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From the 12th century in central Europe, a ''Burgmann'' (plural: ''Burgmannen'' or modern term ''Burgmänner'', Latin: ''oppidanus'', ''castrensus'') was a
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 ...
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 ...
or member of the
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
who was obliged to guard and defend
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 ...
s. The role is roughly equivalent to the English
castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
and the name derives from the German word for castle, ''Burg''.


Function

Whether a ''Burgmann'' was a free knight, ''
dienstmann A ''Dienstmann'' (plural: ''Dienstleute'' or, in Austria, ''Dienstmänner'') was a medieval retainer or vassal and, later, a hired man, in German-speaking countries, particularly in Austria until the first half of the 20th century. Usage The t ...
'' or
ministerialis 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 ...
, he was a member of the
aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...
who was charged by the
Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...
or lord of the castle (the ''Burgherr'') with the so-called ''Burghut'' or castle-guard. In other words, his job was to guard the castle and defend it in case of attack. A fief had to be defended from incursion and the supporting farmland had to be run correctly, proper repairs and improvements had to be made, possibly fortifying key points and collecting taxes. Ministeriales replaced free nobles as castellans under Conrad I of Abensberg's tenure as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1106 to 1147. In 1131,
Hohensalzburg Hohensalzburg Fortress (german: Festung Hohensalzburg, lit=High Salzburg Fortress) is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. It sits atop the Festungsberg at an altitude of 506 m. It was erected at the behest of the Prince-Ar ...
saw its first ministerialis, Henry of Seekirchen, sit as both burgmann and burgrave, overseeing a permanent garrison of subordinate (free) knights. Originally the ''Burgmann'' was paid in kind for his service although he had to provide his own armour. Later, he was given a so-called ''
Burglehn In medieval law in the Holy Roman Empire, the term ''Burglehn'' described two things: # The castle with all its accessories as a feud, which the king could give to a vassal. # A defined area outside the walls of a castle, where the houses of the '' ...
'' as a remuneration which, from the late 13th century, was a fixed sum of money. From the 13th century on, the rights and duties of the ''Burgmann'' could be found to be governed by a written contract, the ''Burgmannvertrag''. In addition to the place and times that a ''Burgmann'' had to be present at the castle, it laid down the necessary armament and equipment. The duty to be present - called residence duty (''Residenzpflicht'') - required the lord of the castle to provide his ''Burgmänner'' with a residence free of charge within the castle or at least in its immediate vicinity. Such residences were referred to as the ''Burgmann's'' residence (''Burgmannsitz''), estate ('' Burggut'') or court/farm '' Burgmannshof''. Many had judicial powers to govern, as in 1111, when the Salzburg burgmann caught a ministerial who fomented armed rebellion - he had the offender blinded for his temerity.Arnold, pp. 137-8. Sometimes several ''Burgmänner'' would be resident at one castle and, together, they made up the ''Burgmannschaft''. They were subordinate to the ''Burgherr'' or to a castle commandant (''Burgkommandant'') commissioned by him, who frequently bore the title,
burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...
(''Burggraf''). Because the ''Burgmann'' was subject to
feudal law Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
(''Lehnsrecht''), legal disputes involving feudal matters were handled by the burgrave. The noblemen of the ''Burgmannschaft'' were often supported in their work by common staff such as gatekeepers (''Torwarte'') and watchmen (''Türmer'').


Decline of Use

The residence requirement of the ''Burgmannen'' was superseded by the introduction of armed servants or ''
Knecht Knecht, in German and Dutch, means a male servant. Etymologically, it is the cognate of English "knight". It may also refer to: ;People * Émile Knecht (1923–2019), Swiss rower * Guillaume Knecht, rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s ...
e''. With the introduction of such non-aristocratic castle contingents and the move from castles to
fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
s in the late Middle Ages, the ''Burgmann'' system disappeared, and the ''Burghut'' was discharged by '' Kriegsknechte'' and
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
.


See also

*
German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the b ...
*
German comital titles (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...


References


Literature

* Arnold, Benjamin. German Knighthood 1050-1300. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985. * Freed, John B. "Nobles, Ministerials and Knights in the Archdiocese of Salzburg" ''Speculum'' 62:3 (July 1987) pp. 575–611 * Freed, John B. ''Noble Bondsmen: Ministerial Marriages in the Archdiocese of Salzburg, 1100-1343'' (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995). * Horst Wolfgang Böhme, 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 offi ...
(ed.): ''Wörterbuch der Burgen, Schlösser und Festungen''. Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart, 2004, , pp. 100–101. * ''Lexikon des Mittelalters''. Vol 2. dtv, Munich, 2002, {{ISBN, 3-423-59057-2, col. 965–966, 1055.


External links


''Burgmannen'' in the glossary at regionalgeschichte.net
Noble titles Titles of nobility of the Holy Roman Empire Warfare of the Middle Ages