Nanstein is one of the best known
castles of the Palatinate. This castle was the site of a spectacular siege
during the year 1523, in which it's ruler of the time, Franz von
Sickingen,
owes his renown. The siege of Nanstein was a visible symbol and final
point in the decline of castles and the feudal system in the Palatinate.
Certainly Nanstein is assumed to be
older than the first authentic mention of it in 1189, but the presumed
actual origin date of 1162 is not firmly proven. In 1190 Albert von
Nanstein, a fief holder of the Reich ministry von Bolanden, is the first
ruler that is known to have named himself after the castle. Further
Ministers are found in the middle of the 13th century that used the name
addition "Nannsteine", "Nannenstuhl" and "Nannestal". At this time the
castle was in the possession of the Wild Counts von Dhaun at Oberstein,
and after their extinction
in 1322, it passed in settlement as an
empire fief to the Counts von Zweibrücken-Bitsch. This right act, which
King Friedrich the Pretty had undertaken, was counteracted a year later by
King Ludwig von Bayer, who repossessed Nanstein and then lent it to Count
Konrad IV.
In the 14th and 15th century, a castle
partnership as was commonly seen in these times divided the possession of
Nanstein between: the Counts von Sponheim, Veldenz, Leiningen and
Zweibrucken
as well as the Wild Counts and Knight Heinrich Eckbrecht of
Dürkheim.
Over all, the most significant
possession changes took place at the beginning and at the end of the 15th
century. In the year 1409, the Counts von Sponheim pawned their share in
Nanstein to the Alsacian Puller von Hohenburg. In 1482 , these castle
shares passed by obligation into the hand of the von Sickingens when cure
Palatinate Master Schweikhard von Sickingen married the last Hohenburg
daughter.
The famous Franz von Sickingen, whose
fate was tied to the castle's, came from this marriage. Franz was born in Ebernburg on March 2, 1481, the only son of knight Schweickard von
Sickingen. In 1499 Franz marries Hedwig von Floersheim, a very efficient
and intelligent woman of pedigree who helped Franz tremendously in his
acquisitions (she also bore him six children before dying in the birth of
the seventh).
After the death of his father (who had
fallen in the Bavarian Succession war), Empire Knight Franz becomes heir,
harvesting the 24 year old fruits of the successful
house power politics
achieved by his ancestors, by which he becomes ruler of an extensive
non-territorial distributed possession which covered castles between and
around the lower Alsace and the northern Black Forest. Franz dedicates
himself, with the support of his efficient wife, to the consolidation and
extension of the possessions gained by his father and by 1515 had gained a
substantial economic basis. This later will give him support with his
ambitious enterprising. After the death of his wife in 1515 began unruly
years of many feuds for von Sickingen, which he lead despite their
prohibition by the land peace of 1495. These feudal behaviors would ultimately lead to his
death.
Franz
finally gains the entire castle by gradual acquisition in 1518.
Immediately after this, he began
an extensive refitting and new construction that served predominantly for
the purpose of arming Nanstein with modern guns. Of special importance was
the erection of the "large Roundel", which was noted as the strongest
shooting tower of it's time. Like his contemporaries, Franz had also
outfitted his castle against military actions.
Historically he is known as the only
commander of a large combined armed force on German ground who would
readily make his services and that of his soldiers available when it
concerned the promise of profit. A "knight mercenary" as it were, presuming
most knights were contrary to romantic belief either robbers or
mercenaries. Franz claimed as a legal basis for his acts the centuries old
German "Fehdrecht", or right of feud, which was the legally unaccountable
prime
right of nobles to rule their lands how they saw fit, and to be able
to fight and plunder by conquest whoever whenever they felt the need to.
He rejected the rule of law and courts imposed since the end of the 15th
century by the increasingly dominating Holy Roman Empire. This right had
been weakened by the empire, which had disadvantaged the lower aristocracy
and land owning farmers.
In military enterprises Knight Franz
used a method resembling the "War Trains" which his famous ancestor Puller
von Hohenburg had used to his renown in service to the
empire in the
previous Italian campaign. Using the advantage of surprise, he would
quickly deploy an overwhelming force and attack his adversaries. This
would leave them in a tactically futile situation with little other option
than surrender or death. For his troops this was a victorious business
usually without risk, which naturally inspired their fierce loyalty. Sickingen's feuds were frequently tolerated by the Palatinate rulers (the
Cure princes), and often his enterprises seemed to move in favor of Habsburger realm politics, although several times he breaks the imperially
declared realm peace.
The imperial throne fell vacant after
the death of Emperor Maximilians in 1519. Sickingen, who in the scheme of
things at this time was in actuality only a small aristocrat, stands at
the high point of his life when for a short moment he possesses the power
and personality to personally influence German history. As the leader of
the Fugger financing and trading firm, and as commander of the military
forces protecting Frankfurt, he is able to influence and affect the choice
of the Habsburger Karl as the imperial successor.
Castle
Nanstein part II
