Franz von Sickingen(2 March 1481 – 7 May 1523) was aknightof theHoly Roman Empirewho, withUlrich von Hutten,led the so-called "Knights' War,"and was one of the most notable figures[citation needed]of the early period of theProtestant Reformation.Sickingen is posthumously known as "the last knight" (der letzte Ritter), an epithet he shared with his contemporariesChevalier de BayardandEmperor Maximilian.
Franz von Sickingen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 March 1481 Ebernburg Castle |
| Died | 7 May 1523(aged 42) Nanstein Castle |
| Buried | Chapel of St. Mary (present-day St. Andreas-Kirche),Landstuhl |
| Noble family | Sickingen |
| Spouse(s) |
Hedwig von Flersheim
(m.1500; died 1516) |
| Father | Schweickhardt von Sickingen |
| Mother | Margarethe Puller von der Hohenburg |
| Signature |  |
| Memorials | Hutten-Sickingen Monument |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Holy Roman Empire[a] |
| Wars | "Knights' War"(POW) (DOW) |
Early life
editFranz von Sickingen was born on 2 March 1481 atEbernburg Castlein thePalatinateof theHoly Roman Empireto Schweickhardt von Sickingen and his wife Margarethe Puller von der Hohenburg. Franz was married to Hedwig von Flersheim (d. 1515). Having fought for the emperorMaximilian IagainstVenicein 1508, he inherited large estates on theRhine,and increased his wealth and reputation by numerous private feuds, in which he usually posed as the friend of the oppressed.[citation needed]
In 1513, Sickingen took up the quarrel of Balthasar Schlör, a citizen who had been driven out ofWorms,and attacked it with 7000 men. In spite of animperial ban,he devastated its lands, intercepted its commerce, and desisted only when his demands were granted. He made war onAntoine, Duke of Lorraine,and compelledPhilip, Landgrave of Hesse,to pay him 35,000gulden.In 1518 he interfered in a civil conflict inMetz,ostensibly siding with the citizens against the governingoligarchy.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 theSwabian LeagueagainstUlrich, Duke of Württemberg.[1]
In the contest for the imperial throne upon the death of Maximilian in 1519, Sickingen accepted bribes from KingFrancis I of France,but when the election took place he led his troops toFrankfurt,where their presence assisted to secure the election ofCharles V.For this service he was made imperial chamberlain and councillor, and in 1521 he led an expedition into France, which ravagedPicardy,but was beaten back fromMézièresand forced to retreat.[1]
In about 1517 Sickingen first metUlrich von Hutten,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 freedJohann Reuchlinfrom his enemies, theDominicansofCologne.[2]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 toMartin Luther.[1]
Knights' War
edit
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' War. 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,and marched against that city.Trierwas 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,aboveLandstuhl.[1]
Siege of Nanstein
editOn 22 October 1522 the council of regency placed him under the ban, to which he replied, in the spring of 1523, by plunderingKaiserslautern.The Archbishop of Trier,Palatine Elector Louis V,and theLandgrave of Hessedecided 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.[1]He was buried in the old Mary's Chapel (present-day St. Andreas-Kirche), Landstuhl.
Issue
editSickingen's six children included two sons. Schweikhard von Sickingen zu Neuenbürg (1500-1562) and Franz Conrad (1511-1575). Franz Conrad was madebaron of the Empire(Reichsfreiherr) byMaximilian II.
Honours
editIn 1889, the Hutten-Sickingen Monument ofBad Münster am Stein-EbernburginRhineland-Palatinate,Germany,was built above the town to commemorate Hutten and Sickingen's role in the Knights' War.
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^abcdeChisholm 1911.
- ^Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920)..Encyclopedia Americana.
- ^"print | British Museum".The British Museum.Retrieved15 December2022.
Sources
edit- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Sickingen, Franz von".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 36.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" inHutten's Deutsche Schriften,edited by O. Waltz (sic!) and Szamatolati (sic!) (Strassburg, 1891)
External links
edit
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