Ulrich Walker

Ulrich Walker (* 1360 in Sempach ; † November 30, 1427 in Lucerne ) was a Swiss mayor , grand councilor , small councilor and delegate of the Diet . He is considered the builder of the Lucerne city-state.

Life

Ulrich Walker was the son of the fisherman and cloth merchant Bilgeri Walker, whose ancestors come from the Habsburg Aargau . In addition to his political and military offices, Ulrich continued these business activities: in Sempach as a fisherman and fishmonger, later in Lucerne mainly as a cloth dealer.

He was married to Margarethe von Eich, a daughter of Ludwig von Eich (Lucerne mayor 1389 and 1392; his father Ulrich was also Lucerne mayor in 1340). Ulrich and Margarethe Walker had three sons (Heinrich, Ludwig and Ulrich) and a daughter (Barbara). The latter was married to the small councilor and wholesaler Johans Bili; their daughter, Margarethe Bili, married the mayor Hans Feer in 1442 .

His reputation was not good at first, because he paid some fines in court and was considered hot and irascible. But he developed a strong political and statesmanlike sense and had expertise. Partly with the help of some important friends, the energetic and purposeful Walker rose.

Services

Sempach

At the age of a little over 20 he became mayor of the town of Sempach. On January 6, 1386, Sempach concluded castle law with Lucerne under Ulrich Walker . Walker was friends with the local mayor, Petermann von Gundoldingen . The castle law initiated the future Lucerne territorial policy and gave Sempach a head start.

In the battle of Sempach he led a scouting party (Sempach vanguard), which had brief contact with the enemy before the actual battle, but then withdrew. In 1387 he was confirmed as mayor and also served as Seevogt.

Lucerne

In 1395 Walker moved to Lucerne, where he is attested as a councilor from 1397 .

From 1411 he was repeatedly mayor of Lucerne and, also repeatedly, governor of Rothenburg , Kriens-Root, Entlebuch , Michelsamt and Seevogt in Sempach.

He was also the referee and builder for the extension of the curtain wall on the Musegg, as well as the municipal builder. Since 1408 he has been delegate to the Diet more than 50 times . As a federal messenger he went to the Council of Constance and negotiated several times, successfully for his Lucerne city-state, with King Sigismund of Hungary.

From 1412 he worked as a captain and as the master's chamberlain to protect . After the devastating defeat of the Confederates in the Battle of Arbedo , where he commanded the Lucerne contingent - the largest of the Confederations - as mayor in 1422, he withdrew from the political stage. In the course of several civil law suits (including fishing rights), the litigious Walker lost significant influence from 1425 onwards.

Public activities

• Schultheiss of Sempach: 1381, 1386, 1387.
• Seevogt von Sempach: 1386, 1387, 1400, 1401, 1402, 1403, 1404, 1406, 1426.
• Grand Council in Lucerne: from 1397.
• Vogt in Rothenburg: 1400, 1409, 1410, 1426.
• Vogt in Kriens and Root: 1406.
• Vogt in Ruswil: 1419, 1420, 1421, 1424, 1425, 1427.
• Vogt in Entlebuch: 1419, 1420, 1421, 1424, 1425, 1427.
• Vogt of the Michelsamt: 1420.
• Judge: from 1398.
• Client: 1408, 1412, 1413, 1414, 1415, 1416.
• Referees in Michelsamt, Rothenburg, Engelberg, Gisikon-Honau, Sempach, Willisau, Ruswil, Oberkirch, Sursee, Zug, Büron.
• Schultheiss of Lucerne: 1411, 1413, 1415, 1417, 1422.
• Field captain: 1412, 1413, 1414, 1415, 1417, 1422.
• Ammann: 1413.
• Chamberlain to protect the gentlemen: 1417.
• Envoy to Milan: 1411.
• Legacy to Florence: 1425.
• Envoy to Constance: 1409.
• Envoy to the King in Hungary: 1425.
• Daily delivery service (over 50 times) to Altdorf, Baden, Bellenz, Bern, Chur, Einsiedeln, Gondo, Konstanz, Lucerne, Muri, Schwyz, Sion, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Sursee, Ursern, Zug, Zurich.

literature

• Gottfried Boesch : Mayor Ulrich Walker. The builder of the Lucerne city-state . In: The history friend. Announcements from the Historical Association of the Five Places Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden whether and not the forest and Zug . Volume 103; 1950; Pp. 5–117, doi : 10.5169 / seals-118379
• Theodor von Liebenau: The mayors of Lucerne . In: The history friend. Announcements from the Historical Association of the Five Places Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden whether and not the forest and Zug . Volume 35; 1880, pp. 53-182, doi : 10.5169 / seals-113460
• Eduard Feer : The Feer family in Lucerne and in Aargau , Verlag Sauerländer , Aarau; Volume 2, 1964; Pp. 43, 51 and 113

Web links

• Gregor Egloff: Walker, Ulrich. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Stefan Jäggi: Sempach War. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Alain François Berlincourt: Arbedo, battle at. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .