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Götz von Berlichingen | |
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 Götz von Berlichingen, 17th century engraving | |
| Born | 15 November 1480 |
| Died | 23 July 1562(1562-07-23) (aged 81) |
| Resting place | Schöntal Abbey,Schöntal, Germany |
| Other names | Gottfried von Berlichingen |
| Occupation(s) | Imperial Knight Mercenary |
| Years active | 1497–1544 |
| Known for | His iron prosthetic hand |
| Children | Hans Jakob von Berlichingen |
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Gottfried "Götz"von Berlichingenzu Hornberg (pronounced[ˈgɔtfʁiːdfɔnˈbɛʁlɪçɪŋən],[ˈgœts]; 15 November 1480 – 23 July 1562), also known asGötz of the Iron Hand (German: Eisenfaust), was aGerman (Franconian)Imperial Knight (Reichsritter),mercenary and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family ofBerlichingen in modern-dayBaden-Württemberg. Götz boughtHornberg Castle (Neckarzimmern) in 1517, and lived there until his death in 1562.[1]
He was active in numerous military campaigns during a period of 47 years from 1498 to 1544, including theGerman Peasants' War,[1] besides numerousfeuds; in his autobiography he estimates that he fought 15 feuds in his own name, besides many cases where he lent assistance to his friends, including feuds against the cities ofCologne,Ulm,Augsburg and theSwabian League, as well as thebishop of Bamberg.
His name became famous as aeuphemism for the vulgar expression (also known as the Swabian Salute): "Er kann mich am Arsch lecken" (lit:He can lick my ass). This saying was attributed to him by writer and poetJohann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), who wrotea play based on his life.[2]
In 1497, Berlichingen entered the service ofFrederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. In 1498, he fought in the armies ofHoly Roman EmperorMaximilian I, seeing action inBurgundy,Lorraine, and theBrabant, and in theSwabian War the following year. By 1500, Berlichingen had left the service of Frederick of Brandenburg, and formed a company of mercenaries, selling his services to various dukes, margraves, and barons.[3]
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In 1504, during theWar of the Succession of Landshut, Berlichingen and his mercenary army fought forAlbert IV, Duke of Bavaria.[4] During the siege of the city ofLandshut, he lost his right arm at the wrist when cannon fire forced his sword against him.[5] In the following years, he had two mechanicalprosthetic iron replacements made. The first iron hand was a more simple device, claimed to have been made by a local blacksmith and a saddle maker. The second, more famous prosthetic hand was capable of holding objects from a shield or reins to a quill.[1] Both are on display today at theBurg Jagsthausen [de].[6] In spite of this injury, Berlichingen continued his military activities. In the subsequent years he was involved in numerous feuds, both of his own and in support of friends and employers.
In 1512, near the town ofForchheim, due to a long running and bitter feud withNuremberg he raided a group of Nuremberg merchants returning from the great fair atLeipzig. On hearing this, Emperor Maximilian placed Berlichingen under anImperial ban. He was only released from this in 1514, when he paid the large sum of 14,000gulden. In 1516, in a feud with thePrincipality of Mainz and its Prince-Archbishop, Berlichingen and his company mounted a raid intoHesse, capturingPhilip II, Count of Waldeck, in the process. A ransom of 8,400 gulden was paid for the safe return of the Count. For this action, he was again placed under an Imperial ban in 1518.[3]
In 1519, he signed up in the service ofUlrich, Duke of Württemberg, who was at war with theSwabian League. He fought in the defence ofMöckmühl, but eventually was forced to surrender the town, owing to a lack of supplies and ammunition. In violation of the terms of surrender, he was held prisoner and handed over to the citizens ofHeilbronn, a town he had raided several times. His fellow knightsGeorg von Frundsberg andFranz von Sickingen successfully argued for his release in 1522, but only after he paid a ransom of 2,000 gulden and swore not to take vengeance on the League.[3]
In 1525, with the outbreak of theGerman Peasants' War, Berlichingen led the rebel army in the district ofOdenwald against the Ecclesiastical Princes of theHoly Roman Empire. Despite this, he was (according to his own account) not a fervent supporter of their cause. He agreed to lead the rebels partly because he had no other option, and partly in an effort to curb the excesses of the rebellion. Despite his wishes to stop wanton violence, Berlichingen found himself powerless to control the rebels and after a month of nominal leadership he deserted his command and returned to the Burg Jagsthausen to sit out the rest of the rebellion in his castle.[3]
After the Imperial victory, he was called before theDiet of Speyer to account for his actions. On 17 October 1526, he was acquitted by the Imperial chamber. Despite this, in November 1528 he was lured toAugsburg by the Swabian League, who were eager to settle old scores. After reaching Augsburg under promise of safe passage, and while preparing to clear himself of the old charges against him made by the league, he was seized and made prisoner until 1530 when he was liberated, but only after repeating his oath of 1522 and agreeing to return to his Burg Hornberg and remain in that area.[3]
Berlichingen agreed to this, and remained near the Hornberg untilCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor, released him from his oath in 1540. He served under Charles in the 1542 campaign against theOttoman Empire ofSuleyman the Magnificent inHungary, and in 1544 in the Imperial invasion ofFrance underFrancis I of France.[3] After the French campaign, Berlichingen returned to the Hornberg and lived out the rest of his life in relative peace. He died on 23 July 1562 in Hornberg Castle at the age of 81 or 82. Berlichingen married twice and left three daughters and seven sons to carry on his family name.[3]
Berlichingen left anautobiography in manuscript form (Rossacher Handschrift). The text was published in 1731 asLebens-Beschreibung des Herrn Gözens von Berlichingen ("Biography of Sir Götz von Berlichingen"), and republished in 1843 asRitterliche Thaten Götz von Berlichingen's mit der eisernen Hand ("Knightly Deeds of Götz von Berlichingen with the Iron Hand") (ed. M. A. Gessert). A scholarly edition of the manuscript text was published in 1981 by Helgard Ulmschneider asMein Fehd und Handlungen ("My Feuds and Actions").
When invited to surrender by the Swabian League, Götz reportedly said of the Swabian general: "He can lick my ass!" This anecdote helped popularise the phrase, which came to be called theSwabian salute in his honour.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1773 published the playGötz von Berlichingen based on the 1731 edition of the autobiography. The play, which catapulted Berlichingen as a prominent figure of German nationalism, depicted him as an upright man facing new and smothering political changes in the feudal German society.[5] Other plays about Götz's life were also written byJean-Paul Sartre andJohn Arden.[8] English composerHavergal Brian was inspired by Goethe's play when composing hisSymphony No. 2 in E minor, initially creating an almostprogrammatic depiction of the character as portrayed in the play.[9] The French composerPaul Dukas also wrote aGötz von Berlichingen concert overture for orchestra in 1883 while a student at theConservatoire de Paris.
In addition, though technically unofficial, Hitler did propose naming one of the 2H-class battleships after Götz von Berlichingen, prior to their cancellation. The Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Götz von Berlichingen", later designated the17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" was named after him.
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