Burgraviate of Friedberg

Burgraviate of Friedberg Burggrafschaft Friedberg
Middle Ages–1806
Status	State of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Friedberg
Historical era	Middle Ages, Early modern period
• Established	Middle Ages
• Disestablished	1806
Succeeded by Grand Duchy of Hesse

Georgsbrunnen

The Burgraviate of Friedberg was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire. It originated in the Late Middle Ages from the Burgmannschaft of Reichsburg Friedberg in Hesse. Unique within the Empire were the cooperative-organized constitutional structure of the Burggrafschaft and the endowment with manorial privileges by the Emperor, which were confirmed several times until its dissolution in 1806. Due to the formation of its own territory, which in addition to control over the neighboring Reichsstadt Friedberg and the Freigericht Kaichen included a narrow strip of land in the southern Wetterau, Friedberg Castle can be regarded as the only reichsständische castle since its inclusion in the Reichsmatrikel in 1431. According to its self-image, the Kayserliche und des heiligen Reichs-Burg Friedberg, as it was called, was a prominent institution of the Imperial Knighthood and directly subordinate to the king or emperor.

History

Foundation and Hohenstaufen period

Friedberg Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1217, when King Friedrich II stated to the Friedberg burgrave Giselbert, the burgomans and the Frankfurt Schultheiß that he Ulrich von Münzenberg returned the goods that his father and brother had owned. It was probably a planned Staufische foundation, which may have taken place a few years earlier. This is indicated by the remains of a Romanesque predecessor church under the Stadtkirche. The construction of the town and castle should be seen in the context of Staufer imperial land policy. The expansion of the Wetterau into a Staufer house estate was accelerated after 1171, when the Grafen von Nürings died out and their fiefs concentrated in this region reverted to the Empire. The founding of Friedberg has regional parallels in the founding and expansion of the castles and Imperial Cities Gelnhausen and Wetzlar.

Friedberg town and castle in the 17th century, engraving by Matthäus Merian

Interregnum

During the Interregnum (1245-1273), the castle and town of Friedberg, like most of the imperial towns in the region founded by Hohenstaufen emperors, initially remained on the Hohenstaufen side. However, with the departure of Conrad IV to Italy in 1252, Friedberg changed sides. Charters issued there by the counter-king William of Holland on September 17, 1252 are documented for the first time. The change of sides and the termination of the loyalty relationship to the Hohenstaufen paid off just a few days later, when William released the Burgmannen from the Verpflichtung zur Reichsheerfahrt on September 20, 1252, but offered them a voluntary personal and financial contribution.

Furthermore, during this period the Burgmannen had succeeded in developing from their status as Reichsministerialen to become lower nobles, in that at the end of the interregnum they had full landrechtliche power of disposal over their castle fiefs and thus possessed full feudal capacity. Later kings could only confirm this state in order to secure the support of this group, which is attested by a document Albrecht I. in 1298. For the Burgmannen this meant an elevation of status, as they became imperially independent in the cooperative association.

Prior to this, King Rudolf I had already confirmed extensive rights to the castle and its Burgmannen and privileged their prominent position. This was to have a decisive influence on the further constitutional history of the burgraviate:

• In the fall of 1275, he supported the castle service materially by giving the castle the annual tax of the Friedberg Jews amounting to 130 Marks of Cologne pfennigs. The background to this was possibly the maintenance costs for the exceptionally large castle complex. Occasionally, it has been concluded from these donations that the castle had previously been destroyed by the city, but this cannot be clearly proven. As a similar support, the castle was awarded the Ungeld collected in the town in 1285 (in subsidium edificiorum et reparacionis castri nostri).
• Even more significant is the court privilege of May 1, 1287 which was granted to the Burgmannen as thanks for their loyal service. This meant that they could not be accused or sued before any judge other than their burgrave, with the exception of the royal court. This right was repeatedly confirmed by subsequent rulers until modern times, usually as part of general confirmations of the castle privileges. A separate castle court is likely as early as the first half of the 13th century.
• In another document of the same date, Rudolf forbade the construction of castles, fortifications or festen Häusern near Friedberg in order to secure the spatial dominance of the imperial castle.
• In 1285, Rudolf granted the Burgmannen the privilege of not admitting any freemen or lords to the Burgmannschaft without their consent, which meant a de facto right to have a say, which soon developed into a prerogative. As early as the 14th century, the king no longer exerted any influence on the co-optation of new cooperative members.

