Franz von Sickingen (2 March 14817 May 1523) was an
Imperial Knight
The Free Imperial knights (german: link=no, Reichsritter la, Eques imperii) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility ('' edelfrei'') and the minister ...
who, with
Ulrich von Hutten
Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.
By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hu ...
, led the so-called "
Knights' Revolt
The Knights' Revolt (27 August 15226 May 1523) was a short-lived revolt by several German Protestant, imperial knights, led by Franz von Sickingen, against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. It has been called the Poor Barons' Rebellion as it inspi ...
," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
. Sickingen was nicknamed "the last knight" (''der letzte Ritter''), an epithet he shared with his contemporaries
Chevalier de Bayard and
Emperor Maximilian.
Early life
Franz von Sickingen was born on 2 March 1481 at
Ebernburg Castle in the
Palatinate of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
to Schweickhardt von Sickingen and his wife Margarethe Puller von der Hohenburg. Franz was married to Hedwig von Flersheim (d. 1515). Having fought for the emperor
Maximilian I against
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
in 1508, he inherited large estates on the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
, and increased his wealth and reputation by numerous private feuds, in which he usually posed as the friend of the oppressed.
In 1513, Sickingen took up the quarrel of Balthasar Schlör, a citizen who had been driven out of
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany
Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...
, and attacked it with 7000 men. In spite of an
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
, he devastated its lands, intercepted its commerce, and desisted only when his demands were granted. He made war on
Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, and compelled
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, to pay him 35,000
gulden. In 1518 he interfered in a civil conflict in
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...
, ostensibly siding with the citizens against the governing
oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
. He led an army of 20,000 against it, compelled the magistrates to give him 20,000 gulden and a month's pay for his troops.
In 1518, Maximilian released him from the ban, and he took part in the war carried on by the
Swabian League
The Swabian League (''Schwäbischer Bund'') was a mutual defence and peace keeping association of Imperial Estates – free Imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early medieval stem duchy o ...
against
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg (8 February 14876 November 1550) succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498. He was declared of age in 1503. His volatile personality made him infamous, being called the "Swabian Henry VIII" by ...
.
In the contest for the imperial throne upon the death of Maximilian in 1519, Sickingen accepted bribes from King
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...
, but when the election took place he led his troops to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, where their presence assisted to secure the election of
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infa ...
. For this service he was made imperial chamberlain and councillor, and in 1521 he led an expedition into France, which ravaged
Picardy, but was beaten back from
Mézières and forced to retreat.
In about 1517 Sickingen first met
Ulrich von Hutten
Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.
By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hu ...
, and gave his support to Hutten's schemes. He assisted many a creditor in procuring what was due him from a powerful debtor. Without being a scholar, he loved science and protected men of learning. In 1519 a threat from him freed
Johann Reuchlin
Johann Reuchlin (; sometimes called Johannes; 29 January 1455 – 30 June 1522) was a German Catholic humanist and a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, whose work also took him to modern-day Austria, Switzerland, and Italy and France. Most of Reuchlin' ...
from his enemies, the
Dominicans of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
.
His castles became (in Hutten's words) a "refuge for righteousness" (''Herberge der Gerechtigkeit''). Here many of the reformers found shelter, and a retreat was offered to
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
.
Knights' Revolt
After the failure of the French expedition, Sickingen, aided by Hutten, formed, or revived, a large scheme to overthrow the spiritual princes and to elevate the order of knighthood, the
Knights' Revolt
The Knights' Revolt (27 August 15226 May 1523) was a short-lived revolt by several German Protestant, imperial knights, led by Franz von Sickingen, against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. It has been called the Poor Barons' Rebellion as it inspi ...
. He hoped to secure this by the help of the towns and peasantry, and promote his own situation. A large army was soon collected, many nobles from the upper Rhineland joined the standard, and at Landau, in August 1522, Sickingen was formally named commander. He declared war against his old enemy,
Richard Greiffenklau of Vollraths,
Archbishop of Trier
The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.[Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...]
was loyal to the archbishop, and the landgrave of Hesse and Louis V, count palatine of the Rhine, hastened to his assistance. Sickingen, without the help he needed, was compelled to fall back on his castle,
Nanstein Castle
Nanstein Castle (german: Burg Nanstein) is a ruined medieval castle above the town of Landstuhl in Germany, which has been partially reconstructed. The red sandstone rock castle dates from the 12th century and was once owned by Franz von Sickin ...
, above
Landstuhl
Landstuhl () is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of ''Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl'', a kind of "collective municipality." Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate F ...
.
Siege of Nanstein
On 22 October 1522 the council of regency placed him under the ban, to which he replied, in the spring of 1523, by plundering
Kaiserslautern. The Archbishop of Trier,
Palatine Elector Louis V, and the
Landgrave of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.
History
In the early Midd ...
decided to move against him, and having obtained help from the Swabian League, marched on Nanstein Castle. He refused to negotiate, and during the siege was mortally wounded. This was one of the first occasions artillery was used, and breaches were soon made in an otherwise impregnable fortress. On 6 May 1523 Sickingen was forced to capitulate, and died the following day. He was buried in the old Mary's Chapel (present-day St. Andreas-Kirche), Landstuhl.
Issue
Sickingen's six children included two sons. Schweikhard von Sickingen zu Neuenbürg (1500-1562) and Franz Conrad (1511-1575). Franz Conrad was made
baron of the Empire (''Reichsfreiherr'') by
Maximilian II.
Legacy
In 1889, the Hutten-Sickingen Monument of
Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg 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
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, was built above the town to commemorate Hutten and Sickingen's role in the Knights' Revolt.
Notes
* This work in turn cites:
** H. Ulmann, ''Franz von Sickingen'' (Leipzig, 1872)
** F. P. Bremer, ''Sickingens Fehde gegen Trier'' (Strassburg, 1883)
** H. Prutz, ''Franz von Sickingen in Der neue Plutarch'' (Leipzig, 1880)
** U. von Hutten, "Flersheimer Chronik" in ''Hutten's Deutsche Schriften'', edited by O. Waltz (sic!) and Szamatolati (sic!) (Strassburg, 1891)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sickingen, Franz Von
1481 births
1523 deaths
15th-century German people
16th-century German people
Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism
German Lutherans
German untitled nobility
Franz Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
Imperial Knights
Medieval German knights
People from the Electoral Palatinate
People of the Protestant Reformation
Violent deaths in Germany