|
A ride in the country, AD 1502 Secrets of the German Broadsword
Return to the Excerpts homepage
1. From Pistorius, Wilhelm Friedrich. Lebens-Beschreibung Herrn Gozens von Berlichingen,
zugenannt mit der Eisern Hand, Eines zu Zeiten Kaysers Maximilian I und Caroli V kuhnen und
tapfern Reichs-Cavaliers, Nurnberg: Adam Jonathan FeBecker, 1731; p. 52f., in Leitzmann,
Albert (ed.). Lebensbeschreibung Herrn Gotzens von Berlichingen, nach der Ausgabe von
1731, Halle an der Saale: Verlag von Max Niemeyer, 1916.
Gotz, who died on July 23, 1562, was a typical Raubritter, a petty aristocrat making a
living serving less petty aristocrats in wars and feuds, and getting family finances in order
by kidnapping and robbing merchants and burghers. After losing his hand in combat in 1504 (a
missile from a "field snake", or small cannon, hit his sword hilt, which, along with his arm
greaves, ripped his lower arm to shreads) he had a mechanical hand made for him, which resulted
in his cognomen Mit der Eise[rne]n Hand-with the Iron Hand.
His memoir is aimed mainly at justifying his role during the Peasant Wars of 1525, when, as
he claims, he was coerced into leading a fraction of rebels. His brief stint among the Bundschuh,
and his subsequent incarceration as a sympathizer of the abortive revolt made him somewhat of a
folk hero...a reputation cemented by Johann Wolfgang Goethe's in his Sturm und Drang drama
Gotz von Berlichingen. 2. i.e., so garrulous |
A ride in the country, AD 15021
The action and battle for Nuremberg having
taken place on the Sunday after Valentine's Day, it happened soon afterwards, around Michaelmas,
that I rode down from Sodenberg with Neidhardt von Thüringen, under whom I was serving at the time.
As we moved along, we became aware of two horsemen near a small patch of woods, in the vicinity of a
village called Ober-Eschenbach, and these men were Endris von Gemund, bailiff of Solleck, and his
servant, whom people called The Ape.
Now, preceding these events, when I had joined up with Lord Neidhardt, there had been a meeting at
Hammelburg, and Neidhardt was there with Count Wilhelm von Henneberg and Count Michael von Wertheim,
who had lots of strife because of an enemy who was the aforementioned Count Michael's enemy whom they
had called to that meeting. And the proceedings were administered and arbitrated.
But as I went to join Lord Neidhardt at the inn and walked over to his servants-who by now were
drunk for the most part-the aforementioned Ape was so far gone and with so much wind in his nose2 that
he launched into much odd talk. And he said to me:
"So, Junker, are you come to join us?" and some such sarcastic nonsense with which he intended to
provoke me. Peeved, I told him, "I can do without you calling me Junker, and without your derision
and your gluttony. Because once we happen to meet out in the field, we'll see who is the Junker and
who is the serving man."
When we were riding down from Sodenberg, I thought to myself that this must be him riding with his
Junker. And I drove my horse up a high, steep mountain, bringing up my crossbow while moving. Next, I
moved straight at them. But the Junker was fleeing toward the village, so that I feared he would
start inciting the peasants. The Ape also was armed with a crossbow, and took to flight just like his
master. As I closed in with him, he was forced to enter a deep hollow path. I let him and shot at him
over his back. Now I wanted to draw the crossbow again, but thought it unlikely that he would wait
around for me, since he, too, had a bolt on his crossbow. And I had no-one with me, thus didn't bother with my weapon.
I followed him into the hollow path, and since he saw that I did not reload, he waited for me at
the gate until I had closed in. Then he shot at me, and hit me right into my breastplate so that the
bolt burst into splinters that flew up all over my head. I threw my crossbow at his neck (since I had
no bolt on it anyway) and drew my sword.
I ran him to the ground so that his nag hit its nose into the dirt. But he came up again, all the
while yelling at the peasants they should come to his aid. And as I was running around with him
inside the village, there was a peasant holding a crossbow, with a bolt already loaded. I charged at
him before he could shoot and knocked the bolt from the bow. And then, I remained with him,
sheathing my sword, and identifying myself, saying that I was serving under Neidhardt von Thurigen
and thus was a staunch member of the Bishop of Fulda's party.
Meanwhile, a whole gang of peasants had arrived and surrounded me, armed with boar spears, hand
axes, throwing axes, wood axes, and rocks. If you don't dare, you won't win, if you don't hit, you
won't score-so consequently the axes and rocks were flying past my head that I thought they'd dent my
helmet, when a peasant was running at me with a boar spear. I launched myself at him, and as I was
clearing my sword, the peasant struck at me, hitting my arm so that I thought he had broken it. And
as I thrust at him, he fell under my horse, and I didn't have enough space to lean over to get at
him.
Finally, I broke through, but then a peasant was running after me who was wielding a wood cutting
ax. Him I gave a blow that he fell next to the stockade. At that moment my horse gave out, since I
had ridden him hard, and I became afraid that I might not be able to make it out of the gate. And as
I was rushing toward it, someone immediately appeared who wanted to slam it shut. I made it out
before he succeeded. A short distance from the gate, I again ran into the Ape, and he had a bolt on
his crossbow and four peasants with him, yelling "Hither! Hither!" He shot at me so that I saw the
bolt reflect off the soil.
And again, I attacked them with my sword drawn and chased all five of them back into the village
when the peasants rang storm over me.
I, however, rode off toward Lord Neidhardt who kept himself far out in the field. We looked back
at the peasants, but nobody was about to follow me. As I came close to Neidhardt, a peasant, alerted
by his compatriots ringing storm, came running along with his plow. I caught him and forced him to
swear to bring my crossbow back out to me, which I had thrown at the Ape and failed to pick up
again.
Home
• Reviews • Biography
• Sample Chapters • Hammerterz Forum
Links • Order
the book •
Other Merchandise • Contact
the author