Bevergern Castle (german: Burg Bevergern) is a ''

Burgstall A ''burgstall'' is a German term referring to a castle of which so little is left that its appearance cannot effectively be reconstructed.

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 ...

of which little remains, in the present centre of the farming village of Bevergern within the borough of

Hörstel is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the junction of the Mittellandkanal and the Dortmund-Ems Canal, approx. 10 km east of Rheine. Parts of Hörstel are Riesenbeck, Dreierwalde ...

in the

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

n region of

Tecklenburg Land Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail. The coat of arms shows an anchor ...

in the county of

Steinfurt Steinfurt (; Westphalian: ''Stemmert'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From roughly 1100-1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt. Geography Steinfurt is situated north- ...

. It was blown up in 1680 by Ferdinand II of Fürstenberg,

Bishop of Münster A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

History

Castle

There are two theories on the construction of the castle. One states that it was built in the early 12th century by the Bishop of Münster; the other that it was constructed during the 14th century by the Count of Tecklenburg. On 25 October 1400, the Count of Tecklenburg had to give up Bevergern Castle and parts of his county to the Bishop of Münster. In the ensuing period it changed hands several times. From December 1535 to January 1536, the Anabaptist,

Jan van Leiden John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

, was imprisoned at the castle. He was later executed and his body suspended in a basket on St. Lambert's Church. Other

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

were supposed to have been incarcerated at the castle and hanged in the gallows field between Bevergern and Rodde.

Thirty Years' War

As a result of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, the castle went through a more turbulent time. From 1634 to 1652 the castle was possessed by the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current dynasty, reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the Politics and governm ...

, who wanted thereby to establish their claim to the

County of Tecklenburg The County of Tecklenburg (german: Grafschaft Tecklenburg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. History In the 12th century the county of Tecklenburg emerged in th ...

. In 1637 Bevergern returned briefly into the ownership of the Bishop of Münster. With the end of the war and

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...

by Osnabrück and Münster, the castle and village were promised to Münster again. In spite of this decision, the castle continued to be occupied. On 28 August 1652 seven soldiers of the

captured the castle through a ruse.Friedrich Ernst Hunsche, ''Sagen und Geschichten aus dem Tecklenburger Land'', Ibbenbürener Vereinsdr., 2005. The Provost of Rheine and his people were camouflaged in hunting dress in the vicinity of the castle, where their allies overcame the guards on the castle. The castle contingent were sent away with their weapons to

Lingen Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...

. On 15 February 1659 the Bishop of Münster paid the Prince of Orange 120,000

thaler A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...

s to give up the castle and Bevergern. In the period 6 to 15 March 1680 the castle was blown up by Bishop Ferdinand II out of concerns that the Dutch could reoccupy it from Lingen. The stones of the castle were used for buildings in the surrounding area. In 1910 remains of the old castle were discovered again during the construction of a house. In the old town, its foundation walls have been uncovered at the surface.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Artist's impression
by Wolfgang Braun Castles in North Rhine-Westphalia Steinfurt (district)