Depiction of Friedberg Castle and St. George as the patron saint of the castle in the Salbuch of Naumburg Abbey

Late Middle Ages

Dhe rights already acquired during the interregnum, which went far beyond what was customary in the organization of imperial castles, were consolidated in the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1347, Count Adolf I of Nassau-Wiesbaden lost a feud to the castle's lordship. The ransom money was used to build the mighty Adolf Tower as a second keep and landmark of the castle. In 1349, under Karl IV, the Burgfrieden (castle peace treaty) was drawn up, granting the Burgmannschaft the right to appoint the Burggrave, which had previously been the responsibility of the king.

While the burgraviate was at the height of its power with its inclusion in the imperial register in 1431, the town had already been in decline since the 14th century. The Friedberg trade fairs lost importance due to the nearby Frankfurt Trade Fair and were discontinued. In addition to a decline in cloth production, two town fires in 1383 and 1447, epidemics and the emigration of citizens are thought to be the cause. The repeated disputes with the imperial city of Friedberg were finally won by the burgraviate in the 15th century because the burgomans knew how to skillfully exploit the city's weak position. At the height of the crisis, the town became insolvent in 1454. Due to Friedberg's debts, Frankfurt terminated the escort service that Friedberg citizens had been able to take advantage of on their way to the Frankfurt trade fair. As a result, the city's economy, especially its cloth production, was hit hard. In February of the following year, the council was replaced, with the Burgrave and the six Burgmannen remaining on the council and taking on a mediating role. The keys to the town were handed over to the castle, initially only because of the unrest that accompanied the event. However, the event was not merely symbolic, as the influence of the Burgmannschaft on the town increased considerably in the period that followed.

In 1455, the burgraviate, which had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude, acquired the first parts of the imperial pledge, on the basis of which it forced the council in 1482 to issue the so-called Verherrungsrevers (which prohibited the town from changing lords without permission, effectively subjugating the town) and in 1483 was able to force the town to sign a homagesverschreibung (regulated details in the relationship between the town and the castle as its lord). Further shares of the pledge, which had previously been divided between various parties, followed in the next few years. As early as 1376, the burgraviate had acquired its first rights in the Freigericht Kaichen, whose sovereignty it was finally granted in 1475. Also in 1475, it received the sovereign position in parts of the Mörler Mark. In addition, there was a share in the Ganerbschaft Staden around Burg Staden in the Wetterau, which had existed since 1405.

Thus, instead of the previous municipal tax and judicial revenues, the sovereignty of the state gained considerably in importance. In 1541, the Münzprivileg in Friedberg was added; the coins were issued in the name of the respective burgrave.

Coat of arms of Friedberg Castle with imperial eagle above the south gate of the castle

Modern times

After the Passau Treaty in 1552, the Reformation in its Lutheran variant was officially introduced in the burgraviate. From 1569, a church order shared with the imperial city of Friedberg was in force. However, the Burgmannschaft also continued to have Roman Catholic members. Catholic members, whose numbers even increased over time. After long disputes, Franz Heinrich von Dalberg was therefore elected as Roman Catholic Burgrave for the first time in 1755.

The decline of the lower nobility in the 17th and 18th centuries was not without consequences for the burgraviate. The extinction and impoverishment of many knightly families in the region meant that the supporting pillars of the Burgmannschaft (residence obligation, Burghut, Burggericht, Burglehen) fell into disrepair. The castle ceased to actively exercise its imperial status as early as the 17th century. The number of Burgmannen fell to its lowest level at the end of the Thirty Years' War.

The influence of the remaining local lesser nobles was subsequently reduced even further. Conflicts of interest arose due to service obligations to larger sovereigns. A large part of the castle community was now effectively excluded from influencing castle politics. Due to the increasing importance and number of members, it was common practice from the 15th century onwards to place government and the exercise of office in the hands of a smaller body, the so-called Burgregiment of twelve Burgmannen. Even in burgrave elections, the common burghers had little more than an acclamation right vis-à-vis the candidates selected in advance by the regiment. Accordingly, participation in castle conventions and manorial-administrative events fell to almost zero in the 18th century.

