Stick farmers in the Dagstuhl estate
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From the late Middle Ages, before the Thirty Years' War , to the French Revolution , there were stock farmers in Wadern under the rule of Dagstuhl . Stick farmers were serfs who submitted an oath to the count. Everything they "owned" really belonged to the Count.
They were assigned their property for cultivation by the rulers. This land was called Stock. The size was based on the local conditions. The right to manage the property was passed on to the firstborn regardless of gender, but property always remained with feudal rule and the count could terminate the "lease" at any time. Despite everything, the stick farmers were not entirely without rights. In the peasant society of that time, they had a prominent position, a corresponding reputation and even a certain wealth.
Stock goods
"Stock goods" are a form of leaning . The rights of the feudal lord and owner of the feudal property, such as house, yard and land, on the one hand and the tenant, the stick farmer or vassal, were regulated by notarial contracts.
The feudal lord had the legal power of disposal over the property and was allowed to sell, give away, bequeath or lease it.
The feudal taker, on the other hand, had the actual power of disposal, which was expressed through daily practice in planting or inhabiting.
The Lords of Dagstuhl carried the title of Count over their rule Oettingen-Baldern . The stick farmers in Wadern were their serfs and had to give them absolute obedience and submission. Nevertheless, it was possible for the stick farmers to lead a prosperous family life and even acquire wealth. As a result, the stick farmers were privileged compared to the other residents of the village. These consisted mainly of small craftsmen and single-horse workers. The Count only allowed them to till a little land, often of inferior quality, and to keep a few animals. Thus bitter poverty was preprogrammed for this group as well as wealth for the stick farmers. The stick farming system had and continues to have a major impact on social life in the villages and caused social imbalances that continued into the second half of the 20th century.
In the 18th century there were 167 stock estates in the Dagstuhl estate, which were located in the following 22 villages, which belonged to different high courts:
| Hochgericht Wadern | Schwarzenberg High Court (Lockweiler) | Primsweiler High Court | High Court Neunkirchen / Nahe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardenbach | Village | Primsweiler | Neunkirchen |
| Dagstuhl | Eiweiler | Selbach | |
| Gehweiler | Krettnich | Gonnesweiler | |
| Desolate | Lockweiler | ||
| Helix | Mettnich | ||
| Top solvers | Mill field | ||
| Obermorscholz | Überroth | ||
| Unterthailen | Weierweiler | ||
| Waders | |||
| Wedern |
Equipment of a stock property
The buildings required for living, livestock, and feed and harvest storage belonged to a floor property. The houses had a rather stately appearance for the time. There had to be enough space in them for the large families and their servants. Adequate stables had to be available for the numerous cattle. The equipment, however, varied. There were rather simpler goods and, in return, more conspicuous buildings that showed the wealth of the families.
The minimum amount of arable land for a stick farmer in the 18th century was 34 acres. Most goods, however, were much larger, except for twice the minimum equipment.
The size of a cane and its number in a village were dependent on the extent of the ban.
The available arable land was divided into “stocks”. The "stick" was thus an indefinite field measure and its size varied from village to village. Arable land and meadows of this size were assigned to a farmer and so he became a “stick” farmer. At the same time, the forest was also divided into sticks. Here the measure of “stick” has been preserved in the homesteads to this day.
Three quarters of their land were used by the stick farmers as plow land and one quarter as pasture land. There was also forest, which, however, was shared by all stick farmers in the village. Everyone had an ideal part in it.
The annual harvest from logging was divided equally between all the stock farmers. The other villagers were not taken into account.
In any case, horses as draft animals belonged to the livestock of a stock estate: at least three, a team and a so-called leader horse, which was necessary when the load was heavy in the hilly landscape of the high forest. Most stick farmers, however, owned four or more horses because it was an advantage to work with more than one team at harvest time or in bad weather.
This was necessary in order to be able to lead the compulsory labor owed to the count. This also included wine transports to the Moselle or the Rhine, which meant that the teams could not work on the farm for many days or even weeks.
The other livestock included cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry, but in this case mainly for the personal needs of the stick farmer. Slaughter cattle were only sold in exceptional cases to increase income.
At the time of the stick farmers there was no technical equipment to manage their stock. Only hydropower could, e.g. B. for mills. All field work was done by hand with draft animals and simple tools.
The crops were varied and were grown in small units. This included grains such as rye, wheat, oats and barley, root crops such as potatoes, beets and beets, and others such as buckwheat, rape, flax and hemp.
The need for workers was enormous. First of all, this was taken from the family of the stick farmer. At that time, the family also included unmarried aunts and uncles who, due to the birthright, saw no possibility of founding and maintaining their own family.
The children, of almost all ages, also had to work to the best of their ability. For a long time, compulsory schooling was limited to winter time so that the children were available for field work during the rest of the time.
In addition, there were servants and maidservants permanently employed and there were always a number of people in the village who were hired as day laborers and were mostly paid with harvested crops.
Legal relationships
Stick farmers were serfs . By means of an oath they had submitted to the count. Everything they "owned" really belonged to the Count.
In 1597, Christian von Flersheim, a predecessor of the Counts of Oettingen-Baldern and the Lords of Sötern, had the legal relationships with his subjects notarized before witnesses.
These new legal relationships accepted by the farmers were:
- The goods are property of the rulership. She gives them as fiefs for life at will.
- The goods may not be changed, pledged or distributed.
- The feudal subjects are obliged to labor with hand and team, as the rulers demand.
- The subjects are to be given food at Fronden and 14 pfennigs per mile for courier services.
- The compulsory labor is evidenced with the name "serfdom". From this it is deduced that someone who is not enfeoffed with goods (single horse) and does not have to perform compulsory services is also not a serf.
- The free movement of the stick farmer and his family members is restricted (e.g. buying ransom if they marry across the border)
This means that the rulers could decide at will, without giving a reason, whether and which family they fiefed or withdrawn from them.
However, only the first-born child, regardless of gender, could inherit the stock property in full.
On the death of the enfeebled, a special levy was due to the count, the so-called Besthaupt. The count had the right to choose the best piece from the estate and to claim it for himself.
If the first-born child died before reaching the age of majority or if it refused the inheritance, the second-born child could inherit, etc.
If the couple remained childless, the fief would fall into disrepair and was declared open. Other relatives could not make a claim.
If the cane handler died before the in-law spouse, the inheritance legally passed to the first-born child. However, the use of the property remained with the remaining spouse until the age of 62. Even after that, he was still entitled to a share of the yield, the so-called "Deputat", which consisted of fruits, cattle, hay, dried meat and dried vegetables. This was due to "Martini" every year.
In addition, the child entitled to inheritance could request an inheritance if the entrant reached the age of 62 without having previously died. In addition, a contractual transfer of the fief to the child entitled to inheritance was possible before the age of 62. In both cases, however, the "Deputat" was due.
The handover of a stick property to an heir took place with a special ceremony and was called "conception". It took place annually in November at the senior office. The “recipient” swore the rulers an oath in which he vowed that he would always be at their service, that he wanted to keep the goods taken over in their size undiminished, unchanged and in good condition, that he would not sell the resulting income, but wants to bring back into the goods and that he will neither share nor sell nor pledge the goods.
history
In 1597 the legal relationships for the stick farmers under Christian von Flersheim were reorganized. But soon afterwards, in 1618, the Thirty Years War began, in which many people were killed. Entire villages in the high forest fell victim to the war. Those who survived had nothing left to take from them.
The high forest recovered only slowly and slowly when the next war struck the area. The French King Louis XIV marched against the east in a so-called reunion war in 1680 and advanced far into German territory. They formed the Saar province with the Saarlouis fortress as the capital and took the entire area into the French state. Thus the obligations towards the former sovereigns were lifted.
But this reorganization did not last long either. As early as 1697, France had to give back the German territories it had conquered, with the exception of Alsace and Lorraine . The old legal relationships came into force again.
From this point on there were more and more disputes between the stick farmers and the sovereigns regarding their legal relationships established in 1597 and to what extent these were still valid after about 80 years, during which these were mostly overridden.
There have always been disputes between the stick farmers and their sovereigns when fronde or taxes were changed to their disadvantage. Since the stick farmers enjoyed a certain freedom in the time of the Saar Province, they no longer wanted to put up with the coercive measures of the count's officials.
In 1716 they joined forces, hired a lawyer to look after their interests and filed a lawsuit with the Reich Chamber of Commerce in Wetzlar. The counts were clearly defined.
