Patriciate (Bern)
The patriciate of the imperial city of Bern , later the sovereign city and republic of Bern , was the actual center of power in Bern since the early modern period due to ever increasing demarcation until the French occupation in 1798.
History (up to 17th century)
In the imperial city of Bern, aristocratic families and rising notable families merged as early as the 13th century through marriages that were beneficial for both sides, which led to a de facto patriciate or a city aristocracy by the 15th century at the latest . This late medieval upper class was composed of old Bernese landed nobility (such as von Erlach ) or immigrant nobility ( e.g. von Bonstetten , von Mülinen , de Gingins ), from wealthy merchant families ( Lombach , Manuel , May ) including those who occasionally received a letter of nobility from the Roman-German emperor or a foreign potentate (such as von Diesbach or von Wattenwyl ) as well as from civil notables who rose through the exercise of administrative offices. (See also: Swiss nobility ).
A Bernese peculiarity is the dispersion of the citizenship due to the size of the state. "Above all, the photos of expatriates recorded in the Udel books document the development of urban rule in the countryside in a way that no other late medieval town north of the Alps has been able to deliver". In Bern, this led to the fact that in the late Middle Ages two thirds of the citizens were not resident in the city, but as Ausburger in the country. They were obligated to do so, but had full citizenship and could be elected to the council and offices. The lower jurisdiction lay partly with the noble landlords, the so-called Twingherren (see: Zwing and Bann ), but also with rural towns and spiritual communities. However, the conditions became more difficult in the course of the 15th century and the ruling upper class began to isolate itself.
A few years after the separation from the empire in the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 , Bern created its own social hierarchy that was not based on nobility law in the empire. In 1651, by decree, the citizenship was divided into citizens , permanent residents and rear-seaters (city dwellers without political rights). The permanent residents had all the economic rights of a citizen and were allowed to settle permanently in the city, but did not have the right to vote or stand for election. This laid the foundation for the aristocratic system of government in which only a few families shared lucrative offices. The number of "regimental families" decreased from 540 (middle of the 17th century) to 243 (end of the 18th century). The community assembly was not called at all, the actual representatives of the Bernese citizens were the guilds , which were also responsible for the poor.
Despite the increase in power and territory, the medieval oligarchic form of government of the Ancien Régimes remained in place until the end of the 18th century: The Small Council ( French: Petit Conseil ), like in most other towns of the Old Confederation , consisted of the city's highest officials and other citizens , most of whom came from a few long-established families. Until 1798 he was the authority of the canton and had extensive powers. Its members, who are often referred to as small councils , were the actual rulers of the republic and formed the patriciate through their exclusive access or through their control over access to this body . The Grand Council, on the other hand, was only nominally the highest decision-making body. It always had a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 300 members and was supplemented by voting agreements if there were vacancies. The Small Council , the actual government, was formed from members of the Grand Council . At the top was the "ruling" Schultheiss , who after a year - on Easter Monday, the high point of political life in Bern - was replaced by the "standing" Schultheiss. The rotation prevented individual people or families from becoming too powerful, as happened very often in northern Italian cities when a city republic was transformed into a signoria under a city lord .
The Republic of Bern actually became an aristocratic republic , with access to the Grand Council and especially to the Small Council being controlled by the ruling families, but there was no fixed number clausus of "advisable" families for the Small Council, as was the case in some southern German imperial cities existed, ideally with the Nuremberg patriciate , which in 1521 with the so-called “ dance statute ” expressly restricted access to the “Inner Council” to the patrician families listed therein. (The patriciate of Venice had already proceeded in a similar way with the " Libro d'Oro " in 1297 , but the circle of ruling families there was broader and the non-ruling families also had extensive rights of freedom.)
Within the category of the patricians (rulers), however, an official ranking was created, which included the three predicates “Wohledelfest , Edelfest” and “Fest” . This was based on evidence of nobility, post office nobility, the mayor's office and diplomatic missions (temporary) and served the needs of status and rank rather than access to power.
History (18th century)
In the 18th century, the citizens of Bern were classified as burger , permanent resident and Hintersässen . From 1651 onwards, all societies ( guilds ) were required to strictly make this classification in their lists. In most cases, those admitted to civil law after 1600 were downgraded to rear seaters. The law firm initially kept a list of those genders who were allowed to use a predicate. Four status groups emerged, which differed in their titles: “Wohledelvest”, “Edelvest”, “Vest”, “Liebe und Getreüwe” (see table below). Any change in the rating was a matter for the Grand Council.
