Rüdiger von Bechelaren
Rüdiger von Bechelaren is a figure from the Nibelungen saga , whose existence could not be historically proven.
Nibelungen legend and historical correspondences
The Nibelungen saga unites various sagas, some of which go back to historical events or at least use the names of historical people as set pieces. The time frame for these echoes is between the 5th and 10th centuries. The literary works that make up parts of the Nibelungen saga deal with the subject very differently. A character named Rüdiger appears in the Nibelungen saga only in the Nibelungenlied , and in the Thidrek saga . The Huns of the Nibelungenlied and their King Etzel reflect the Hungarians of the 10th century and their rulers, although their names are taken from the history of the 5th century. Already the Middle Latin poetic Metellus, called Metellus von Tegernsee (around 1160), testifies to a heroic song about a Count Rogerius (Rüdiger) who, together with Tetricus (Dietrich), performed heroic deeds on the Erlauf (i.e. near Pöchlarn ). A connection of Rüdiger and Dietrich to the Nibelung saga at this time does not prove that. This connection has existed since around 1200 at the latest.
In the Nibelungenlied, Margrave Rudeger von Bechelaren manages the area east of the Enns and is subject to the Hun King. This means that in the 10th century a Franconian or Bavarian nobleman held his domain on properties from the time of the Carolingian , first German eastern settlement in the Danube region. He had his seat in Pöchlarn , which is derived from Bechelaren and was an old Regensburg property. The Franconian-Bavarian Eastern Settlement on the Danube was basically completed by the middle of the 8th century. The spheres of influence of the Hungarian rulers at times extended far into Lower Austria , even if they sometimes recognized the sovereignty of the Franconian Empire . After the Battle of Preßburg ( ad Brezalauspurc ) and the devastating defeat of the Bavarian army by the Hungarians, the country was permanently occupied by the Hungarians up to the Enns. The Hungarians temporarily wandered in the north to the north German coast, in the south to northern Italy and in the west as far as Bavaria and Swabia . Above all, they had full sovereignty over the area east of the Enns. Nevertheless, in the late 10th century, the same ownership structure can be proven for the most part as in the Carolingian period before the Hungarian invasion.
In the Nibelungenlied it goes on to say that Kriemhild and her entourage were already being looked after in the fields at Ense and that they were greeted by Rüdiger's wife here in this lant . From this it can be concluded that, according to the opinion of the time around 1200, Rüdiger's domain must have extended to a little west of the Enns. Pöchlarn and Melk are mentioned as castles in his territory . In Melk, the Burgundians are shown the road to Mautern in Osterlant . In Mautern, an old Passau estate, Bishop Pilgrim then bids farewell to his niece Kriemhild. As far as Traismauer an der Traisen - here, according to the legend of the Huns, Kriemhild was waiting for the train (or: to Zeiselmauer between Tulln and Klosterneuburg). There a strong castle of King Etzel is mentioned. This means that Rüdiger's sphere of influence in the Nibelungenlied can be defined as the area between the Ennsfeld, a little west of Enns and the Traisen. The area east of the Traisen is referred to as Osterlant and in the heroic epic Die Rabenschlacht as Isterîch .
Subjects Etzels come to Tulln to receive the Burgundians. Only then do Etzel himself and Dietrich von Bern meet them . The wedding and the supplement are celebrated in Vienna . The Hun Empire, in the Nibelung saga as Heunenlant and in the Raven battle as Hiunische brand called, begins east of Vienna, probably due to the Fischa , where already the territory of the Avars after the loss to the Great Karl began. Heimenburc , where today's Bad Deutsch-Altenburg is located, is named as the first town in this area . The name is derived from the personal name Heimo (the cupbearer of Arnulf of Carinthia ) and not, as is often mistakenly assumed, from the Huns.
It can be assumed without a doubt that the borders, and thus the areas of power, were subject to strong fluctuations in the 8th to 10th centuries. The epic Biterolf and Dietleib was written a few decades after the Nibelungenlied and writes out its geographical information; therefore it cannot be counted as an independent source; In particular, Mautern Castle was named as the first in the Osterlant to be clearly attributed to the Nibelungenlied. Historians who assume that the epics Biterolf and Dietleip and Die Rabenschlacht have older sources than the Nibelungenlied suspect that the area of the Heunische Grenzland extended to the foothills of the Wachau or even the Pielach . The Ottonian Mark , which was built in the middle of the 10th century , reached from the Enns to the Wienerwaldkamm and thus largely coincides with the area of influence of Rüdiger in the epic The Battle of Raven .
A sovereign territory of the Counts of Ebersberg in the area of Ybbs - Persenbeug can be assumed to be historically secured . This sex, which was related to the Carolingians, was of great importance, but died out as early as 1045. They owned a lot of land in the border area east of the Enns. This suggests the assumption that some rivers such as Marbach (means Grenzbach) or Melk (means border) represented temporally different border lines to the Hungarian territory.
Try to see the reflexes of a historical person in the legendary figure Rüdiger
Ultimately, the attempt to look for a historical personality in Rüdeger von Bechelaren is based on the fact that a Rudegerus marchio was entered in the necrology of the former canon of St. Andrä an der Traisen on December 4, 1203 . The monastery was founded in 1112 and the necrology is around 100 years younger. The entry mentioned is the oldest evidence of such a person. The necrology itself is a copy of older sources. Legendary figures or figures from mythology were generally not included in necrologists. The assumption was made that Margrave Rudeger was a historical person . The name Rüdiger appears among the Eppensteiners at the end of the 10th century . There is a Count Rutker as a brother of Markwarts III. von Eppenstein, the Margrave of the Carantanian Mark , 985 and 991. But that only testifies to the existence of such a personal name, not that of a historical person who would have provided the basis for the legendary figure.
See also
literature
- Karl Lechner : The Babenberger: Margraves and Dukes of Austria 976-1246. 6th unchanged edition. Böhlau, Wien et al. 1996, ISBN 3-205-98569-9 , pp. 21-29.
- Peter Wapnewski: Rüdiger's shield. For the 37th Aventiure of the Nibelungenlied. In: Euphorion. 54, 1960, ISSN 0014-2328 , pp. 380-410.
- Jochen Splett: Rüdiger von Bechelaren. Studies on the second part of the Nibelungenlied. Dissertation. University of Bonn 1967. Winter, Heidelberg 1968 ( Germanische Bibliothek. Series 3: Investigations and individual presentations ).
Remarks
- ↑ After its destruction in 1042, the name Heimenburc moved on to the Heimenburg , which was newly built in 1050 , from which the name Hainburg an der Donau is derived, whereas the location of the earlier castle therefore became the "old castle (= Altenburg)".