Anebos Castle is a

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of a

medieval 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle in the Palatinate Forest south of Anweiler in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, Germany. The name of the castle is probably derived from the German word "Amboss" (

anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...

Geography

The remains of this castle are located on top of a high, rocky low hill ridge at an elevation of . Anebos belongs to a group of castles, together with the

Trifels Castle Trifels Castle (german: Reichsburg Trifels) is a reconstructed medieval castle at an elevation of near the small town of Annweiler, in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. It is located high above the Queich valley within the Palatina ...

and the Scharfenberg Castle, located on rocky hilltops. This type of castle is known as

hilltop castle A hilltop castle is a type of hill castle that was built on the summit of a hill or mountain. In the latter case it may be termed a mountaintop castle. The term is derived from the German, ''Gipfelburg'', which is one of a number of terms used ...

rock castle A rock castle (german: Felsenburg) is a type of medieval castle that directly incorporates natural rock outcrops into its defences to such an extent that the rock formations define the structure of the castle. Topographically, rock castles are c ...

Castle complex

Today there are only a few remains of the walls and the

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

. Until recent

archaeological excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

the cistern was mistaken for a cellar. Additionally traces of

stonemasonry Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

can be seen on the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

History

According to architectural research, the construction of the castle dates to the beginning of the 12th century. The castle was the ancestral seat of the lords of Anebos. They were

ministeriales The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...

of highest administrative rank and reported directly to the

imperator The Latin word ''imperator'' derives from the stem of the verb la, imperare, label=none, meaning 'to order, to command'. It was originally employed as a title roughly equivalent to ''commander'' under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part o ...

being responsible for the system of feudal tenure of the castle. Historic sources relating to the lords of Anebos exist only from the last decade of the 12th century until the middle of the 13th century. In 1194, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI was accompanied by

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Eberhard of Anebos during the campaign against Italy. His brother Henry replaced him in 1196. Historic records mention an Eliza of Anebos as a widow of a marshal in 1234, 1250 and 1252. By the middle of the 13th century the House of Anebos appears to have become extinct as there are no further records containing their family name. It is assumed that the feudal tenure of the castle was passed on to the family of a

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

called Philip I of Falkenstein. His wife, Isengard, transferred the castle back to king

Conrad IV of Germany Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...

. This is evidence of the expiry of a tenure due to the lack of a male successor, which would require the return of a castle to the king. The last written record about the castle dates to 1266.

Recent research

Excavations since 2000 supplied new evidence that the castle was inhabited until the 14th century. It appears that the castle was peacefully abandoned as no traces of destruction by military action was found.

References (in German language)

* Jürgen Keddigkeit: ''Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon''. Volume I. Pages 127–131. * Ludwig Petry: ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten''. Volume V. Landmarks in Germany Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Rock castles {{RhinelandPalatinate-struct-stub