While membership in a unique cooperative of the imperial knighthood in the modern era primarily served the social prestige of the individual in the estates society, the burgraviate was gradually paralyzed by the influence of larger sovereigns. The archbishops of Mainz ultimately brought the burgraviate into line with imperial Catholic politics. In the middle of the 18th century, the burgrave families, the majority of whom had been Protestant since the Reformation, were ousted from the burgrave's office and the regiment. The establishment of the Order of St. Joseph in 1768 solidified this policy and at the same time further increased the prestige of the Burgmannschaft, which, however, was no longer in proportion to its actual importance.

Resolution

From the 17th century, the castle increasingly became a manor house. Prestigious buildings bear witness to this, such as the castle, initially the seat of Johann Eberhard von Cronberg, then the burgraviate, the extensive castle garden and the castle church. When, in the 18th century, the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or the Roman Catholic sponsored by Electorate of Mainz increasingly invaded the burgraviate, the Roman Catholic members, this paralyzed the traditional cooperative structure and the burgraviate sank into political insignificance.

After the imperial city of Friedberg had already been occupied by the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt on September 2, 1802, the latter also formally took possession of the burgraviate on December 10, 1803 and marched into the castle with military forces on January 21, 1804. This operation was led by Karl du Thil, who later became Minister President of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Facts were thus created. After the death of Burgrave Rudolf Waldbott von Bassenheim in 1805, Clemens August von Westphalen was elected as his successor. The Grand Duke, who had meanwhile advanced to Landgrave Ludewig I, however, also de jure but agreed to respect the sovereign rights of the last burgrave. The last burgrave received permission to retain his title until his death and kept the income from the castle. At the Congress of Vienna, he once again tried to revive the burgraviate, but had to agree to a cession agreement in 1817, which left him only his title and the rank of Standesherren. He died in Frankfurt in 1818. The last of the Burgmannen, Sigmund Löw zu Steinfurth, died in 1846.

The Grand Duchy initially incorporated the Burggrafschaft into its administrative structure as an Amt with the name "Amt Burg-Friedberg". In 1821, there was a judicial and administrative reform, which also implemented the separation of jurisdiction from administration at the lower level. The offices were dissolved, their tasks with regard to the administration were transferred to newly formed district administrative districts, the first instance jurisdiction Regional Courts. The "Amt Burg-Friedberg" was dissolved, its administrative activities taken over by the newly created Landratsbezirk Butzbach, the jurisdiction it had exercised until then by the Landgericht FriedbScopeerg.

Scope

The Burggrafschaft Friedberg comprised

• the Burg Friedberg, consisting of
  • castle
  • suburb
  • Jägerhaus
• the Freigericht Kaichen

Constitution

Inner condition

The castle team was organized as a cooperative. They elected a burgrave and master builder as their leaders. This group succeeded - despite corresponding attempts - in the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the Early Modern Period in preventing the intrusion of larger dynasts. Thus Reinhard I of Hanau received a castle fief as Landvogt of Wetterau around 1275. However, the Hanau family left the alliance again in 1409. Similar events also occurred with the lords von Eppstein in 1292 and Konrad von Trimberg in 1297. However, these castle fiefs, which were mostly granted by the king, were exceptions that had no lasting influence on the constitution of the castle community. Another exception was the castle right of the German Order Commandery from Sachsenhausen and Marburg. Although the latter was of longer duration, it initially also had no consequences for the constitution of the burgraviate.

Portraits of the last three Friedberg burgraves in the Wetterau Museum, from left to right: Franz Heinrich von Dalberg, Johann Maria Rudolf Reichsgraf Waldbott von Bassenheim, Clemens August von Westphalen

Viscount

The office of burgrave is already mentioned in the earliest document in 1217 and can be traced back to this time. The burgrave was initially appointed by the king; it was not until the middle of the 14th century that he was elected for life and had to be confirmed by the king. Another difference to the other - mostly hereditary - burgraveships in the empire was that the Friedberg burgraves came from the imperial ministerial family.

The burgrave presided over the castle in all matters: He was the military commander, supreme representative and judge of the castle court. From the beginning, his office also extended to the imperial city, where he was the highest representative of the imperial head (in the 14th century: des Reiches Amtmann) at the head of the city officials and - as in the castle - was the highest judge. The burgrave also repeatedly carried out orders from the king outside the castle and town.

