To believe

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The Zurlauben were an important family from the canton of Zug in Switzerland , whose last male descendants died at the end of the 18th century.

Among the now extinct city families of Zug , the Zurlauben occupy one of the most prominent places. As the leading family, they belonged to the patriciate of the city. Most likely coming from the Valais and immigrated from Uri via Zurich to Zug in 1478, the Zurlauben family was naturalized in Zug as early as 1488. Within a few generations, they managed to free themselves from petty-bourgeois relationships and rise to a widely respected and influential magistrate family. For more than three centuries, until the overthrow of their last influential political representative Fidel Zurlauben (1675–1731) in 1729, the family members dominated political and social events in Zug as high dignitaries in church, state and military.

The disbelievers as soldiers

Beat Fidel Zurlauben (1720–1799): Last male descendant of the Zurlauben

Until the death of their last representative Beat Fidel Zurlauben (1720–1799) in 1799, the Zurlauben sex has demonstrably produced 62 male descendants who reached the age of 15. Forty of them served as mercenaries for shorter or longer periods in various ranks in the military services of the Holy See (2), Savoy (1), Spain (1), Venice (1) and Tuscany (1). Most of the Zurlauben youths - namely 36 - moved to France , which all too often turned out to be a risky undertaking. During the nearly 300 years that Zurlauben served the French crown, a third of the Zurlauben French mercenaries lost their lives. For example, in 1522 in the Battle of Bicocca, when the two brothers Christoph and Johann Zurlauben were killed, or in Dreux in 1562 and in La Rochelle in 1573 , when three family members died on the battlefield. In view of the many years of intensive involvement of the Zurlauben in French services, it is understandable that their services for Savoy, Spain, etc. are to be assessed more as episodes and are therefore not mentioned in more detail at this point.

The foundation stone for the successful rise of the Zurlauben as a military entrepreneur was laid in 1567 by Anton II (1505–1586) when he was in the service of the French King Charles IX. Pfyffer regiment raised a half company. After all, from 1619 until the outbreak of the French Revolution, the Zurlauben family commanded the company in the royal guard regiment of France, which was then assigned to Zug. The guards regiment was then considered to be the proudest troop that the Confederates maintained in France, as, unlike other regiments, only Confederates were accepted here. In addition, the Zurlauben also commanded in other Swiss, resp. German regiments with different full or half companies. Beat Heinrich Josef Zurlauben (1663–1706), for example, owned no fewer than three company companies in various regiments at the time of his death in the Battle of Ramillies .

In addition to the numerous companies, the Zurlauben also owned entire regiments. So Ammann Konrad III. (1571–1629) 1626 during the confusion of King Ludwig XIII in Graubünden. the order to raise a regiment and lead it to Valtellina, and Count Beat Jakob (1656–1704) was also at the head of his own regiment from 1687 to 1704, when he died as a result of a war injury, the so-called "German Regiment Zurlauben" ". The “Zurlaubenmarsch”, which has been handed down to this day and composed especially for this regiment, goes back to this association.

Not infrequently, the knowledge and experience that the Zurlauben had acquired abroad was also used in their own country. All contingents that Zug had set up since the Reformation because of internal federal conflicts (Kappel War, First and Second Villmerger War, etc.) were under the supreme command of members of the Zurlauben family. For example, Oswald I (1477–1549) commanded Zug in 1531 in the Second Kappel War , Heinrich II (1621–1676) in the First Villmerger War and Beat Jakob II (1660-1717) in the Second Villmerger War. As provincial governors, the Zurlauben in the Free Offices held a decisive position of military power in addition to their political influence from 1656 to 1729. For 200 years, the Zurlauben also sat on the councils of war in the federal and Catholic towns and were regularly entrusted with active command posts by the Swiss parliament .

Believing in the service of the state

The Zurlaubenhof in Zug
The castle train to the truss structure of John Zurlauben (1555)

The progenitor of the Zuger Zurlauben, Anton I (1439–1516), exercised the honorable, but still modest position of town bricklayer in view of the power that the Zurlauben gained a little later. His sons tried their luck in the foreign service and thus laid the foundation not only for the military, but also the rise of the family in terms of power politics. Because anyone who had proven himself in command posts in the European theaters of war, it was believed, was also qualified for political leadership tasks at home. However, a successful career in military service also required influential connections to the political elite in the home country, which is why the Zurlauben soon tried to secure a political office themselves.

