Thomas Fillier

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Thomas Fillier (born August 15, 1583 or 1584 in the Spanish-Dutch province of Limburg ; † April 10 or April 13, 1665 in Braunschweig ), also Villier , Villar or Filler , was a Dutch soldier in the service of the city of Braunschweig, last For 34 years in the rank of “city governor” or “city major”.

Life

His parents were Peter Fillier and his wife Catharina, geb. Delamella. Fillier made a military career and initially served the Spanish King, later Rudolf II , Holy Roman Emperor .

Soldier in Braunschweig

Siege of Braunschweig in 1615, in which Fillier distinguished himself.

In 1613 and 1614 Fillier came to Braunschweig, where he served as an ensign from 1614 . In July 1615 he was promoted to lieutenant . From July 31, 1615, there was another siege of Braunschweig by Guelph troops who were to recapture the city as a residence for Duke Friedrich Ulrich von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel . The city was trapped and subjected to heavy fire for weeks, with numerous civilian lives being killed. It was the heaviest siege in the city's history to date. During this time, Fillier and his troops made such successful and loss-making resistance for the attackers that he was appointed "town major" in October 1615 after his predecessor Dominicus Adriani had fallen in battle. The siege ring could only be broken through the intervention of a Hanseatic- Dutch relief army led by Friedrich zu Solms-Rödelheim , which had arrived on October 21. On 1st / 2nd November the besiegers finally withdrew to Wolfenbüttel . After the Peace of Steterburg had been concluded between the city of Braunschweig and the Duke of Guelph on December 21, 1615 , the city paid homage to the Duke on February 5, 1616. On this occasion Friedrich Ulrich also received Thomas Fillier personally and offered him to serve to kick, which he refused. Because of his military merits, Fillier was appointed "City Major" of Braunschweig in 1631, in the middle of the Thirty Years' War , the city's highest military post. Fillier then held this office for 34 years in a row.

family

In 1617 Fillier married Margaretha Hoffmeister from Magdeburg , whose parents were Wolff Hoffmeister and his wife Catharine von der Leine. Fillier had four sons with his wife, but they all died in childhood. His wife died in 1657.

Fillier and the Andreas Church

The Fillier couple had a special relationship with the Andreas Church in the Weichbild Neustadt . In the text of the couple's epitaph, for example, it is reported that Thomas Fillier had the nave painted (“God had this church ground in honor of the Lord”). Philip Christian Ribbentrop reported about it in the first volume of his description of the city of Braunschweig published in 1789 . In addition, the fact that “the epee armor and armor of this famous Major Villar, who has served in the city” are in the sacristy . Previously had Tobias Olfen , 1643-1653 Big mayor of the Old City reported in its traditional Chronicle Brunswick that Filliers "... Conterfei , his armor and his sword annoch to his memory in the arsenal kept the brothers ..." would.

Foundation of a crucifixion painting

In 1649 the couple donated a crucifixion painting .

Epitaph of the Fillier couple

Epitaph of the Fillier couple from 1650, missing since 1945.

During his and his wife's lifetime, Fillier had a wooden epitaph created for St. Andrew's Church, which could be seen on the east wall of the south aisle until 1945, the final phase of the Second World War . Heinrich Ochsenkopf, a son of Henning Ochsenkopf from Hildesheim , is assumed to be the performing artist .

The work was crowned by an angel who sat over a transversely oval cartouche bordered by volutes . The following text was written in the cartridge: “I know which one I / believe in and I am certain that He can / will keep my coverings for me until / on that day. 2. Timo. I “Below this area was a large, rectangular oil painting that formed the central part of the epitaph. On either side of the painting was a column, next to which the two virtuous figures Fortitudo and Prudentia were positioned. The painting showed a couple kneeling on either side of an altar . On the left of the viewer in front of the altar, four little boys, the couple's children who died early, were also kneeling. Above the altar was a crucifix with INRI . The Agnus Dei is placed at the foot of the cross and on the altar .

Underneath the oil painting was a rectangular panel, which was bordered by ornaments and rounded at the bottom with the inscription in German - unusual for the time:

"Anno 1584. Jst the Noble Veste and Manhaffte Thomas Fillier. from noble and Christian parents, when his father Peter Fillier and his mother Catharina Delamella were born in this world in the cloud-free city of Lemburgk among the Dutch provinces, he was the king of Spain in his youth. afterwards Rudolpho served for several years in the Roman Keyser and after the many countries / and kingdoms traversed in the year 1614 anhero in Braunschweig come and at this praiseworthy / town first of all order for a freed-up, soon he arises because of his behavior The ensign and afterwards the lieutenants acquired, furthermore appointed to the captain over two company (s) / and finally to the major, which latter officium he also honestly administered for a considerable time. Married in the year 1617. with the honor and virtuoso / maiden Margaretha Hoffmeister, staying with Mr. Wolff Hoffmeister and Catharinen von / the leine womb daughter, with which honor conceived by God's blessing in the holy marital status / four sons, who all fell asleep in Christo Blessed, Has God milled this church in honor of the Lord, and had such an epitaph erected here. Anno 1650, April 7th "

- German inscriptions online

The epitaph has been lost since 1945 , although it is unclear whether it was destroyed along with the crucifixion image and the armor, like most of the church's furnishings, or whether it was stolen in the post-war period.

Establishment of a foundation for students

In his will , Thomas Fillier ordered the establishment of a foundation that existed around 1900. She granted students a stipend of 45 marks . It was mistakenly referred to as the “Villers Foundation”. In addition, he bequeathed a sum of money to the poor of the Andrew community.

Funeral sermon

The Braunschweig superintendent Andreas Heinrich Bucholtz gave the funeral sermon on April 16, 1665 at Fillier in the Andreas Church. Copies of the 48-page document with numerous biographical details are now in the Braunschweig City Archives and in the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel. Fillier was buried in St. Andrew's Church.

Afterlife

Title page of the novel Braunschweiger Tage by August Otto-Walster , published in 1874 .
Title page of the 1906 story Der Fähnrich von Braunschweig by Otto Hohnstein .

The socialist politician and writer August Otto-Walster dealt with Fillier's life, especially the events of 1615 in his historical novel “Braunschweiger Tage”, published in 1874 . In 1902 the novel appeared as a new edition under the changed title A hero of the spirit and the sword. Historical novel from the times of the German Hansabund. The work is the first novel with a socialist tendency. Otto-Walster describes Fillier's life apparently biographically and stylizes him as the forerunner of the proletarian class fighters of the 19th century.

In 1906 Der Fähnrich von Braunschweig appeared. Historical story from the 17th century by the Braunschweig historian Otto Hohnstein . In it, Hohnstein describes fictional events around Thomas Fillier and his (later) wife from the time around the siege of Braunschweig in 1615. Hohnstein prefixed his story with a photo of the epitaph of the Fillier couple from the St. Andrew's Church.

In honor of Thomas Fillier, the " Villierstrasse " ( sic! ) In Braunschweig was named after him.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g epitaph text at Deutsche Insschriften Online
  2. ↑ a b Carl Friedrich von Vechelde (ed.). Tobias Olfen's, a Braunschweig councilor, History books of the city of Braunschweig , p. 208
  3. ↑ Friedrich Knoll : Braunschweig and surroundings: historical-topographical manual and guide through the monuments and art treasures of the city , 1881, p. 87
  4. ↑ Otto Hohnstein : History of the Duchy of Braunschweig , Braunschweig 1908, p. 315
  5. ↑ a b c d Norman-Mathias Pingel: Thomas Villier (Filler) , In: Camerer, Garzmann, Schuegraf, Pingel (ed.): Braunschweiger Stadtlexikon , p. 236
  6. ↑ a b c d Johannes Angel: Thomas Villier (also Filler) , In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck, Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon. 8th to 18th centuries. , P. 720
  7. ^ Paul Jonas Meier and Karl Steinacker : The architectural and art monuments of the city of Braunschweig , 2nd exp. Edition, Braunschweig 1926, p. 30
  8. ^ A b c d Philip Christian Ribbentrop : Description of the city of Braunschweig , 1st volume, Braunschweig 1789, p. 143
  9. ↑ Werner Spieß : History of the city of Braunschweig in the post-Middle Ages. From the end of the Middle Ages to the end of urban freedom 1491–1671. Volume 1, Braunschweig 1966, p. 176
  10. ↑ Carl Friedrich von Vechelde (ed.). Tobias Olfen's, a Braunschweig councilor, History books of the city of Braunschweig , p. 225
  11. ↑ Carl Friedrich von Vechelde (ed.). Tobias Olfen's, a Braunschweig councilor, History books of the city of Braunschweig , p. 212
  12. ^ Description of the painting at Deutsche Insschriften Online
  13. ^ Paul Jonas Meier : The handicrafts of the sculptor in the city of Braunschweig since the Reformation. In: Workpieces from the museum, archive and library of the City of Braunschweig VIII ., Printing and publishing house E. Appelhans & Comp., Braunschweig 1936, p. 87
  14. ↑ a b Wolfgang A. Jünke: Destroyed art from Braunschweig's houses of worship - inner city churches and chapels before and after 1944 , Groß Oesingen 1994, ISBN 3-86147-001-2 , p. 40 (with b / w photo)
  15. ^ Rudolf Blasius (Ed.): Braunschweig in the year MDCCCXCVII. Festschrift for the participants in the LXIX meeting of German natural scientists and doctors. Meyer, Braunschweig 1897, ( digitized version ), p. 429.
  16. ↑ Good run and fight of faith | of all righteous | Champion of Jesus Christ: | From the other epistle | to Thimotheum Cap. IV. Vers. 7, 8 | I fought a good fight / & c: | caused / | and bey | Rich, handsome burial | The former / noble fortress and manly lord | THOMAS | Villier / | well-deserved brave majeurs of this | laudable city of Braunschweig. | In the church of S. Andreae / Weichbildes | Neustadt here | On the XVI. Days of April / Anno 1665. | presented and explained | from | ANDREA HENRICO Bucholtz / | of the churches and city of Braunschweig | Superintendent. | … | Printed by Christoff-Friedrich Zilligern / Anno Christi MDCLXV
  17. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Schuegraf (Ed.): Braunschweig in forgotten novels and stories. An anthology. , Compiled and commented by Dietrich Voit, In: City Archives and City Library Braunschweig. Kleine Schriften 27 , Braunschweig 1995, pp. 18-21
  18. ↑ Viktor Žmegač (ed.): History of German literature. From the 18th Century to the Present , Volume II / 1, 4th edition, Beltz Athenaeum Verlag, 1980, ISBN 978-3-407-32117-6 , p. 130
  19. ↑ Jürgen Hodemacher: Braunschweigs Straßen - their names and their stories, Volume 2: Okergraben and Stadtring , p. 280
personal data
SURNAME Fillier, Thomas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Villier, Thomas; Filler, Thomas; Viller, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch officer in the service of Braunschweig
DATE OF BIRTH August 15, 1583 or 1584
PLACE OF BIRTH Limburg
DATE OF DEATH April 10, 1665 or April 13, 1665
Place of death Braunschweig