Master builder

An integral part of the castle administration were the two master builders, of whom one older and one younger is documented in later times. The office was created in connection with the reconstruction of the castle after it had been destroyed by the City of Friedberg in 1275. The importance of the master builders grew with the expansion of the administration, so that later they were primarily responsible for the economic and financial administration. They were among the more distinguished members of the castle and were often named in documents together with the burgraves and regimental burgomans. As representatives of the burgrave and economic administrators of the burgraviate, they were obliged in the 16th century, like the burgrave, to take up permanent residence within the castle.

Former Burgmannenhäuser within Friedberg Castle

Burgomasters

In the 13th century, around 35 noble families with around 100 Burgmannen made up the Burgmannschaft. The circle of entitled and obligated persons was subject to strong fluctuation over the centuries, mainly due to genealogical coincidences and political constellations. A so-called Reception Statute can be recorded for the first time in 1478, which was intended to ensure the homogeneity of the status of the knight-born members when admitting new members. Since then, proof of entitlement to inherit a castle fief was no longer mandatory; in some cases, it was sufficient to pay a fee of 100 guilders, which was extraordinarily high for the time.

More important was the proof of equality through an ancestor test, which has also been verifiable since the Statute of Reception. Over time, it became the most important requirement and was refined and made more complex accordingly. In 1652, the Burgregiment decided that the family tree had to be presented in color. In 1692, even the size and writing material were prescribed. From 1712, certificates from knight-born families were required, which had to prove the applicant's lineage. In some cases, it had up to 32 knightly ancestors. In practice, however, the evidence was limited to four generations (16 knightly ancestors).

Originally, the Burgmannen were appointed by the king, later the function was inherited. In the 14th century, a cooptation right of the Burgmannschaft was added. Withdrawal of membership was only possible if false statements were made at the Aufschwörung or the Burgmann violated the Burgfrieden. Expulsions were extremely rare. It is possible that those who were threatened by this in practice preempted them by resigning their membership.

In order to fulfill the Burghut, the ministerials were initially provided with estates by the king, to which they had no legal claim. The transformation of these estates into hereditary castle fiefs seems to be connected with Rudolf I's imperial land policy. In 1276, it was mentioned that the king had set up the castle fiefs in the Reichsburg Rödelheim according to the Friedberg model. The extent of these endowments cannot be precisely determined in Friedberg. Both money and goods fiefs or both together were granted, and there is also evidence of fiefs in kind to provide for the Burgmannen. The grants to higher dynasts and counts, which were still common at the time of Rudolf, appear to have been better endowed than those to former ministerials. Later, estates in the Friedberg possessions in the Mörler Mark and the Freigericht Kaichen were also granted.

The Burgmannen were originally subject to a Residenzpflicht. In order to fulfill this obligation, they built Burgmannenhäuser within the castle from the 14th century onwards. In later times, a personal residence obligation no longer existed and the duties of the Burgmannen were often carried out by officials appointed by them and residing there. The Burghut became superfluous in the 16th and 17th centuries due to the emergence of mercenary armies. During the Sickingian Feud, one was ordered in 1523, but an additional 100 servants were accepted and paid. In 1535, the castle regiment decided to request six to eight men from the free court of Kaichen to reinforce the guards in addition to ten Burgmannen. In 1546, the castle men were to appear in person, otherwise two of nobility, if they cannot be obtained, otherwise send two credible Reissige or Landsknecht in their armor to Friedberg (...). When the Burghut was requested in 1657, the replacement of the personal Burghut by a monetary payment had already become established; twelve Reichstaler for four months could be paid as a substitute.

The Burgmannschaft can already be found as a cooperative in the first documents of the early 13th century. The wealthy families of the lower nobility of the region gathered in its ranks. In the Middle Ages, these were initially made up of the knights of the Wetterau. The number of Burgmannen fluctuated greatly over the course of time. Originally, a number of 20 to 30 can be assumed. By the end of the 13th century, it had probably risen to 40-50, increasing in line with the growing importance of the burgraviate to around 100 at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1400 there were 99 Burgmanns from 49 different families, so that some families had more than two Burgmannen at the same time. In the 16th century, about 50 were the rule, until the number reached a low point in the middle of the 17th century with only 19 Burgmannen. Due to the admission of new members, mainly from Roman Catholic families, it grew again and reached a high of 113 in 1783. 230 families can be identified who provided Burgmannen between 1473 and 1806.

Of the families initially involved in the Burgmannschaft, only three families remained at the end of the old empire in 1806: The Löw von Steinfurth, the Dalberg and the Schenck zu Schweinsberg.

Chancellery building in Friedberg Castle, built in 1512, rebuilt in 1705. The building was long the seat of the Middle Rhine Imperial Knighthood, today it is part of the castle grammar school.

Burgregiment

Due to the increasing number of Burgmannen, it had become necessary in the 14th century to place the administration in the hands of a smaller, more effective body. A committee made up of twelve Burgmannen is first mentioned in 1401. This solidified into the Burgregiment, which is first mentioned in 1467. In addition to the master builder and five burgomans delegated to the Rat der Reichsstadt Friedberg, this initially also included the burgrave, who later took on a special role.

The Burgregiment was responsible for the administration of the castle and its territory. In addition, the committee of twelve was congruent with the castle court chaired by the burgrave. From 1491 at the latest, the Burgrave had to be elected by the entire Burgmannschaft, but had to have been a regimental Burgomaster beforehand. Together with the election of the two master builders from their midst, the organization of the imperial castle was concentrated in the hands of the regiment. The regimental burgomans had to be based in the vicinity of Friedberg so that they were quickly available when decisions needed to be made and could be convened more easily than the general assembly of all burgomans, Burgverbot, also known as the Burgkonvent.

Law

A special particular law, the Friedberg Police Regulations, applied in the burgraviate of Friedberg. It was renewed and printed in 1679. This was the first time it was recorded in writing. It mainly dealt with Polizei-, Verwaltungs- and Polizei- und Ordnungsrecht. In this respect, the Solmser Landrecht remained the main source of law for the broad area of civil law The Gemeine Recht also applied if none of these regulations contained any provisions for a particular situation. This legal situation remained the law in the 19th century after the Burggrafschaft was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Hesse. It was not until the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch of January 1, 1900, which applied uniformly throughout the German Empire, that this old particular law was repealed.

The Wetterau in the Topographia Hassiae et regionum vicinarum

External condition

Relationship with the empire

The constitutional status of the Burgmannschaft in the Empire was an exception in the constitutional structure of the empire. This was the result of the privileges they enjoyed in the 13th century and their direct legal ties to the imperial head. The burgraviate was formally recognized at the Imperial Diet of Nuremberg in 1431 with its inclusion in the Imperial Registry. imperial immediacy. It had to provide 30 gleves for the Hussite War, comparable to the contingent of the Dukes of Mecklenburg or the Bishop of Speyer.

The Burgmannschaft soon tried to free itself from these obligations, because in addition to the costs of equipping the troops for the Reichsanschläge, the tax burden was also double for claiming a dual legal position as Reichsstand and member of the Reichsritterschaft; in addition, since the division into Reichskreiss, Kontributions were incurred. The Burgmannschaft invoked the imperial military privilege of 1252 and attempted to renounce its imperial status as early as the 16th century.

The empire was slow to recognize this legal position. Individual emperors exempted the Burgmannschaft from the imperial tax without this being confirmed by their successors. As a result, Friedberg Castle was repeatedly invited to imperial diets until 1662. From 1564 onwards, it no longer accepted the invitation, although there is evidence of numerous trips by envoys before that. Through its cooperative association, it had a share in the Curia vote of the Wetterauer Grafenverein in the Imperial Council of Princes of the Reichstag. The disputes ended in 1577 when Rudolf II finally exempted the castle from the imperial and county tax and confirmed its status as part of the imperial knighthood. In the following period, the resumption was discussed internally on various occasions, without any serious initiatives being taken until the dissolution of the empire.

The castle retained its unique, prominent position within the imperial knighthood as the seat and center of the Ritterkantons Mittelrhein, which was led by the burgrave of Friedberg until 1729. The members of the canton were also largely recruited from the Burgmannschaft. It was only from 1729, finally in 1764, that the two corporations were separated from each other.

Relationship with the imperial city of Friedberg

The territory of the Burggraviate of Friedberg initially comprised Friedberg Castle, which also formed a separate legal entity from the town of Friedberg and later a separate territory. From the time of its foundation, the castle had a power-political precedence over the imperial city. The burgrave appeared in documents as early as the 13th century in place of the imperial Schultheiß. Later municipal Schultheißes were always subordinate to the Burgrave. The burgrave was therefore not only an imperial official and commander of the castle, he also presided over municipal courts.