The filing of the lawsuit was met with complete incomprehension by the count. He ordered his officials to act strictly and relentlessly against his subjects. And so it happened. Since the counts basically only had guards at their disposal, they borrowed well-fortified men in neighboring Kurtrier . In 1719 even 25 dragoons from Oberingelheim near Mainz drove taxes and duties in the villages of the rulership on behalf of the count. These behaved as if they were on enemy territory. They besieged the places for a month and, in addition to taxes, took away everything from the farmers that they needed for their own livelihood and that of their animals. If they could not find money, the farmers would take their cattle out of their stables to sell in the markets.
After this initial debauchery, both parties held back and the process proceeded on a calmer path. In 1733, after 17 years of trial, a settlement was reached between the count and the peasants. For about 18 years a relative calm returned to the Dagstuhl reign.
This was partly because they had arranged the peasants with the count's officials. Some of the taxes owed to the count no longer found their way to distant Hohenbaldern, but ended up in the pockets of the count's local officials.
When Count Joseph Anton took over his inheritance in 1751 and moved his residence from Hohenbaldern in Swabia to Wadern, the process flared up again, this time more violent than ever before, it turned into a rebellion.
The leader of the farmers in this rebellion was Martin Berwanger from Lockweiler , 35 years old and a stick farmer . His ancestor was Sylvester Berwanger, who came from the Alpine region after the Thirty Years' War and settled in Mettnich. He ran a ban and cutting mill. He was born in "Algey" and was free from serfdom with his wife and descendants from there. This personal freedom was not recognized by the Dagstuhl rulership, which prompted the family members to fight the Count in a special way out of court. They partially stopped their payments and services to the count. They were then persecuted and fled into the woods. They were arrested and imprisoned during occasional visits to the village. In 1758 Martin Berwanger was imprisoned in Wadern. Two years later, in 1760, the count again ordered military executions. At this time, Martin Berwanger left the Dagstuhl rule and stayed in the towns bordering Lockweiler, such as Büschfeld , Limbach , Lindscheid , Rathen and Kastel. Occasionally, however, he would return to his farm to see if everything was going well and to look after his large family. This behavior made Martin Berwanger even more angry with the count and so he was arrested during a visit to his farm in 1767. He was initially imprisoned in Dagstuhl, but soon moved to a dungeon in the Katzenturm at Katzenstein Castle near Dillingen on the Danube .
Martin Berwanger quickly made friends there with the security personnel and was also able to maintain contact with his home country. After three months he managed to escape from Katzenstein Castle and was back home at Christmas 1767. His resilience was broken. Since the count now threatened to withdraw his court from him, Martin Berwanger sent a pardon to the count, asked him for forgiveness and swore him a new oath of obedience in the presence of all the stick farmers.
This then also broke the resistance of the other farmers. In 1773 they officially withdrew their lawsuit.
The process lasted, all in all, almost 60 years and brought the farmers nothing but costs, months of absence from the farm because of the court hearings, war-like conditions and a loss in their prosperity.
The stick farmers knew that they were all in the same boat and had to stick together. Still there were differences.
In 1748 z. B. a Johannes Birtel was born. He was born the firstborn of a stick farmer and practiced this profession. In addition, he also ran ore mines in Lockweiler / Krettnich and was able to give work to around 30 to 40 people in the village. He did not take part in the rebellions of the stick farmers because he knew that he needed the count to be able to operate the ore mines on lease. Johannes Birtel did not separate himself from his fellow citizens either. He was well respected and respected. As a clever man, he was aware that he had to keep the balance between his Stockbauer colleagues and the count. Johannes Birtel built 14 identical houses in Lockweiler / Krettnich, 12 of which are still standing. He thus played an important role.
But a change of times was already approaching. With the French Revolution in 1789 and the occupation of the country by French troops in 1794, another turning point occurred. All past institutions were torn down and serfdom abolished.
In the period from 1790 to 1792, the French National Convention passed laws regulating that all feudal rights are abolished and repealed without any compensation. As a result, the property of the land was free of feudal dependencies. The farms of the stick farmers left to them as fiefdoms were left to them as personal property. The Einspännigen, on the other hand, had no land and were thus without rights or at least with inferior rights in the community.
This regulation of property was later included in the Code Napoleon, supplemented by inheritance law components such as the abolition of the prerogative of firstborn and gender, as well as equality of all descendants in the line of succession. These laws were later included in the civil code and still apply today.
The 12 free stick farmers
As the number of inhabitants increased in the county of Dagstuhl over the years, the count finally gave in and a number of stick farmers could freely dispose of their goods: the twelve free Wadern stick farmers.
Their names, their houses and their particular duties were:
| Surname | House | task | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backesbauer | Under road | He oversaw the community bakery. |
| 2 | Bechterbauer | Christianenberg 12 and 13 | |
| 3 | Dellwings builder | Christianenberg 23 | |
| 4th | Glocknerbauer | Kräwigstrasse 10, 12, 14 | He held an ecclesiastical position. |
| 5 | Koppbauer | Oberstrasse 40 | also called Schneiderskopp |
| 6th | Kosbauer | Krawigstrasse 17 | He is said to have commanded the fire department. He also collected the taxes, duties and differentials.
The turnpike was at his house. The name is said to come from "lap", equal to grant, collection of taxes. |
| 7th | Ludemsbauer | Oberstrasse 37 | |
| 8th | Lochemsbauer | Christianenberg 1 | It was later the apartment of the Capuchin Fathers before the monastery was completed. |
| 9 | Mäschbauer | Bahnhofstrasse 8 | This farmer was the local mayor, the "Maire". |
| 10 | Schülzenbauer | Unterstrasse 21-23 | He was the high judge who called people to court days. |
| 11 | Selves or
Seldesbauer |
Bahnhofstrasse 3–5 | This farmer had to house the messengers sent to the rulership and to tend their riding horses.
The office enjoyed a special reputation, but also required special expenses. The farmer was freed from other hard labor. |
| 12 | Sensory or
Transmitter builder |
Small market | He was in control of the weights and measures. That is why the "Waderner Elle" was later attached to the pharmacy.
The sensory builder was exempt from the usual compulsory labor, but had to run manorial errands for which he was well paid. |
Ehrenstockbauern
The Ehrenstockbauern in Wadern are a loose association of men who have made outstanding contributions to the city of Wadern and are honored in this way.
It is a carnival custom that the Wadern Carnival Society has appointed an honorary stick farmer every year since the 1980s. This is not directly related to the stick builders of that time, but the aim is to document that the right stick builders were highlighted in society. At a ceremony, the new dignitary is given a blue peasant smock with embroidery, with a white belly knit and a red scarf, as well as a huge black peasant hat from the previous honors. In addition to the certificate of honor, the new title holder also receives the " Waderner Knubben " medal . This is a piece of wood that was felled in the forest at the time of stick farmers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Berthold Müller: The stick farmers in the Dagstuhl rule with special consideration of the conditions in Lockweiler . In: Verein für Heimatkunde Wadern (Hrsg.): Messages from the Verein für Heimatkunde Wadern . 2015th edition. tape 21 . Self-published, p. 33-48 .
- ↑ a b Interview Julia Wurzer with Berthold Müller, former Mayor of Wadern - author of the text "The stick farmers in the Dagstuhl estate with special consideration of the conditions in Lockweiler", communications from the Wadern Local History Association, issue 21, 2015 - to Topic stick farmers on November 8, 2017
- ↑ a b H. Schwindler, Hauptlehrer i. R.; Robert Schwindler; Josefine Wolf; Robert Heinrichs; Nikolaus Karls: Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Wadern 1963 . Ed .: Municipality of Wadern. 1963th edition. Wadern municipality, S. 18-31 .
- ↑ H. Schwindler, main teacher i. R.; Robert Schwindler; Josefine Wolf, Robert Heinrichs, Nikolaus Karls: Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Wadern 1963 . Ed .: Municipality of Wadern.
- ↑ Berthold Müller: The stick farmers in the Dagstuhl rule with special consideration of the conditions in Lockweiler . In: Verein für Heimatkunde Wadern (Hrsg.): Messages from the Verein für Heimatkunde Wadern . 2015th edition. tape 21 .
- ↑ Erich Brücker: He has earned the "Knubbe". Saarbrücker Zeitung, January 15, 2016, accessed on November 20, 2017 .