Tile Kolup (died 7 July 1285), also known as Dietrich Holzschuh, was an

impostor An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...

who in 1284 began to pretend to be Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. Kolup took advantage of persistent rumors that the emperor, who had died in 1250, was not really dead and was about to return to put in order the matters of the empire. When Kolup first claimed to be the emperor in 1284 in

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 ...

, he was laughed at, dunked in the sewer, and driven out of the city. He then found strong support in

Neuss Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It ...

, and issued his own documents with a fake seal. He joined the enemies of King

Rudolph of Habsburg Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...

who besieged the city unsuccessfully. In the summer of 1285 Tile Kolup went to

Wetzlar Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...

where he held court; the origin of the necessary money remains unclear. He even issued privileges under royal seal and was visited by Italian supporters. Rudolph of Habsburg finally captured him in the same year in Wetzlar, where he had him

burned at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...

as a heretic.

Alfred Haverkamp Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, ''Medieval Germany, 1056–1273'' (Oxford University Press, 1988), p. 267.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolup, Tile 1285 deaths Impostor pretenders People from Wetzlar Year of birth unknown Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor