Wiesenbronn (noble family)

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The Lords of Wiesenbronn were a noble ministerial family with offices in Großlangheim and Wiesenbronn in what is now Lower Franconia. The gender can be traced from the end of the 12th century to 1394.

history

The Lords of Wiesenbronn are considered to be the oldest, well-known ministers of the Counts of Castell . They are first mentioned in a document with Arnold I. von Wiesenbronn between 1181 and 1202. Together with other influential personalities in the county, he appeared as a witness on a document issued by Rupert I. zu Castell . The count documented a deal with the designated abbot of Münsterschwarzach, Gottfried , who rose to become head of the monastery in 1182 or 1183.

Forty years later, Ulrich I. von Wiesenbronn becomes tangible for the first time in the documents. It could be the son of Arnold because he was named at an advanced age. Possibly Arnold (II.), The then castellische Vogt in Stadtschwarzach , was connected with the family of the Lords of Wiesenbronn. The first two generations are only named by name, which is why no conclusions can be drawn about any possessions.

Only the representatives of the third generation are represented more comprehensively in the sources . A total of 15 documents from the second half of the 13th century have come down from them. The brothers Gottfried, Ulrich II. And Heinrich are mentioned by name. Ulrich and Heinrich took part as knights in the so-called Cyriakus Battle in 1266. Both survived the dispute, but Heinrich died around 1277.

Furthermore, the gentlemen von Wiesenbronn mainly appear as witnesses in documents. Gottfried von Wiesenbronn is mentioned in a diploma in 1292 with which the Counts of Castell sold several goods in Röthlein to the Ebrach monastery . Ulrich II died in 1293 and left three grown sons. These members of the fourth generation were all born before 1300 and are now appearing in the sources for the first time with their possessions.

In the meantime, the feudal lords of Wiesenbronn also differentiated themselves. They were now also in the service of the monks of Ebrach and other nobles. From 1317 they can also be proven in legal services. With Conrad, the son of Ulrich II. A clergyman becomes tangible for the first time. He was probably active as a custodian in the Münchsteinach monastery , previously he had with his brother Ulrich III. served as a castle man for the Counts of Castell.

The brother Ulrich III. continued to live in the manor in Wiesenbronn, which is mentioned in a document in 1321. Altogether there were probably two fortified courtyards in the village, the other was inhabited by the sons of Gottfried von Wiesenbronn. However, in 1351 Lutz Swimmer from Buchbach succeeded in acquiring the aristocratic seat from Gottfried's sons. At this point in time, the Counts of Castell were weakened by pledging the so-called Lower Castle to the Margraves of Ansbach , so that the lords of Wiesenbronn's room for maneuver was limited.

The fifth generation is then also far less tangible than its predecessors. Probably one appeared less self-confident in order not to be recognized as a margrave ministerial. The margraves had much more influence over “their” lower aristocrats than the counts of Castell. In 1361 Ulrich IV. Sold his property in Feuerbach to Castell. Before 1384, Apel von Wiesenbronn sold his fiefdom in Prühl to Conrad Bebendorfer.

The last generation of the Lords of Wiesenbronn is led by the Götz III brothers. and Hans embodies. They started a feud against the Archbishop of Mainz, Gerlach von Nassau . Götz was taken prisoner and had to swear servants to Mainz in 1356 . In the period that followed, the brothers lost their headquarters in Wiesenbronn and Hans moved to Großlangheim, where the Counts of Castell also temporarily resided. Hans served Wilhelm zu Castell as court master and accompanied him in the city war against Rothenburg ob der Tauber . With Hans, the last male representative of the gentlemen from Wiesenbronn died out. He left a widow.

Possessions

The lords of Wiesenbronn owned several lords' fiefs between the Maindreieck and the Steigerwald . Above all, they received possessions from the Counts of Castell, but the increasingly powerful Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach and the Würzburg Monastery also tried to make the members of the family their servants. The Lords of Wiesenbronn are also proven to be in the service of the Cistercian Abbey of Ebrach, actually in Würzburg. They held properties in the following places:

Tribe list

The master list cannot be completely reconstructed. In particular, the first two detectable generations show large gaps. Another problem is that no dates of birth or death have been recorded, so that only the dates in which the family member was mentioned in a document can be given. There are also other members of the family who cannot be included in the list at all. Controversial people or dates were given a question mark .

