- Götz von Berlichingen
Götz von Berlichingen (c. 1480 –
23 July 1562 ; unabbreviated form: "Gottfried von Berlichingen") was a Germanknight ("Deutscher Ritter"), andMercenary . He was born around 1480 at Berlichingen inWürttemberg to a noble family. He owned castle [http://www.burg-hornberg.de/ Hornberg] located near theNeckar River in what is nowBaden-Württemberg . Berlichingen was made famous by writer and poetJohann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) who wrote a play based on his life. During World War II, theWaffen SS 's 17th "Panzergrenadier " Division was given the name "Götz von Berlichingen". The divisional symbol was an iron fist in a shield.Life
In 1497, Berlichingen entered the service of
Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach . In 1498, he fought in the armies ofHoly Roman Emperor Maximilian I, seeing action inBurgundy , Lorraine and the Brabant, and in theSwabian War the following year. By 1500, Berlichingen had left the service of Frederick, and formed a company of mercenaries, selling his services to variousDuke s,Margrave s andBaron s.In 1504, Berlichingen and his company fought for
Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria . During the siege of the city ofLandshut , he lost his right arm to enemy cannon fire. He had aprosthetic iron replacement made, which is today on display at the Jagsthausen Castle. In spite of this injury, Berlichingen continued his military activities. In the subsequent years he was involved in numerousfeud s, both of his own and in support of friends and employers.In 1512, near the town of
Forchheim , due to a long running and bitter feud withNuremberg he raided a group of Nuremberg merchants returning from the great fair atLeipzig . On hearing this, Emperor Maximilian placed Berlichingen under anImperial ban . He was only released from this in 1514, when he paid the large sum of 14,000gulden . In 1516, in a feud with the Principality of Mainz and its Prince-Archbishop, Berlichingen and his company mounted a raid intoHesse , capturingPhillip 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, Duke of Württemberg , who was at war with theSwabian League . He fought in the defence ofMöckmühl , 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 ofHeilbronn , a town he had raided several times. His fellow knightsGeorg von Frundsberg andFranz von Sickingen successfully argued for his release in 1522, but only after he paid a ransom of 2,000 gulden and swore not to take vengeance on the League.In 1525, with the outbreak of the
Peasants' War , Berlichingen led the rebels in the district ofOdenwald against theEcclesiastical Princes of theHoly Roman Empire . Despite this, he was (according to his own account) not a fervent supporter of their cause. 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
Speyer to account for his actions. On17 October 1526 , he was acquitted by the Imperial chamber. Despite this, in November 1528 he was lured toAugsburg by theSwabian 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 hisBurg Hornberg and remain in that area.Berlichingen agreed to this, and remained near the Hornberg until
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor released him from his oath in 1540. He served under Charles in the 1542 campaign against theOttoman Empire ofSuleiman the Magnificent inHungary , and in 1544 in the Imperial invasion ofFrance underFrancis I 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 in Horneck Castle. During his long life, Berlichingen had married twice and left three daughters and seven sons to carry on his family name.Quotes, historical and cultural references
*The 1773 drama by
Goethe titled "Götz von Berlichingen" was loosly based on Berlichingen's memoirs and was very successful.
*"Er aber, sags ihm, er kann mich im Arsche lecken!" ("But he, tell him that, he can lick me inside my arse!") – 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 since passed into common use. It is commonly used in the form "Leck mich am Arsch" ("Lick me on my arse") or in the incomplete sentence "In the words of Götz von Berlichingen ...". Fact|date=May 2008
*DuringWorld War II theWaffen-SS 17thPanzergrenadier Division was named after him.
*Götz's iron hand inspired the creation of the modernprosthetic limb in the early 20th century. His hand was ahead of its time, being capable of holding objects from a sword to a feather pen.
*Jean-Paul Sartre's play "Le Diable et le Bon Dieu" features Götz as anexistentialist character.
*In the manga and anime series Berserk the main character is a former mercenary named "Guts", who early in the story loses his left forearm when betrayed by his former captain, "Griffith". He has a prosthetic replacement built, similar to the one worn by his namesake, aside from a miniaturecannon built in the hollow forearm and magnetic grips in the fingertips to make it close around the grip of a two-handed sword. Despite the similarities, the author claims to have known about the historical Götz only later in his writings, when the similarities became more than apparent.
*In the anime seriesFull Metal Alchemist , when the main characters go to the fictional city of "Rush Valley", they get to see a new model of "Goetz arm" in a store that sells mechanical body parts.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).External links
* [http://www.jgoethe.uni-muenchen.de/leben/goetz_I.gifTitle page] of the 1731 edition of the memoirs of Götz von Berlichingen.
* [http://www.karlofgermany.com/Goetz.htm Further information about Götz's prosthetic arm]
* [http://nauplion.net/Gatsos.html Gatsos' poem "The Knight and Death" contains a reference to Götz and his arm.]
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