Peter of Raron

Peter von Raron (* around 1325 ; † July 28, 1412 , certainly before May 12, 1413 in Sion ) was a victum of Leuk, Lord of Anniviers and the most outstanding representative of the Barons of Raron . During his 53-year rule, the Raron in Valais rose to the height of their power after their fight against the Barons von Turn .

Life

Peter von Raron came from the so-called Leuk line of the family, which went back to the division of property on January 15, 1235, when after the death of the ancestor Heinrich, the property of the family was divided among his five sons. Heinrich's son Ulrich I (mentioned 1235 - 1260) was the founder of the Leuk Raron, which, through the division, had the vice dominate of Leuk and the rule of wood. Ulrich's direct descendants remained in the background in the 13th century. Peter was the older son of the already politically active knight Rudolf von Raron, who in addition to the Leuk Vice Dominate and the rule of wood also owned goods in the Bernese Oberland and already had a significant influence from his residence in Leuk. Peter's younger sons and brothers were called Nikolaus († after 1345) and Simon von Raron († after 1346).

Peter was in his first marriage since August 2, 1345 with Alesia Albi von Granges († before 1380) married (three sons, one daughter), whereby numerous goods in the area between Sion and Sierre came into his possession. Through his second marriage in 1380 to Beatrix d'Anniviers (one son), he received the inheritance of the families d'Anniviers and d'Ayent, especially the Beauregard castle and the associated lordship in the Val d'Anniviers . He also had other illegitimate children.

On May 18, 1348 Peter von Raron sold the rule and the church set of Blumenstein for 400 gold florins to the imperial city of Bern .

Valais 1260-1337

Rudolf and Peter were vassals and partisans of Bishop Witschard Tavel , to whom they were the most loyal and influential advisors during his 33-year war-ridden tenure. By taking sides with the bishop in the First Valais Civil and Freedom War from 1351 to 1361 against the Barons von Turn Peter III. (1324–1356) and his son Anton († 1405) he secured the benevolence of Count Amadeus VI. of Savoy (1334–1383), who intended to increase his influence on the Valais. After an attack on the bishop in August 1351, in which the latter was mistreated, several followers were wounded and a priest was killed, the Savoy count responded with a campaign that was successful for him, in which the city of Sion was taken without a fight in 1352 and thereby the Zehnder Leuk , Raron and Visp were forced to a truce. After the withdrawal of the Savoy troops, the uprisings soon broke out again, and Sion was taken again by the Zehndi in 1353. Thereupon Sitten was besieged, conquered and burned down by the count this time. After further fighting, the five top ten, who concluded a protective alliance among themselves in 1355, were forced to renew the ceasefire. After Rudolf von Raron's death in 1359, Peter von Raron took over the fate of the Leuk branch of the family. In 1361 there was a peace treaty between the seven tens of the Valais and Savoy. The bishop was reinstated as sovereign, Savoy waived claims in Upper Valais (status quo from 1301.) The war costs were to be borne by the Zenden.

The peace did not last long, however, on October 16, 1461 the bishop was arrested in Ernen while trying to claim payments from Zenden Goms and thrown into dungeon for 11 weeks. After canceling the Gommer's debts, he was released. In 1364 the son of the late Peter III. von Turn, Anton von Turn, good relations with the Savoy Count. The tensions with Bishop Tavel persisted.

Ruins of the destroyed Seta Castle

In the Second Valais Civil War and War of Independence , on August 8, 1375, on behalf of the knight Anton von Turn, the aged Bishop Tavel was thrown out of the window of his Castle Seta (today's municipality of Savièse near Sion) by his supporters and killed in the process. The outraged Valais compatriots attacked the holdings of von Turn in Upper Valais, whereupon Anton von Turn and his troops moved up the valley, suffered a defeat at St. Leonhard and had to retreat to Conthey . As a result, the five upper Zehnders occupied the Lötschental and unsuccessfully besieged the Gestelnburg in 1375/1376 . The lower toes of Sierre and Sitten fended off an attack by a noble from Bern, who was related to the Turner barons, who crossed the Rawil pass with a crowd of Simmental people and was killed near Arbaz .