Parallel to the function of the burgrave as mayor, the castle gradually succeeded in the late Middle Ages in extending its position of supremacy over the imperial city to de facto rule. From 1306, by order of King Albrecht I, the castle sent six Burgmannen to the town council, the so-called Noble Six. This ensured the castle considerable influence on the politics of the town in the future. In theory, the sixes had to report to the king on injustice in the city, especially court matters, market justice and general urban life. In fact, however, the town council had lost its status as a civic institution and every measure of town politics now took place under the supervision or with the participation of the castle. In the 14th and 15th centuries, disputes arose from this again when the municipal councils tried on various occasions to push back the influence of the sixes. With the financial and political crisis of the imperial city in the 15th century and the acquisition of the pledges over the city that had existed since 1349 from the hands of various territorial lords (including the Archbishop of Mainz and the Lords of Eppstein), Friedberg became completely dependent on the castle, so that the citizens had to pay homage to the reigning Burgrave at the end of the 15th century.

Rule and rights in the Wetterau

Since its foundation, the burgraviate possessed a variety of different rights and estates, which originally served to supply the imperial castle. From the 15th century onwards, the castle succeeded in expanding these rights into its own Landesherrschaft in the Wetterau. The original Staufer holdings included hunting, forest, timber and fishing rights in the vicinity of the castle. Between Dorheim and Ossenheim in the east of Friedberg, the castle possessed a meadow district of around 60 hectares to supply the horses. In later times, there were repeated disputes over the Markwiesen with the Grafen von Solms, to whose territorial rule the two neighboring villages belonged.

The so-called Mörler Mark north-west of the town was given in parts to individual burgomans as service property and never came fully into the possession of the castle. The timber and other usage rights there were important for supplying the castle. The Friedberg suburb Zum Garten was directly under the control of the castle. The Beisassen there were obliged to provide manual and labor services. They made a significant contribution to the construction and maintenance of the castle in the 14th century. In the 15th century, however, the population of the suburb declined sharply, as in all Friedberg suburbs. In 1455, the castle finally succeeded in acquiring the Pfandschaft over the entire imperial town of Friedberg.

In 1405, the burgraviate bought a share in the Ganerbschaft Staden around Staden Castle, initially consisting of four parts and 19 shareholders, which were greatly reduced over time because when a family in the male line died out, the property reverted to the Ganerbschaft as a whole. In 1806, the Ganerbschaft had dwindled down to three partners: Burg Friedberg 12/57, Grafschaft Isenburg 13/57 and the barons Löw von Steinfurth with 32/57. The Ganerbschaft included the villages of Ober-Florstadt, Nieder-Florstadt and Stammheim, the associated judicial district also included other villages.

In 1475, Friedberg Castle finally came into the possession of the Freigerichts Kaichen, in which individual Burgmannen had already owned estates centuries earlier. This free court included 18 villages and four deserted villages. Gefälle were associated with the jurisdiction. In a judgment from 1293, the witnesses were almost exclusively Burgmannen, who also formed the majority of the feudal lords in the free court. They had presumably received these manors in the 12th century from the imperial possessions of the County of Malstatt after the Counts of Nürings died out. However, a protective relationship between the free court and the castle initially ruled out the direct levying of taxes by the burgraviate.

Attempts by the burgraviate in the 14th century to bind the free court of Kaichen completely to the castle met with vigorous resistance from other feudal lords. These included several Frankfurt citizens as well as the lords and counts von Hanau, Isenburg and Eppstein. Initially, the dispute with the Frankfurters flared up over their obligation to attend court. They invoked their privilege of not being sued in foreign courts outside the imperial city. The increasing influence of the Burggraviate, which made more and more villages dependent on its Burgmannen, could not be prevented even by the intervention of King Sigismund. He banned taxation by the castle again in 1431. Emperor Friedrich III finally recognized the supremacy of the burgraviate over the free court in three privileges. In 1467, he confirmed the castle's ownership, including tax sovereignty and influence over the court's constitution. A second privilege from 1474 confirmed the election of the Obergrefen of the free court by the Burgmannen and permitted the election of the Burgrave as Obergrefen. The third privilege of 1475 summarized all rights and confirmed the free court as a territory of the burgraviate.