The first Zurlauben, who held a political office in Zug, was Konrad I (1483–1565), who appears in the sources in 1518 as an Unterweibel. Through the office of Umgeltner to Pfleger von St. Wolfgang - an urban bailiwick - he finally got into the weekly and major court. His son Beat I. Zurlauben (* 1533, † 1596) finally achieved the most influential office that Zug had to assign. Via the lucrative office of land clerk for the city of Zug, he was elected Ammann of the city and office of Zug in 1587 and thus became the highest-ranking personality of the Zugerian state. This was the beginning of almost 150 years of domination of public life in Zug by the Zurlauben family.

For a long time, the Zurlauben knew how to maintain and expand their position of power. In addition to the numerous regionally oriented offices, from the beginning of the 17th century they found seats in offices whose spheres of influence also led them to the level of federal politics. Between 1587 and 1710 five members of the Zurlauben became bailiffs in the common lordships. Beat Jakob II. (1660-1717) was even appointed twice, namely in the Free Offices and in Thurgau. A no less important activity was the office of land clerk in the free offices, who held a central position of power as the deputy of the land bailiff. The office came to Beat II for the first time in 1617. Zurlauben (1597–1663). From then on the family - apart from a three-year interruption - never seriously contested the position of land clerk until 1726.

The political power of the Zurlauben reached its peak at the transition from the 17th to the 18th century. This can be illustrated nicely by the following example. Between 1600 and 1728 the Zurlauben were sent over 500 times to assemblies in order to represent the politics of Zug, partly also in the Catholic towns. The Baden Annual Accounts Conference was the most important conference of the year. From 1691 to 1727, only members of the Zurlauben family were appointed to represent the city of Zug for this assembly.

The numerous visits to the Congress, but also the participation in domestic and foreign embassies and alliance renewals brought the family not only fame, honor and financial advantages, but also numerous opportunities to contact important personalities such as kings, ambassadors etc., who knew how to use them. Since the French king tried to tie the confederates to the crown with money, he had middlemen regularly distribute money, almost half of which flowed into the pockets of councilors and heads of state. In Zug, Zurlauben was granted the privilege of distributing French pensions until 1729. This effective instrument of power enabled them to build up a broad clientele. As the financial possibilities grew, so did the moral decline, decadence and envy within the family, which ultimately contributed to Fidel Zurlauben being overthrown in 1729 during the first hard and linden trade in Zug.

Faith in the service of the Church

Coat of arms of Plazidus Zurlauben, prince abbot in Muri monastery from 1684–1723

In addition to the military and political positions, the patriciate of that time also offered numerous positions in the church service as an alternative. Of the 113 family members who lived to be over 15 years old, 16 chose the profession of priest or entered a monastery as sisters. With a share of 14 percent - nine clergy and seven nuns - the Zurlauben are within the normal framework for magistrate families at the time.

It was probably the more tempting positions in the military and politics that led to the fact that a clergyman did not appear until the fifth generation of the Zurlauben. Very late, i. H. in the 7th generation around 1650, the family developed an inclination for spiritual and monastic life. The proportional high point of clergy and nuns within the family had the Zurlauben in the 8th generation around 1700. This increase coincides with the culmination of the position of the Zurlauben in power politics. Since the clergy were interested in many things, more artistic and intellectual activities within the family can be observed at that time. The Wettinger Prior P. Ludwig Zurlauben (1661–1724), for example, created considerable paintings of saints at that time and was intensively concerned with the history of the Cistercian convent Frauenthal .

The family's reputation for having achieved high services in church positions, however, is largely due to the Benedictine abbots Gerold I (1547–1607) and Gerold II (1649–1735) von Rheinau and Prince Abbot Plazidus (1646–1723). from Muri . Gerold I von Rheinau can be regarded as the real innovator of the abbey, as he joined the Swiss Benedictine Congregation and carried out the necessary reforms in his monastery. In addition, he realized numerous new buildings. The brothers Plazidus and Gerold II also stood up for the congregation. In addition, they had new library buildings built for their abbeys, worked in the home school as expert philosophy and theology professors and were great sponsors of the arts.

The more important family members

The more important family members are categorized in the following according to important offices and listed chronologically. For each person there is also information about other activities. The information is essentially taken from Kurt-Werner Meier's extensive research on the Zurlauben family.

