Three stories from the annals of Württemberg

The Württemberg Historical and Antiquarian Society presents:

Three stories from the annals of Württemberg

I. How the women of Weinsberg saved their men

In the year 1140, war raged in the Holy Roman Empire. King Conrad III and various imperial princes were fighting for power and influence. Among these princes was Welf VI, lord of Weinsberg Castle in the north of what is now Württemberg. However, things were not looking good for his side. The castle was under siege by the king, and an attempt by Welf and his allies failed; he was forced to flee, and the castle was lost. The king offered the castle garrison a deal: the women might leave the castle and take with them whatever they could carry, but the men were to be executed. Otherwise, the king would starve the castle until everyone was dead. Out of necessity, the garrison accepted the offer. The women, however, devised a ruse. Instead of gold and valuables, they hoisted their husbands onto their backs and carried them out of the castle. The king, impressed by the women of Weinsberg, kept his word and allowed the women to leave with their husbands.
That is why the castle has been called Weibertreu (faithfullness of women) Castle ever since. Today it is a ruin, but still an imposing sight and open to visitors.

The faithful women carrying their men; the castle ruins today

II. The Knight with the Iron Hand

The Imperial Knight Gottfried ‘Götz’ von Berlichingen lived from 1480 to 1562 in the north of what is now Württemberg. He came from an ancient Frankish knightly family, which still resides in his birthplace, Jagsthausen, to this day. During his lifetime, Götz von Berlichingen was known as a combative feudal warlord and robber baron who enjoyed waging war against others and going to war on behalf of various parties. One of these wars was the War of the Landshut Succession, during which a cannonball shattered Knight Götz’s right hand, forcing a surgeon to amputate it. However, as he did not wish to give up military service at the age of 24, he had skilled mechanics craft several iron prostheses for him. These had movable fingers and joints, enabling the knight not only to wield a sword again but also to write with a quill. One of the campaigns in which Knight Götz fought with his iron hand was the Peasants’ Revolt of 1525. In this, he led the rebellious peasants as their captain, but was ultimately defeated by the Swabian towns.
Two of these iron hands can be viewed today at the Museum of Götzenburg in Jagsthausen.
Incidentally, Götz von Berlichingen is said to have shouted at the Emperor’s governor in Krautheim, “He can kiss my arse”, the oldest surviving record of this insult.

The iron hand in the museum in Jagsthausen; Knight Götz von Berlichingen

III. The snuff box that found a bear

On 30 May 1834, Mr Fauth, a schoolteacher from Erpfingen, was gathering herbs in the Alb mountains when he bent down and his snuff box fell out of his breast pocket. It slipped into a crevice between two rocks. Whilst attempting to retrieve the tin, the teacher realised that there was a large cavity beneath the crevice. During the subsequent investigation, what is now known as Karlshöhle was discovered: a stalactite cave almost 300 metres long. The floor of the cave was littered with bones. At the very top lay human bones of plague victims, which had been disposed of here during the Thirty Years’ War. In deeper layers, the remains of various animals were discovered, including those of extinct species such as rhinoceroses, cave lions and cave bears.
The cave can be visited today, and one of the cave bear skeletons is on display there.

The Karlshöhle; skeleton of a cave bear

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