In the official list of 1731, seven families were listed under “Wohledelfest” : von Bonstetten , von Diesbach , von Erlach , von Luternau , von Mülinen , von Wattenwyl . Furthermore, as a temporary exception, Venner Niklaus Dachselhofer from the group of "Vesten", who was only allowed to use the title "Wohledelfest" at his embassy to France, while the other six genders were always considered "noble". Four of these come from the medieval ministerial nobility (Bonstetten, Erlach, Luternau, Mülinen), the other two (Diesbach, Wattenwyl) had received nobility letters in the 15th century . They all immigrated to Bern between the early 13th century and 1500.
Long-established burgers, such as the Lombach , Manuel or May , as well as the old aristocratic families from Vaud ( de Gingins , de Sacconay and de Goumoëns), Ticino ( von Muralt ) and patricians who immigrated after 1500 were regarded as “ noble festivals ” - with the addition of aristocracy from other places ( Tscharner from Chur). With no aristocracy, or only with a nobility for a very short time, but in their capacity as the mayor family, the Nägeli , Steiger (von Rolle) and Manuel were also counted among the noble festivals.
On the other hand , the mayor families von Graffenried , Kilchberger and Dachselhofer only carried the title “festival” ; The festivals also included those of Büren, Frisching , Morlot , Stürler , Willading , Thormann , Zehender and others. Most of them rose through provincial offices and other functions first in the grand council, then in the small council, the latter often after acquiring manorial power , not infrequently by marriage.
End of the 17th century the number increased new and acquired abroad nobility and Baron diplomas rapidly in Bern. The von Erlach , who had lived in Bern since the early 13th century , were even elevated to the rank of imperial count in 1712 . For many years the genders were classified according to this in the official lists, until the Grand Council decided in 1731 that all diplomas, they were disseminated or that are currently unknown to others, should have no force or validity in our place and country . Name and coat of arms improvements were also included. When Philip Magran (1681-1758) successfully for the predicate precious hard stressed, the Great, the Council decided in 1737 at the request of Venner chamber that this predicate should be allowed to request any and all regiment enabled genders, the principle is nobilis qui imperat (about " Noble is whoever has the say ”). In its report, the Vennerkammer condemned the urge of their peers to rise above others. These circumstances could only be remedied by equating all citizens under constitutional law. The predicate should now be permitted to all regimental members , but was only used in connection with diplomacy, i.e. during stays abroad. Within Bern, only the men's title was used, as well as salutations (titulatures) for all class levels. As a regiment capable one could claim the title noble born .
The regiment capable citizenry was not the Grand Council at the end of the ancient city-state of 243 represented families and 76 actually ruling families, the so-called patricians . In later copies of the police book but only the gradations appear patricien-Burgeren and rear were sitting .
The ruling class tried throughout the 18th century to promote legal equality among those eligible for regiment . In fact, the ever smaller strata of rulers separated themselves the longer the more, which resulted in an irreconcilable social gap within the genders capable of regimentation. The rulers met in closed circles of friends, the ledges , the archery society and from 1759 in the large society .
In 1723 Major Davel revolted against the Bernese rule in Vaud , which was just as unsuccessful as the attempt by a group of Bernburgers under Samuel Henzi from 1749 to rule the few rulers, which was particularly well-known abroad and known as the Henzi conspiracy To put an end to patrician families. On April 9, 1783 - Freiburg im Üechtland did it a year earlier - the Grand Council of the City and Republic of Bern issued a decree, according to which all men and women of Bern who are capable of regiment are allowed and are free to use the title of nobility (“from”). Until 1798 only 16 of the ruling families made continuous use of this. In 1795, however, there were individual members of even non-ruling families or branches of the family among the carriers of the particle, such as the specier Johann Rudolf von Ernst, the stoner Emanuel Jakob von Fruting, the pastor Johannes von Lutz, the land clerk Johann Franz von Meyer and the major Johann Ludwig from Wäber.
