Götz von Berlichingen

Götz von Berlichingen (Also Gottfried von Berlichingen) was a German knight (Deutscher Ritter), Soldier of Fortune and robber baron. He was born to a noble family at the Schloss Jagsthausen (Castle of Jagsthausen) in Württemberg. He owned several other castles, including the Schloss Hornberg, located near the Neckar River in what is now Baden-Württemberg. Berlichingen was made famous by 18th Century scholar Goethe who wrote a play based on his life. In World War II, the German Waffen-SS had a formation named after him, the 17.SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen.

Life

In 1497, Berlichingen entered the service of Frederick IV, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. In 1498, he fought in the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, seeing action in Burgundy, Lorraine and the Brabant, and in the Swabian War the following year. By 1500, Berlichingen had left the service of Frederick, and formed a company of mercenaries, hiring his services out to various Dukes, Margraves and Barons for a fee. In 1508, Berlichingen and his company fought for Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria. During the siege of the city of Landshut, his right hand was shot away by enemy fire. He had a prosthetic iron replacement made, which is still on display at the Schloss Jagsthausen today.

In spite of this, Berlichingen continued his private wars, the main motive being money. Most of his battles were raids on rich towns or merchant caravans, and the occasional kidnaping for ransom of minor nobles.

In 1512, near the town of Forchheim, he attacked a group of merchants returning from the great fair at Leipzig. On hearing this, Emperor Maximillian placed Berlichingen under an Imperial ban. He was only released from this in 1514, when he paid the large sum of 14,000 gulden. In 1516, Berlichingen and his company mounted a raid into Hesse, capturing Phillip IV, count of Waldeck in the process. A ransom of 8,400 gulden was paid for the safe return of the count. For this action, he was again placed under the ban in 1518.

In 1519, he signed up in the service of Ulrich I, Duke of Württemburg, who was at war with the Swabian League. He fought in the defence of Mockmuhl, but eventually was forced to surrender the town, owing to a lack of food and ammunition. In violation of the terms of surrender, he was held prisoner and handed over to the citizens of Heilbronn, a town he had raided several times. His fellow knights Georg von Frundsberg and Franz von Sickingen successfully argued for his release in 1522, but only after he paid a ransom of 2000 gulden and swore not to take vengeance on the League.

In 1525, with the outbreak of the Peasants' War, Berlichingen, along with Sickingen, led the peasants against the Ecclesiastical Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. Berlichingen led the rebels in the district of Odenwald. Despite this, he was (according to his own account) not a fervent supporter like Sickingen. He agreed to lead the rebels partly because he had no other option, and partly in an effort to curb the excesses of the rebellion. Despite his wishes to stop wanton violence, Berlichingen found himself powerless to control the rebels and after a month of nominal leadership he deserted his command and returned to the Schloss Jagsthausen to sit out the rest of the rebellion.

After the Imperial victory, he was called before the diet of Speier to account for his actions. On 17th October 1526, he was acquitted by the Imperial chamber. Despite this, in November 1528 he was lured to Augsburg by the Swabian league, who were eager to settle old scores. After reaching Augsburg under promise of safe conduct, and while preparing to clear himself of the old charges against him made by the league, he was seized and made prisoner until 1530 when he was liberated, but only after repeating his oath of 1522 and agreeing to return to his Schloss Hornberg and remaining in that area.

Berlichingen agreed to this, and remained near the Hornberg until Emperor Charles V released him from his oath in 1540. He served under Charles in the 1542 campaign against the Turks in Hungary, and in 1544 in the Imperial invasion of France.

After the French campaign, Berlichingen returned to the Hornberg and lived out the rest of his life in relative peace. He died on 23 July 1562. During his long life, Berlichingen had been twice married and left three daughters and seven sons to carry on his family name.

Quotes, Historical and Cultural references

• Er kann mich im Arsche lecken!

(He can lick my ass!)

Berlichingen's reply to the Bishop of Bamberg's demand for his surrender – from Memoirs. This is the first recorded instance of a phrase which has now passed into common use, and is commonly referred to as the "Götz-Zitat" (Götz quote).

• The 1773 drama by Goethe titled Götz von Berlichingen was based on Berlichingen's memoirs and was very successful.

• In the Japanese heroic fantasy Manga Berserk, the character Guts resembles Berlichingen in both name and in the fact he has an iron prosthetic hand.

• In Sam Raimi's medieval horror-comedy Army of Darkness, the lead character creates an iron prosthetic hand.

• During World War II, the Waffen SS's 17th Panzergrenadier Division was given the honorific title Götz von Berlichingen. The divisional symbol was an iron fist in a shield.

References

• Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von – Götz von Berlichingen (1773).

• R. Pallmann – Der historische Götz von Berlichingen (Berlin, 1894);

• F. W. G. Graf von Berlichingen-Rossach – Geschichte des Ritters Götz von Berlichingen und seiner Familie (Leipzig, 1861).

• Götz's Autobiography, published Halle (1886).