2 - The politics of violence: feuding in late medieval Franconia

Summary

The two feuds – one between noblemen, the other between noblemen and a city – whose stories are told in this chapter are ‘normal exceptions’. That is to say that they are unusual only in that they are well documented. Whereas most other feud records, being fragmentary, highlight different, disjointed aspects of the phenomenon, here its salient features appear concurrently. This will facilitate putting the feud in context. To impart in this way a concrete sense of what a feud was like and, by extension, a preliminary interpretation, is the main aim of what follows.

VESTENBERG VERSUS VESTENBERG

The starting point of Veit von Vestenberg's career was relatively auspicious. His father Hans was most probably well off. His mother Margaretha came from an illustrious Franconian lineage, the von Thtingen. Yet from youth to old age Veit had to struggle hard for everything he wished to attain or even retain. In 1456 he had differences with one noble, and in 1463 he was in feud with another. The year 1466 brought new, more intimate enemies to the fore: members of his own family. This feud was over castle Haslach, one of the lineage's seats. It was resolved by Margrave Albrecht of Brandenburg. The settlement was, however, a short-lived one. In 1471 a feud broke out once again. It assumed, as far as Veit was concerned, a much more menacing aspect than the previous one: Margrave Albrecht sided with Veit's relations. Veit reacted harshly. He captured a margravial servitor, stormed the castle of another, and burned and caused extensive damage to property of other vassals of the prince. As a response, the margrave impounded Veit's property.