In 1376 Anton von Turn sold his rights and possessions in Valais to Count Amadeus VI., Left the country and went to the Count's court for the rest of his life. For his part, Peter von Raron was able to acquire important fiefs and offices from the inheritance of the Turn in Conthey, Niedergesteln and in the Vispertal , making him the most powerful representative of his family. The expulsion of Anton von Turn in 1375 meant the end of the rule of the von Turn family in the Valais. The Count of Savoy sold the Kastlanei of the dominion Gesteln with the Gestelnburg to the Sion Bishop Eduard of Savoyen-Achaia († 1386), who followed Tavel, against which the tenes resisted.

Ruins of the destroyed Gestelnburg

When Count Amadeus VI. In 1483 died of the plague, Peter von Raron led the country people of the Zehnden in the war 1384-1388 against the Red Count Amadeus VII of Savoy and Bishop Eduard, in which under his leadership between April 13 and August 21, 1384 the Gestelnburg, which had been besieged for years, was destroyed. This was followed by the conquest of the episcopal castles of Sierre, Tourbillon and Seta near Sion. The Savoyard administration and the bishop were driven out; the latter abdicated in 1385. Instead of the bishop, the Valais district administrator took over the reins of government.

In 1387 the Count took another military action against the Valais and Peter von Raron had to experience that his ancestral seat was first conquered and then his sons Heinzmann and Petermann were captured and executed by beheading at the Grand-Pont in Sion. According to tradition, he led the Valais country people on December 21, 1388 in the battle of Visp that was victorious for them . The Savoyard sources remain silent about this event, so it must be assumed that the legend does not correspond to the events. The fact corresponds that already around 1384 Rudolf IV of Gruyère was supposed to conquer the Upper Valais in the name of the Savoy count and after a lost battle near Visp started the orderly retreat to Sion and then over the Sanetsch Pass . It is likely that Peter was in charge of the Valais here too.

In 1391 Amadeus VII died as a result of a hunting accident. In 1392 the mother of the late count, Bonne de Bourbon, made peace with the Seven Zenden. The situation of 1301 was restored. As a result, the seven Zends finally established themselves as small republic-like states. The District Administrator of Valais became the strongest political force in Valais in competition with the Bishop in Sion, and the Barons of Raron became the most important aristocratic family in Valais. In 1391, Peter succeeded in getting his oldest living son from his first marriage, Wilhelm I, the bishopric of Sion and his youngest son Witschard becoming governor of the Valais. In 1402, after the death of his son Wilhelm, he also helped his grandson Wilhelm II to the episcopal office. After his overall very successful rule, Peter died on July 28, 1412. In the following years, however, the unfortunate policy of the successors from 1414 onwards led to unrest in the rural population, which culminated after the side of the city of Bern in the Raron War and ultimately to the decline of the political power of the Raron in Valais.

genealogy

ancestors

Werner von Raron (* before 1257, † after 1308)

Aymon of Raron († before 1299)

Margaret of? († 1289)

Rudolf von Raron (* before 1299; † 1359)

unknown

Peter von Raron (* around 1325; † 1412)

