''Öffnungsrecht'' in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

was the right of a

liege lord Homage (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position (inv ...

, more specifically a

territorial lord A territorial lord (german: Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with the Early Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as being immediate (''unmittelbar''), held a form of authority over a territory known as '' Landeshoheit''. This ...

or protective lord, in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

to have gratuitous use of a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

fortified town A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

as a fighting base in the event of a conflict (e.g. war or

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

). Christopher Ocker, Michael Printy, Peter Starenko and Peter Wallace (eds). ''Politics and Reformations: Communities, Polities, Nations and Empires.'' Leiden/Boston: Brill (2007), p.8. It is a form of right of access.

References

Literature

* Christoph Bachmann: ''Öffnungsrecht und herzogliche Burgenpolitik in Bayern im späten Mittelalter.'' Beck, Munich, 1997, . *

Horst Wolfgang Böhme Horst Wolfgang Böhme (born May 1, 1940 in Szczecin) is a German archaeologist with a focus on Late Antiquity / Early Middle Ages and research into castles. Life Böhme studied prehistory, Roman provincial archaeology, history and folklore in Kie ...

, Reinhard Friedrich,

Barbara Schock-Werner Barbara Schock-Werner (born 23 July 1947, Ludwigsburg) is a German architect, and was until her retirement end of August 2012 the master builder at Cologne Cathedral with overall responsibility for conservation and restoration work. With the offic ...

(eds.): ''Wörterbuch der Burgen, Schlösser und Festungen.'' Reclam, Stuttgart, 2004, , p. 193. * Friedrich Hillebrand: ''Das Öffnungsrecht bei Burgen, seine Anfänge und seine Entwicklung in den Territorien des 13.-16. Jahrhunderts unter besonderer Berücksichtigung Württembergs.'' Diss. phil. Tübingen 1967.

External links

*
Inaugural-Dissertation zum Thema Lehnsauftragung mit Erörterung des Öffnungsrechts
(pdf) {{Authority control Feudalism Medieval law Law of the Holy Roman Empire