necessary. In 1356 Zurich concluded a union with Habsburg that guaranteed the guild constitution of 1336 (“1st Jury Letter”), and Rapperswil became the property of Habsburg Austria.
gallery
Mayor Rudolf Brun
Zunfthaus zur Meisen : coat of arms, glass painting 17th century
Lithograph by Anton Ziegler, 1848
Depiction of Karl Jauslin (1842–1904)
Ash Wednesday parade on the Lindenhof in memory of the Murder Night in Zurich in 1350, etching by Conrad and Johannes Meyer, around 1676
literature
- Markus Brühlmeier, Beat Frei: The Zurich guild system , 2 volumes. NZZ Buchverlag, Zurich 2005. ISBN 3-0382-3171-1
- Martin Illi: History of Constaffel, from Mayor Rudolf Brun to the 20th century . NZZ Buchverlag, Zurich 2003. ISBN 3-0382-3021-9
- State Archives of the Canton of Zurich : Brief Zurich Constitutional History 1218–2000 . Published on behalf of the Directorate of Justice and the Interior on the day of the constitution of the Zurich Constitutional Council on September 13, 2000. Chronos, Zurich 2000. ISBN 3-9053-1403-7
- Otto Sigg , R. Jagmetti [et al.]: Guild glory 1336–1798 . In: 650 Years of Zurich Guilds, 1336–1986 , Zurich 1986.
- Karl Werner Glaettli: Zürcher Sagen , 2nd edition. Zurich 1970.
- Karl Dändliker : History of the City and the Canton of Zurich , Volume 1. 1908.
- Karl Dändliker: Swiss history . 1885.
- Adolf Weisser: The night of murder in Zurich. A historical picture from the German city life of the 14th century . Meyer & Zeller, Zurich 1856.
- Johannes Stumpf : Chronicle of 1547/48 .
- Bendicht Tschachtlan and Heinrich Dittlinger: Tschachtlanchronik 1470.
- City archive Zurich VII. 179. Archive of the Zunft zur Schmiden 1336–1986
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Gregor A. Rutz: Rapperswiler in the Zurich municipal council ...? Zollikon.
- ↑ Zunft zur Waag, Geschichte ( Memento of the original from March 18, 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.
- ↑ "Notabel" defines in this context the merchants and noble craftsmen represented on the council (goldsmiths, silk manufacturers, money changers). According to the DRW , the definition of the word notable is noble, honorable, outstanding .
- ↑ a b Martin Illi: Brun'sche guild revolution. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Zunft zur Letzi, History of the Guilds : «On June 16, a community of citizens met in the courtyard of the Barfüsserkloster (today's chairman's office ). It conjured up the "first sworn letter" drawn up by Brun and designated knight Rudolf Brun as mayor. "
- ^ State Archives of the Canton of Zurich (ed.): Kleine Zürcher Verfassungsgesichte 1218–2000 ; Zurich 2000.
- ↑ a b c d e Gerald Dörner: Church, clergy and ecclesiastical life in Zurich from the Bruns Revolution (1336) to the Reformation (1523) . Königshausen & Neumann, Münster 1996. ISBN 3-8260-1192-9
- ↑ a b c Zunft zur Letzi, history of the guilds : "Based on the already mentioned Strasbourg order, knights, noblemen, pensioners, merchants, cloth dealers, money changers, goldsmiths and salt workers were brought together in the Constaffel ."
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives, professorship book abbots, 23rd Conrad II of Gösgen
- ↑ a b Central Committee of the Zurich Guilds, Brun'sche Zunftverfassungs: Die Zürcher Mordnacht ( Memento of the original from April 12, 2008 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.
- ↑ Zunft zur Schmiden: Zunftwesen ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2009 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.
- ^ Georg von Wyß: Mülner, Eberhard . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 22, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1885, p. 710 f.
- ↑ Zunft zum Widder: Geschichte ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Zunft zum Widder: St. Petersfahrt ( Memento of the original from August 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Martin Illi: Brun'sche guild revolution. In: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz .: «In 1337 Brun defeated his opponents who had been banished from the city or who had fled and who had gathered in Rapperswil (SG) in the battle of Grinau. A counter-coup by the external opposition in 1350 was brutally suppressed (so-called Zurich Murder Night). "
- ↑ Semi-detached house Römergasse No. 7 + 9: The German House or "Tütsch Hus" ( Memento of the original from May 29, 2008 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.
- ↑ Haus zum Loch: History ( 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.
- ↑ Burgenwelt, residential tower of the Bilgeri: History ( Memento of the original from April 7, 2014 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.
- ↑ Citizens' community of the city of Zug, extract from Zug will not become federal , on the occasion of the 650-year membership of the Canton of Zug in the Swiss Confederation, by Thomas Glauser, 2002.
- ↑ Dölf Wild, Urs Jäggin: The Zurich Predigerkirche: Important stages in building history . Office for Urban Development of the City of Zurich (Ed.), Zurich 2006.
- ^ City of Zurich: On the trail of the medieval synagogue in Zurich. Archaeological investigations in house Froschaugasse 4. ( Memento of the original from December 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