Important political officials from the Zurlauben family

  • Ammen from the Zurlauben family:
    • Beat I. (December 22, 1533 - August 26, 1596): Ammann 1587–1590, 1596; Captain in France, Obervogt von Cham and Hünenberg, Landschreiber von Zug, member of the Grand Court, mayor, councilor, sack master.
    • Conrad III. (May 10, 1571 - March 31, 1629): Ammann 1614-1617; Captain in French service, Obervogt von Cham and Hünenberg, town clerk, councilor, governor, advisor to the Bishop of Basel, Obwalden land law, St. Michael knight.
    • Beat II. (April 18, 1597 - May 2, 1663): Ammann 1632-1635, 1641-1644; Captain in the French service, Obervogt von Hünenberg, land clerk in the free offices, citizen and Grand Councilor of Bremgarten, advisor to Frauenthal, member of the Grand Court, councilor, honorary citizen of Lucerne.
    • Beat Jakob I (December 3, 1615 - April 21, 1690): Ammann 1677–1680, 1686–1689; Lieutenant in French service, Colonel Sergeant in Tuscany, Federal. Oberstfeldwachtmeister, governor and land clerk of the free offices, citizen and grand councilor of Bremgarten, council, staff leader, governor, court lord of Hembrunn and Anglikon, castvogt of Frauenthal, knight of the golden spur,
    • Beat Kaspar (March 14, 1644 - May 12, 1706): Ammann 1695–1698; Major in the Savoyard service, governor of Villanova and Asti, land clerk and governor of the free offices, council, staff leader, governor, hereditary marshal of Muri, St. Michaels-, St. Mauritius- u. Lazarus knight, knight of the golden spur, citizen of Bremgarten, court lord of Hembrunn, Nesselnbach u. Anglicon.
    • Beat Jakob II. (April 26, 1660 - January 5, 1717): Ammann 1704–1707, 1713–1716; Captain in French service, Major General von Zug, Oberstfeldwachtmeister, Landvogt of the Free Offices and in Thurgau, Obervogt von Hünenberg, Twingherr von Oberrüti, Keeper of St. Wolfgang, Councilor, Staff Leader, Hereditary Marshal von Muri, Court Lord of Anglikon and Hembrunn, St. Ludwig Knights .
    • Fidel (March 1, 1675 - February 26, 1731): Ammann 1722-1725; Captain in French service, governor of the free offices, twin lord of Oberrüti, keeper of St. Wolfgang, bailiff in the Rhine Valley, town clerk, councilor, staff leader, governor, member of the weekly court, hereditary marshal of Muri, court lord of Anglikon, Nesselnbach and Hembrunn.
  • Land clerk of the Free Offices from the Zurlauben family:
    • Beat II. (See Ammänner): Landschreiber 1617–1630
    • Beat Jakob I. (see Ammänner): Landschreiber 1633–1664
    • Heinrich Ludwig (December 13, 1640–1676): Landschreiber 1664–1670; Judge of Nesselnbach, Knight of the Golden Spur, Citizen of Bremgarten.
    • Beat Kaspar (see Ammänner): Landschreiber 1677–1706
    • Plazidus Beat Kaspar Anton (1697–1726): Landschreiber 1715–1726; Captain in Spanish service, town clerk, court lord of Nesselnbach, knight of the golden spur.