  • A1 Arnold I. von Wiesenbronn; called 1181/1202
    • B1 Ulrich I. von Wiesenbronn; called 1244; ∞ (around 1240) Mrs. Swimmer (?)
      • C1 Ulrich II. Von Wiesenbronn; named 1258-1290; ∞ (around 1275) Mrs. N.
        • D1 Hermann I. von Wiesenbronn; called 1293-1306
        • D2 Ulrich III. from Wiesenbronn; called 1293-1324
        • D3 Conrad I. von Wiesenbronn; called 1293-1314
        • D4 Heinrich II. Von Wiesenbronn; named 1298-1325; ∞ (around 1320?) Mrs. N.
          • E1 Friedrich II of Wiesenbronn; named 1340-1346; ∞ (around 1340) Mrs. Swimmer (?)
      • C2 Mrs. N. von Wiesenbronn; around 1280/1290; ∞ Heinrich Truchseß ; called 1276-1292
      • C3 Heinrich I. von Wiesenbronn; named 1268-1277; ∞ (around 1275) Mrs. Lugelin (?)
        • D1 Friedrich I. von Wiesenbronn; called 1316-1331; ∞ (around 1320?) Mrs. N.
          • E1 Hildebrand von Seinsheim (?); called 1332-1334
        • D2 Seifried (seat) from Wiesenbronn; named 1306-1351; ∞ (1335) Margaretha N.
          • E1 Götz III. from Wiesenbronn; called 1352-1365
          • E2 Hans von Wiesenbronn zu Großlangheim; named 1356-1394; ∞ (1374–1396) Else N. (?)
        • D3 Götz II. Von Wiesenbronn; mentioned around 1306
        • D4 Berthold von Wiesenbronn; called 1311-1319
        • D5 Hermann II of Wiesenbronn; called 1326-1331
      • C4 Gottfried I. von Wiesenbronn; named 1258-192; ∞ (around 1290) Mrs. Kilholz (?)

Assignment unclear:

  • Arnold (II.) Von Schwarzach; mentioned 1240–1244 (?)
  • Engelhard von Wiesenbronn; named around 1300 (?), monk in Ebrach
  • Konrad II of Wiesenbronn; called 1315; Curator Münchsteinach
  • Conrad III. from Wiesenbronn; called 1376-1384
  • Hermann III. from Wiesenbronn; mentioned 1368–1377 / 92 (?); ∞ (around 1360) Mrs. N.
    • Apel von Wiesenbronn; called 1376-1377
  • Ulrich IV. Von Wiesenbronn; named 1356-1361; ∞ (1356–1361) Agnes von Feldbrecht

coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Lords of Wiesenbronn appears several times in contemporary written sources. It only disappears from tradition around 1400, a few years after the genus became extinct. Blazon : “A cattle torso turned left”. The coat of arms is unique and has been handed down exclusively to the family. The timing is unclear.

literature

  • Wolfgang Martin: On the area of ​​high medieval noble families in and around the Odenwald (= special edition. Contributions to the exploration of the Odenwald and its peripheral landscapes, vol. 4) . Breuberg-Neustadt.
  • Walter Stadelmann: On the history of the “von Wiesenbronn” family . In: Under the spell of the Schwanberg. Yearbook for the district of Kitzingen 2014 . Dettelbach 2014. pp. 235–246.
  • Heinrich Weber: Kitzingen (= historical atlas of Bavaria. Franconia part 16) . Munich 1967. Historical Atlas of Bavaria, out of print volumes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stadelmann, Walter: On the history of the family "von Wiesenbronn" . P. 237.
  2. ↑ Stadelmann, Walter: On the history of the family "von Wiesenbronn" . P. 239.
  3. ↑ Stadelmann, Walter: On the history of the family "von Wiesenbronn" . P. 242.
  4. ↑ Stadelmann, Walter: On the history of the family "von Wiesenbronn" . P. 237 (map).