Adrian von Bubenberg (born c. 1424 in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

; died August 1479 in Bern) was a Bernese

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, military commander and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

('' Schultheiss'') of Bern in 1468-1469, 1473-1474 and 1477-1479. In

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, he is remembered as the hero of the 1476

Battle of Murten The Battle of Morat (also known as the Battle of Murten) was a battle in the Burgundian Wars (1474–77) that was fought on 22 June 1476 between Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, and a Swiss Confederate army at Morat/Murten, about 30 kil ...

Life

Adrian von Bubenberg was born as the son of Heinrich IV. von Bubenberg, Schultheiss of Bern and lord of

Spiez Spiez is a town and municipality on the shore of Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss canton of Bern. It is part of the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district. Besides the town of Spiez, the municipality also includes ...

, whom he succeeded in 1465. During a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1466, he was dubbed a

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

, and inscribed his name and emblem on the wall of

David's Tomb , alternate_name= Makam Nabi Daoud; Cenacle , image = Jerusalem Tomb of David BW 1.JPG , alt= , caption= , map_type = Old Jerusalem , map_alt = , map_caption = Shown () within Jerusalem , map_size= , location = Jerusalem , reg ...

. Numerous times before and after the

Burgundy wars The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in th ...

, he led Bernese negotiations with other

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

of the

old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...

and foreign powers including

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and 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 ...

. But his heroic stature in Swiss history is due to his tenacious defense during the siege of

Murten Murten (German language, German) or Morat (French language, French, ; frp, Morât ) is a bilingual Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and a city in the See (district of Fribourg), See district of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fr ...

. He had been appointed commander of the city garrison in April 1476. The city was besieged during twelve days in June by the troops of

Charles, Duke of Burgundy Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, and Bubenberg managed to hold until he was relieved by confederate forces on 22 June, leading to the decisive defeat of Charles.

Legacy

Von Bubenberg was buried in the choir of the

Berner Münster Bern Minster (german: Berner Münster) is a Swiss Reformed Church, Swiss Reformed cathedral (or Minster (cathedral), minster) in the Old City of Bern, old city of Bern, Switzerland. Built in the Gothic architecture, Gothic style, its constructio ...

, the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of Bern. Ever having been short of funds in spite of being the head of Berne's preeminent noble house, von Bubenberg was posthumously banned for his debts in 1481, but the government resisted

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

's demand that he be exhumed and dishonourably buried because of this. SVB21wiki

Bubenberg's deeds figure already in the near-contemporary illustrated chronicles by

Diebold Schilling the Elder Diebold Schilling the Elder (c. 1445 – 1485) was the author of several of the Swiss illustrated chronicles, the ''Berner Schilling'' of 1483, the ''Spiezer Schilling'' (1480s), and the ''Zürcher Schilling'' of 1484. He worked in Lucerne as a c ...

. Later, he became an icon in Romantic nationalism, portrayed in literature as the ideal of knightly virtue and of

patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

, notably in the novel ''Ring i der Chetti'' by

Rudolf von Tavel Rudolf von Tavel Otto Friedrich Rudolf von Tavel (21 December 1866 – 18 October 1934 in Bern) was a Swiss journalist and writer. Many of his novels were written in Bernese rather than Standard German, and he is one of the best-known authors ...

(1931). In 1897, Bern honoured Bubenberg with a bronze statue on Christoffelplatz, which was renamed to

Bubenbergplatz The Bubenbergplatz (Bubenberg Plaza, named after Adrian von Bubenberg) is a plaza in the Old City of Bern, the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. It is part of the area outside the third city walls. It is located south-west of Bahnh ...

on the occasion. The design for the statue triggered a dispute on whether it was proper to show Bubenberg on foot rather than as a knight in an equestrian statue. The statue was moved to the nearby Hirschengraben in 1930 to make room for tramway infrastructure; plans to move the statue triggered controversial debate in Bernese newspapers in early 1930, but the plan found popular support in a vote of 6 April, the statue was removed on 24 April and erected at its current location on 19 May.Karl F. Wälchli, J. Harald Wäber, Peter Martig, Peter Hurni, ''Bernische Denkmäler. Ehrenmale in der Gemeinde Bern und ihre Geschichte'', Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bubenberg, Adrian Von 1424 births 1479 deaths People from Bern 15th-century Swiss people Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Swiss Roman Catholics