Important military personnel from the Zurlauben family

  • Owner of the Zurlauben company in the Swiss Guard Regiment:
    • Conrad III. (see Ammänner): Owner 1619–1629.
    • Beat II. (See Ammänner): owner 1631–1636.
    • Heinrich I (October 16, 1607 - October 5, 1650): owner 1636–1649; Captain in French service, royal chamberlain, Obervogt von Risch, Grand Councilor.
    • Heinrich II (November 22, 1621 - May 2, 1676): owner 1649–1668; Captain in the French service, Colonel Sergeant in the 1st Villmerger War, Governor of Baden, citizen of Bremgarten.
    • Beat Heinrich Josef (November 12, 1663 - May 23, 1706): owner 1690 - 1706; Captain, brigadier in French service, Knight of the Order of St. Ludwig, Lord of Lourbes.
    • Beat Franz Plazidus (June 15, 1687 - December 31, 1770): owner 1706–1767; Captain, Brigadier, Maréchal de camp in French service, Colonel of the Swiss Guard Regiment, Lieutenant General of the French Troops, Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ludwig, Obervogt von Hünenberg, Hereditary Marshal von Muri, Court Lord of Anglikon and Hembrunn.
    • Beat Fidel (August 3, 1720 - March 13, 1799): owner 1767–1792; Brigadier, Maréchal de camp, lieutenant general in French service, Conseiller et Interprète du roi, court lord of Hembrunn, Anglikon and Nesselnbach, grand councilor, historian, Lazarus knight, bearer of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ludwig, Hereditary Marshal von Muri, member of the Akademie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres as well as the academies of Besançon and Mannheim and the Accademia Etrusca , the Société militaire, the Helvetic Society and the Natural Research Society Zurich.
  • Other high military:
    • Oswald I (1477 - 1549): Captain in papal service, Oberfeldwachtmeister in the Kappelerkrieg, Obervogt von Steinhausen, Grossweibel, master builder, councilor, governor, member of the weekly and major court.
    • Beat Jakob, Graf (February 25, 1656 - September 21, 1704): owner of the Zurlauben regiment, brigadier, maréchal de camp, lieutenant general in French service, knight of the Order of St. Ludwig, count von Wilerthal and baron von Ortenberg.
    • Beat Jakob II. (See Ammänner).

Important ecclesiastical dignitaries of the Zurlauben family

Plazidus Zurlauben (1646–1723), Prince Abbot of Muri
Window in the cloister of Muri Monastery, donated in 1624 by Konrad Zurlauben, among others (coat of arms on the left)
  • Abbesses and Abbots
    • Gerold I (1547 - February 21, 1607): Abbot of Rheinau 1598–1607; Benedictine , Reform Abbot and builder of the Rheinau Abbey.
    • Maria Regina (1625 - January 23, 1685): Mother in the monastery of Maria Sacrifice 1680–1683; Capuchin , nun .
    • Plazidus (March 13, 1646 - September 14, 1723): Prince Abbot of Muri 1684–1723; Benedictine, secretary and visitor to the Swiss. Benedictine Congregation, professor of philosophy, rhetoric and theology.
    • Gerold II (August 2, 1649 - June 18, 1735): Abbot of Rheinau 1697–1735; Benedictine, theology and philosophy professor, apostolic notary , governor, archivist and secretary of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation .
    • Maria Ursula (July 9, 1651 - February 21, 1727): Abbess in Wurmsbach 1705–1717; Cistercian, Prioress of Frauenthal .
    • Maria Euphemia (April 2, 1657 - April 2, 1737): Abbess of Tänikon 1707–1737; Cistercian.

Written estate of Zurlauben

The written estate of Zurlauben has been in the Aargau Cantonal Library in Aarau since 1803 under the name Zurlaubiana , where part of the collection is being processed in a long-term edition and, more recently, cataloging project.