unknown

progeny

Relationship, name unknown
1. Heinzmann von Raron (* before 1368; † 1387), Baron von Raron, ∞ Catherine de la Bâtiaz
  1. Jacomina von Raron († 1399)
  2. Johanneta von Raron († around 1440) ∞ Antonius von Courten
    1. Bartholomäus von Courten (* around 1412, † before 1466)
    2. Antonius von Courten (* around 1414, † around 1466)
    3. Kaspar von Courten (* around 1417, † around 1468)
    4. Johann von Courten (* around 1420; †?)
    5. Isabella von Courten (* around 1422, † around 1466)
∞ (I) Alesia Albi von Granges († before 1380)
1. Petermann (I.) von Raron (* before 1351; † 1387), Baron von Raron, ∞ (I) Francesia Pontemallio, (II) relationship, name unknown, (III) relationship, name unknown
  1. (I) Wilhelm II of Raron (* 1381; † before 1428), Bishop of Sitten (1402–1418)
  2. (I) Annina von Raron (* before 1398; † 1423–1438) ∞ (I) Julian Egidius von Raron, ∞ (II) Peter von Platea
    1. (I) Wilhelm (III.) Von Raron (* around 1407; † 1451), Bishop of Sitten (1437-1451)
    2. (I) Margaretha von Raron (* before 1420; † 1436–1450) ∞ Matthias Gobelini
    3. (II) Guillelmus of Platea († before 1423)
    4. (II) Ludwig von Platea (* after 1423; † before 1448)
    5. (II) John of Platea († before 1423)
    6. (II) Peter of Platea († before 1423)
    7. (II) Christoph von Platea (* before 1423, † after 1460)
    8. (II) Kaspar of Platea († before 1423)
    9. (II) Hildebrand von Platea (* after 1423; † before 1438)
    10. (II) Heinzmann von Platea († before 1423)
  3. (I) Luquinus of Raron († 1427)
  4. (I) Anna von Raron ∞ Peter von Heimgarten
  5. (I) Isabella von Raron ∞ Meier Johann von Vex
  6. (II) Peter of Raron
  7. (III) Georg von Raron († before 1411)
2. Wilhelm I von Raron (* around 1351; † 1402), Bishop of Sitten (1391–1402)
3. Witschard von Raron (* around 1360, † around 1425), Baron von Raron, governor of the Valais (1314–1418), victum von Leuk ∞ (I) Margaretha von Rhäzüns, (II) relationship, name unknown, (III) relationship, Name unknown
  1. (I) Margareta von Raron († before 1420) ∞ Anton von Seftigen
  2. (I) Hildebrand von Raron († 1467), Lord of Anniviers ∞ (I) Jacquemette de Challant († before 1451), (II) relationship, name unknown
    1. (I) Agnes von Raron († around 1450) ∞ Hans Zurlauben
    2. (II) Jodoc von Raron († before 1447)
  3. (I) Petermann (II.) Von Raron (* around 1405, † 1479)
  4. (I) Agnelina (Anna) von Raron (* after 1425 † v. 1457) ∞ Franz von Cervent († around 1448)
    1. Johannes von Cervent (* 1407; † 1459/1465)
  5. (I) Francisquina von Raron (* after 1425; † before 1449) ∞ Rudolf Esperlin (* around 1410; † around 1478)
    1. Petermann Esperlin († before 1505)
    2. Rudolf Esperlin (* around 1437; † 1496/1497)
    3. Johannes Esperlin (* after 1468, † before 1482)
    4. Hildebrand Esperlin (* after 1473, † before 1490)
    5. Nikolaus Esperlin (* after 1473; † before 1490)
    6. Elisabeth Esperlin (* after 1480; †?)
    7. Daughter, name unknown
  6. (I) Isabella von Raron († before 1428)
  7. (II) Petermann von Raron (* after 1434; † before 1470)
  8. (III) Antoinette von Raron († before 1437) ∞ Ulrich am Büell
4. Anna von Raron († before 1378) ∞ Jakob von Düdingen
∞ (II) Beatrix d'Anniviers (* around 1344; † 1402)
1. Jacob of Raron (d 'Anniviers) (* 1381–1383; † 1400–1406)
Relationship, name unknown
1. Heinrich von Raron (*? †?) ∞ Katharina de la Batie
2. Petermann von Raron (* before 1399; † 1428–1455) ∞ Henriette d 'Anchettes († around 1455)
  1. Margareta von Raron (* before 1428, † after 1471) ∞ Jakob Brunodi (Brunell) von Laques
    1. Johanneta Brunodi († before 1455)
    2. Margareta Brunodi († before 1455) ∞ Peter Bruchez
  2. Isabella von Raron-Anchettes (* before 1428, † after 1455) ∞ (I) Johannes von Werra, ∞ (II) Perronet Clavyez
    1. Jakob von Werra († 1484)

literature

Edwin Hauser: History of the Barons of Raron . In: Leemann (Hrsg.): Swiss studies of historical science . 1916, p. 205 .

Web links

Hans Kalbermatten: Raron, Peter von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

↑ community Niedergesteln : The Turn of.
↑ Rudolf Hanhart: Tales from Swiss history based on the chronicles. Volume 2, 1829, p. 247.

personal data
SURNAME	Raron, Peter von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Baron von Raron
DATE OF BIRTH	14th Century
DATE OF DEATH	before May 12, 1413
Place of death	Manners

[1] unity Niedergesteln : The Turn of.

[2] Rudolf Hanhart: Tales from Swiss history based on the chronicles. Volume 2, 1829, p. 247.