The motto FREEDOM EQUALITY , which was created by the sculptor Johann Friedrich Funk , was in fact only valid for around 50 ruling families out of a total of 243 regimental families , which was put on the mayor's throne in 1785 under the impression of the French Revolution which was already beginning and the constitutional discussions that preceded it in Paris . Smaller families like the Dittlinger , Nöthiger or Späting were successively ousted from the offices.
With the French invasion on January 27, 1798, French troops marched into the Bernese Vaud and continued to advance into Switzerland. After the government had already capitulated, Bern had to admit defeat after the battle of Grauholz at the beginning of March , despite fierce resistance .
History (19th century)
After 1798, the nobility particles largely disappeared and were only used again during the restoration . Through them, the old system of rule was reintroduced in 1815. Now the patricians of the city of Bern provided 200 of the canton's 299 major councilors; Along with Zurich and Lucerne, Bern was given the status of a suburb . In the 19th century, based on the decree of 1783, numerous genders who were formerly capable of regimentation had the aristocratic particle officially confirmed by the civic community of Bern in order to differentiate themselves as the old elite from the new bourgeoisie , mostly emerging from the artisan class .
In 1832, in addition to the civic community, the new residents' community, in which all resident citizens with a minimum fortune were entitled to vote, was created. In 1846 the cantonal constitution was revised in line with the radicals, which remained in force until 1893. On September 5, 1832, the cantonal government declared the constitution of the city of Bern to be repealed and the city council to be deposed. In the elections that followed, the patriciate and later the conservatives in the city remained in the majority.
Titulatures according to status groups
The following alphabetical table, valid from approximately 1651 to 1737, the titling is with the nobility particles of taken over for the families that have been in 1651 or 1731 dubbed that way.
For genders who were promoted to the corresponding status group after 1651, the corresponding year is shown in round brackets. For families that have died out in the male line, this is indicated with the symbol † and the year.
| 1st group: "Wohledelvest" | 2nd group: "Edelvest" | 3rd group: "Vest" | 4th group: "Love and faithfulness" |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Other regimental members, for example:
|
Possessions
The possession of lordships or barons with historical manorial rights , most of which date back to the Middle Ages, entitles them to titles (not inherited per se ) such as Freiherr zu Belp or Herr zu Scheunen , in Vaud according to Baron de Rolle or Seigneur de Bavois . Similar titles linked to ownership are known in the English and Scottish gentry, and earlier in France and Italy. However, they did not meet the German nobility law, which at least for the letter nobility of modern times required the formal elevation to the peerage by a monarch. Rural mansions that are not on medieval castles fell and did not possess sovereign rights are, in the space of the former city and Republic of Berne as Campaigns designated (comparable to the Tyrolean residences , which, however, possessed special rights, in particular a seat in parliament as well as the exemption from municipal taxes) . In the city of Bern or other cities in the canton, the patrician families owned city palaces , such as the Erlacherhof .
Campagne Elfenau
Erlacherhof , Bern
See also
- History of the Canton of Bern
- List of the families of the city of Bern eligible for regiment until 1798
- Schultheiss of Bern (with list)
- Family box
- Civic Community of Bern
- Category: Civil sex (Bern)
- Leist (Circle of Friends)
- Patriciate (old confederation)
- Category: Swiss noble family
literature
- Barbara Braun-Bucher: The Bernese mayor Samuel Frisching (1605-1683). Literature, education, constitution and politics of the 17th century based on a biography. Bern 1991, ISBN 3-7272-0495-8 .
- Hans Braun et al .: Beat Fischer (1641-1698). The founder of the Bernese Post. Bern 2004.
- Hans Braun: The Wattenwyl family - La famille de Watteville. Licorne, Murten Langnau 2004.
- Hans Braun: Notables, patricians, citizens. History of the von Graffenried family , Bern 2012.
- Edgar Hans Brunner: patriciate and nobility in old Bern , in: Berner Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde, vol. 26 (1964). doi : 10.5169 / seals-244446
- Edgar Hans Brunner: The change of coat of arms of the Brunner in Bern . In: Swiss Archives for Heraldry, No. 108 (1994), pp. 142–150.
- François de Capitani: Nobility, citizens and guilds in Bern in the 15th century , Bern 1982.
- Hans Ulrich von Erlach: 800 years Berner von Erlach. The story of a family , Benteli, Bern 1989.