literature

  • Carmen Furger: The development of Acta Helvetica from the estate of the Zurlauben family in Zug , in: Tugium 28, 2012, pp. 7-14.
  • Brändle, Fabian: Josef Anton Schumacher (1677–1735). Radical democrat, moralist and “Cromwell von Zug” , in: Swiss Journal for History 61 (2011), pp. 454–472.
  • Urs Amacher: Baroque body worlds. How knight Heinrich Damian Leonz Zurlauben brought the catacomb saint Christina from Rome to Zug . Olten 2010.
  • Carmen Furger: Women's letters from the estate of the Zurlauben family in Zug (16th – 18th centuries) , in: Argovia, 122 (2010), pp. 8–29.
  • Antonia Jordi: An incompetent land scribe endangers the legitimacy of old federal rule. Individual case study on the instability and fragility of the Old Confederation , in: Argovia 122 (2010), pp. 30–44.
  • Carlo Steiner: Informal Networks in the Foreign Policy of the Federal Locations. The unstable balance of power in the relationship between the Zug contractor Beat II. Zurlauben and the French ambassador Jean de la Barde , in: Argovia 122 (2010), pp. 45–65.
  • Laura Mosimann: The Zurlauben and the salt trade in Zug around 1700 . Licentiate thesis, University of Bern, 2009/2010, Prof. Dr. André Holenstein.
  • Nadja Ruch: Client systems and external relations in the Old Confederation around 1670. Motivation, strategies and successes of a central Swiss chief representative using the example of Beat Jakob I. Zurlaubens , licentiate thesis, University of Bern, Prof. Dr. André Holenstein, 2009/2010.
  • André Grüter: A family with their backs to the wall. Troubles, challenges and crisis management of the Zurlauben family during the first Zuger Harten- und Lindenhandel , Hochschulschrift, Friborg 2015.
  • Cécile Aregger Fischer: Strategies of family power politics in times of turmoil in Graubünden. The example of the Zurlauben family from Zug , licentiate thesis, University of Bern, 2008/2009, Prof. Dr. André Holenstein.
  • Antonia Jordi: Interests - Conflicts - Strategies. Problems and problem solutions in connection with the administration of common lords in the 17th century using the example of the land clerk of the free offices, Heinrich Ludwig Zurlauben , licentiate thesis, University of Bern, Prof. Dr. André Holenstein, 2008/2009.
  • Carlo Steiner: Diplomacy and Patronage. Informal networks in the foreign policy of federal locations in the 17th century: the relationship between the Zug service entrepreneur Beat II. Zurlauben and the French ambassador Jean de la Barde , licentiate thesis, University of Bern, Prof. André Holenstein, 2008/2009.
  • Büsser, Nathalie: Saltpeter, copper, spy services and buying votes. The war economic activities of the Zug military entrepreneur and magistrate Beat Jakob II. Zurlauben between 1690 and 1706 for France , in: Gröbner, Valentin; Guex, Sébastien; Tanner, Jakob (ed.): Kriegswirtschaft / Wirtschaftskriege, Zürich 2008, 23, pp. 71–84 (Swiss Society for Economic and Social History 23).
  • Büsser, Nathalie: «Die Frau Hauptmannin» as a switching point for recruitment, money transfer and information exchange. Business activities of female members of the Zuger Zurlauben in the family's own pay service company around 1700 , in: Gilomen, Hans-Jörg ; Müller, Margrit; Tissot, Laurent (ed.): Services / Les Services. Expansion and transformation of the “third sector”, Zurich 2007, pp. 143–153 (Swiss Society for Economic and Social History 22).
  • Daniel Schläppi: The State as a Collective Good: Common Property as the Basis of Political Culture in the Early Modern Confederation ( Memento from September 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 630 kB), in: Historical Social Research, vol. 32, 2007, No. 4, pp. 169-202. [With detailed discussion of the unsuccessful election of Beat II in 1650. Zurlauben as Ammann of the city and office of Zug]
  • Andrea Arnold: The topographical views of the Tableaux de la Suisse (Paris 1780–1788) , licentiate thesis of the University of Bern (Ms.) 2006.
  • Brändle, Fabian: The ascetic prophet. Joseph Anton Schumacher and the “Harten und Lindenhandel” in Zug 1728–1735 , in: Ders .: Democracy and Charisma. Five Landsgemeinde conflicts in the 18th century. Zurich 2005, pp. 165–192.
  • Nathalie Büsser: Women in paid entrepreneurship. Business fields of activity of female family members of the Zuger Zurlauben around 1700 . Zurich 2003/2004. Licentiate thesis, University of Zurich: Prof. Roger Sablonier.
  • Daniel Schläppi: "The ambassadors will know how to behave in everything else." Actors in federal foreign policy in the 17th century. Structures, goals and strategies using the example of the Zurlauben von Zug family , in: Der Geschichtsfreund 151 (1998). doi : 10.5169 / seals-118760
  • "The ambassadors will know how to behave in everything else." Actors in federal foreign policy in the 17th century: structures, goals and strategies using the example of the Zurlauben von Zug family , licentiate thesis, University of Bern, Prof. Dr. Martin Körner, 1995/1996.
  • Kurt-Werner Meier: The Zurlaubiana. Become - Owner - Analyzes. A Zug family collection. The foundation of the Aargau Cantonal Library . Aarau 1981.
  • Kurt-Werner Meier, Josef Schenker, Rainer Stöckli; Urs Amacher (arrangement): Collection Zurlauben. Regesta and registers for Acta Helvetica . Aarau 1976 ff.
  • Hans Herzog:  Take it easy . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 45, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1900, p. 506 f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Meier, Schenker, Stöckli; Amacher et al./ Collection Zurlauben (1976 ff.)