ruins
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 Trutzeltz Castle (german: Burg Trutzeltz), also known as ''Balduineltz'', ''Baldeneltz'' or ''Neueltz'', are the remains of a
hill castle
A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles ...
in the valley of the Elz in the parish of Wierschem near the town of
Münstermaifeld
Münstermaifeld () is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Maifeld. It is situated south-east of Mayen, a few kilometres from the Moselle riv ...
Eltz Feud
The Eltz Feud (german: Eltzer Fehde) was a 14th-century feud that arose between rulers of the Trier region on the Moselle and certain members of the knightly class who were acting independently and failing to support their sovereign princes. It ca ...
in the
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
region.
Geography
Trutzeltz stands just 230; meters north of
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle (german: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of House of Eltz who have lived there since the 12th century. Eltz Castle along with BÃ ...
and 40; meters higher at an elevation of on the rising hillslopes. The very small castle site measures just 30 × 25 meters. The ruins consist mainly of the still over 10 meter-high remains of the
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
and other foundation walls.
History
The castle was built by the
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.Baldwin during the
Eltz Feud
The Eltz Feud (german: Eltzer Fehde) was a 14th-century feud that arose between rulers of the Trier region on the Moselle and certain members of the knightly class who were acting independently and failing to support their sovereign princes. It ca ...
(1331-1336/1337) as a
siege castle
Counter-castles were built in the Middle Ages to counter the power of a hostile neighbour or as a siege castle, that is, a fortified base from which attacks could be launched on a nearby enemy castle.
Purpose
In castle science, and according t ...
to invest
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle (german: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of House of Eltz who have lived there since the 12th century. Eltz Castle along with BÃ ...
. The Eltz Feud arose in connexion with Baldwin's territorial policy. During his reign, Baldwin sought to extend the influence of Trier along the
Moselle
The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...
. He repeatedly came up against resistance from knights who had refused to recognize their vassal (tenant) status, and 21 of them - the lords of
Eltz
The House of Eltz was a noted German noble family of the ''Uradel''. The Rhenish dynasty has had close ties to the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia since 1736.
History
Though older sources mentioned one Eberhard zu Eltz, a Frankish citizen of Trier i ...
, Waldeck, Schoneck, and Ehrenberg - agreed on a formal defensive alliance. Baldwin attempted a direct assault on Eltz which failed. In response, he had the siege castle of Trutzeltz built, probably in 1331. The castle was also referred to as Baldeneltz, probably after the archbishop. The following year he also erected the
Rauschenburg
The Rauschenburg, also called Rauschenburg Castle (german: Burg Rauschenberg), is the medieval ruin of a hill castle, located at around 250 metres above sea level, above the Ehrbach stream in the parish of Mermuth in the county of Rhein-Huns ...
as a
counter castle
Counter-castles were built in the Middle Ages to counter the power of a hostile neighbour or as a siege castle, that is, a fortified base from which attacks could be launched on a nearby enemy castle.
Purpose
In castle science, and according t ...
to the three other castles allied with Eltz. That Baldeneltz was probably built in a very short time to put the lords of Eltz under pressure, can be seen ''inter alia'' from the building material used: mostly small pieces of broken stone from the vicinity of the siege castle itself. It was held together with a strong clay mortar, which however cannot withstand a Central European climate in the long run. For a siege castle, this was not important, but it is remarkable in that light that the continued existence of the castle was contractually assured in a subsequent peace treaty.
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle (german: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of House of Eltz who have lived there since the 12th century. Eltz Castle along with BÃ ...
was bombarded from the
siege castle
Counter-castles were built in the Middle Ages to counter the power of a hostile neighbour or as a siege castle, that is, a fortified base from which attacks could be launched on a nearby enemy castle.
Purpose
In castle science, and according t ...
with rock
catapult
A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...
s), but was not able to be captured. In the course of the fighting, Baldwin also used an early form of cannon, the
pot-de-fer
The ''pot-de-fer'' was a primitive cannon made of iron. It was used by the French in the Hundred Years' War. The name means "iron pot" in French. In Italy, ''pots-de-fer'' were known as ''vasi'' or ''vasii'', meaning "pot" or "vase".
Descript ...
, which has been determined from archaeological finds at Eltz.
The Lord of Eltz and the other warring knights finally had to agree to end hostilities in 1333. The feud was not officially ended, however, until 1336 by an "atonement" treaty (a ''Sühne''). A certain John of Eltz continued the conflict. He had previously fought against Baldwin even before the Eltz Feud in the Kempenich Feud. and was therefore not ready to enter into a peace treaty. Baldwin now displayed his negotiation skills and magnanimity in drawing his opponent onto his side: after Trutzeltz had been effectively "legitimized" by the peace treaty with the other knights and its survival secured by them, he transferred it in 1337 to John of von Eltz as a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
and made him a hereditary
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, especial ...
enfeoffed
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...
Archbishop Baldwin of Trier with Eltz Castle for his loyal service against Emperor Henry VII.
::Citation:
::"''Hitherto the lords of Eltz were vassals of the Empire. On 9 January 1354 King Charles IV, out of recognition for his loyal service against Emperor Henry VII, enfeoffed Archbishop Baldwin of Trier and his successors with the fortress at Eltz near
Münstermaifeld
Münstermaifeld () is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Maifeld. It is situated south-east of Mayen, a few kilometres from the Moselle riv ...
together with its estates and all goods that the commoners of Eltz had as fiefs from him and the Empire, so that the commoners of Eltz should have and receive all these goods in future from Trier. At the same time, he said that after the receipt of this enfeoffment from Trier the oath to the Empire is null and void. With that, the enfeoffment terms of Eltz were promised to Trier.''"
Trutzeltz Castle soon lost its significance, was no longer maintained, and was recorded in 1453 as derelict. In a 1453 deed, Trutzeltz Castle is described as "''currently unoccupied and as a result, deserted and run down ''".EBIDAT - castle databank of the European Castle Institute; Castles on the Rhine and Danube
File:Trutzeltz Weg.jpg, Seen from below
File:Burg Trutzeltz Front.jpg, Front view
File:Burg Trutzeltz Eingang.jpg, Entrance
File:Burg Trutzeltz Rueckseite.jpg, Rear side
File:Burg Trutzeltz 078x.jpg, 2015 aerial photograph of Trutzeltz Castle
References
Literature
* Wilfrid Tittmann: ''Die Eltzer Büchsenpfeile von 1331–1333.'' In: ''Waffen- und Kostümkunde.'' Vol. 36, 1994, pp. 117–128.
* Wilfrid Tittmann: ''Die Eltzer Büchsenpfeile von 1331–1333 (Part 2).'' In: ''Waffen- und Kostümkunde.'' Vol. 37, 1995, pp. 53–64.
* Alexander Thon/Stefan Ulrich: ''Von den Schauern der Vorwelt umweht...''. Burgen und Schlösser an der Mosel. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2007, , p. 144–147.
* Friedrich Wilhelm Emil Roth: ''Geschichte der Herren und Grafen zu Eltz, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Linie vom Goldenen Löwen zu Eltz.'' Vol. 1, Mainz, 1889 online
* Friedrich Wilhelm Emil Roth: ''Geschichte der Herren und Grafen zu Eltz, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Linie vom Goldenen Löwen zu Eltz.'' Vol. 2, Mainz, 1890 online