- Karl Geiser: Bern under the regiment of the patriciate. Part I, the citizens of the city of Bern and the patriciate . In: Archive of the Historical Association of the Canton of Bern, Vol. 32 (1933/34) digitized
- Hans A. Haeberli: From the history of the owners of Jegenstorf Castle , Jegenstorf 1986.
- Manuel Kehrli: patriciate, letter nobility and titulatures , in: Berns goldene Zeit. The 18th century rediscovered , Bern 2008, p. 209.
- Carl May : House of Cronik. Dedicated to my children and descendants by Carl Friedrich Rudolf May von Rued (1768-1846). Commentary and edition, edit. by Franz Kamber and Markus Widmer-Dean, Schöftland 2001.
- Bruno Meier : God rules my life. The Effinger von Wildegg , Baden 2000.
- Felix Müller: Extinction or Impoverishment? The Effinger von Wildegg , Baden 2000.
- Berchtold von Mülinen: Family history and genealogy of the counts v. Mülinen , Berlin 1844. online
- Alfred G. Roth: The Rotengrat in Eggiwyl. The Alp of the Manuel family , in: Berner Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde (1964), pp. 49–74. Digitized
- Karl Ludwig von Sinner: Attempting a diplomatic history of the nobles of Scharnachthal, Bern 1823, pp. 232–285. Digitized
- Les Tscharner de Berne. Un livre de famille , Genève 2003.
- J. Harald Wäber: Citizenship and civic community of the city of Bern from the beginning until 1831 , in: Die Burgergemeinde Bern. Present and History , Bern 1986.
- Nadir Weber: On the way to an aristocratic republic. The question of title in Bern in the 18th century , in: Berner Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde , Bern, vol. 70 (2008), pdf
- Bernhard von Steiger (Ed.): Genealogy of the family von Steiger, Weiss, von Bern , Bern 1906.
- Urs Martin Zahnd : The autobiographical records of Ludwig von Diesbach. Studies of late medieval self-portrayal in Upper German and Swiss regions. Bern 1986, ISBN 3-7272-0494-X .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Roland Gerber: Expatriates and Udel. In: Bern's courageous times, the 13th and 14th centuries rediscovered. ed. by Rainer C. Schwinges; Berner Lehrmittel- und Medienverlag, Bern 2003, ISBN 3-292-00030-0 , pp. 509-519, esp. Pp. 509-510.
- ↑ Charlotte Gutscher-Schmid: Exclusive world of images, the Berner Udelbuch from 1466. with the collaboration of Barbara Studer Immenhauser u. a., ed. from the Historical Association of the Canton of Bern; Verlag Hier und Jetzt, Baden Switzerland 2018, ISBN 978-3-03919-452-0 , esp.p. 35.
- ↑ Kehrli 2008, p. 209.
- ^ Dario Gamboni, Georg Germann, François de Capitani, Kunstmuseum Bern, Bernisches Historisches Museum, Council of Europe .: Signs of Freedom. The image of the republic in the art of the 16th to 20th centuries . Ed .: Dario Gamboni and Georg Germann, with the assistance of François de Capitani. Verlag Stämpfli & Cie AG, Bern 1991, ISBN 3-7272-9185-0 .
- ↑ Also an earldom by the emperor received 1,671 already in 1470 co-opted into the Bernese patrician family of Hallwyl on Hallwyl in Unteraargau .
- ^ State Archives of the Canton of Bern , AI 726, p. 174
- ↑ Weber 2008, p. 3.
- ↑ Kehrli 2008, p. 209.
- ^ Emil Erne: Paper 175 years of the city of Bern as a community. (PDF) (No longer available online.) City Archives of the City of Bern, formerly in the original ; Retrieved September 9, 2009 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Beat Junker: Part One: Regeneration. In: History of the Canton of Bern since 1798: Volume II: The emergence of the democratic people's state 1831–1880. Historical Association of the Canton of Bern, accessed on May 14, 2009 .
- ↑ The table (Weber 2008: p. 8) uses a list in the State Archives of the Canton of Bern (call number AI 726: 6–8 (1651) and 168–171) as well as Eduard von Rodt : Standes- und Wappenwesen der Bernischen Familien . In: Neues Berner Taschenbuch , 1896. S. 60f.
- ↑ Weber 2008: pp. 3–4, 8.
- ↑ Information according to the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland , if already published.