Western view of the densely built-up Friedberg Castle with the suburb Zum Garten in the early modern period (watercolor by Hans Döring, 1553)

Noble societies at Friedberg Castle

Two noble societys are known from the late Middle Ages in Friedberg Castle, the Gesellschaft der Grünen Minne (1365) and the Gesellschaft vom Mond (mane, 1371). Both apparently existed at the same time and were made up of canons of Friedberg Castle. There are four documents about the Grüne Minne, only two about the Gesellschaft vom Mond, but three others mention their altar. The societies' altars in the castle church were the spiritual center; no insignia are known. They apparently ceased to exist in 1387 when the church service in the castle church was reorganized. After this, the altars were still named, but no longer the societies themselves. The members were accepted into a new society.

St. George's Fountain in Friedberg Castle (built in 1738, master builder Johann Philipp Wörrishöfer). The coats of arms of Burgrave Herrmann Friedrich Freiherr Riedesel zu Eisenbach (left) and master builder Freiherr von Breidbach-Bürresheim (right) can be seen on the plinth. Not in the picture is the coat of arms of the other castle builder Groschlag von Dieburg, on the fountain bowl the castle coat of arms and the individual fields with the coats of arms of the ten regimental burghers. The sculptor was Burkard Zamels

Brotherhood of St. George

More information about the Fraternitas equestris S. Georgii has been available since 1492. The main source is a letter of confirmation from the Archbishop of Mainz Berthold von Henneberg, which contains important provisions and statutes of the fraternity. The foundation must therefore have taken place before March 26, 1492 (date of the letter). The members were the canons of the imperial castle, including the burgrave, rectores as well as knights and persons of knightly birth. There is no apparent reason for the foundation. It was mentioned that it was founded in praise of God, Mary, the saints Antonius and Georg and for the salvation of its members.

A primary activity of the brotherhood was the veneration of a Corpus Christi relic, as is also documented for the Society of the Moon. Every year on the Monday after Corpus Christi, the members held masses in the castle church, followed by a procession of at least ten priests, one of whom was to carry the Corpus Christi relic. On certain days, the members had to wear a silver or gold-plated necklace with the image of St. George. In the Salbuch des Klosters Naumburg, the saint appears as the patron saint of the castle. The medieval castle church, demolished in 1783, was dedicated to St. George. A sandstone figure adorned the St. Georgsbrunnen in the castle for centuries. The elaborate decoration of the fountain with the coats of arms of the burgrave, the two master builders, the castle coat of arms and the coats of arms of the ten regimental burgomans testifies to the governmental organization of the castle.

Order of St. Joseph

Emperor Joseph II founded an Order of St. Joseph for the Burgmannen of Friedberg in 1768. The reigning Roman Emperor was Grand Master, the Burgrave Grand Prior, the master builders and regimental Burgmannen were commanders and the Burgmannen knights of the order.

See also

• List of the burgraves of Friedberg

External links

• Schätze aus dem Hessischen Staatsarchiv Marburg, Teil 3: Ahnen auf dem Prüfstand oder: Wie Georg XIV. Riedesel in das „hochlöbliche Burgcorpus“ zu Friedberg aufgenommen wurde (Memento from October 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today)

Literature

• Karl Ernst Demandt: Geschichte des Landes Hessen. 2. Auflage. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel/Basel 1972, ISBN 3-7618-0404-0, S. 470f.
• Albrecht Eckhardt: Die Burgmannenaufschwörungen und Ahnenproben der Reichsburg Friedberg in der Wetterau 1473–1805. In: Wetterauer Geschichtsblätter. 19, 1970, S. 133–167.
• Albrecht Eckhardt: Burggraf, Gericht und Burgregiment im mittelalterlichen Friedberg (mit einem Urkundenanhang). In: Wetterauer Geschichtsblätter. 20, 1971, S. 17–81.
• Friederun Hardt-Friederichs: Das königliche Freigericht Kaichen in der Wetterau in seiner landes- und rechtshistorischen Bedeutung. (= Wetterauer Geschichtsblätter. 25). Bindernagel, Friedberg 1976, ISBN 3-87076-013-3, bes. S. 25–29 und S. 39–41.
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