A ''Lehnsmann'' (plural: ''Lehnsleute'' or ''Lehnsmänner'') or ''Lehnsnehmer'' (also spelt ''Lehens-'') was a
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
in German-speaking countries, who, as a
liegeman
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. ...
was obliged to render service, goods
in kind The term in kind (or in-kind) generally refers to goods, services, and transactions not involving money or not measured in monetary terms. It is a part of many spheres, mainly economics, finance, but also politics, work career, food, health and othe ...
and loyalty to another nobleman, his
liege lord
Homage (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position (inv ...
(''Lehnsherr''), in return for which he was rewarded either by a grant of land (a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
or ''Lehen''), which included the population living within it, or by receiving an office. A distinction was made between the
gift
A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...
(which was only valid for the lifetime of the liegeman) and the inheritable fee.
The economic circumstances of the ''Lehnsleute'' varied greatly, but as the territorial states developed in the late Middle Ages, their fighting duties were supplanted by the creation of mercenary armies and their role in governing estates was increasingly taken over by trained, non-aristocratic administrators. The life of a ''Lehnsmann'' in the early 16th century was described by
Ulrich von Hutten
Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.
By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hu ...
(1488–1523) in a letter to
Willibald Pirckheimer
Willibald Pirckheimer (5 December 1470 – 22 December 1530) was a German Renaissance lawyer, author and Renaissance humanist, a wealthy and prominent figure in Nuremberg in the 16th century, imperial counsellor and a member of the governing City ...
(1470–1530):
:''"The people from whom we earn our livelihood, are very poor farmers, to whom we lease our lands, vineyards, meadows and fields. The return from them is very low for the amount of effort involved, but the farmers look after them and toil away to produce as large a return as possible, because we have to be extremely prudent economically. We also serve a prince, from whom we hope for protection; I do not provide that, so everyone thinks he can get away with anything and everything against me. In addition, for the prince's liegeman, this hope f protectionis combined every day with danger and fear. For if I put just one foot out of the house, there is the risk that I will come across people with whom the prince has had disputes and feuds, and that they will attack me and take me away as a prisoner. If I am unlucky, I could lose half my possessions to pay the ransom and so the protection I am supposed to enjoy would turn out to be quite the opposite."''Von Hutten, Ulrich (1518). Extract of letter to Willibald Pirckheimer, dated 25 October 1518, Marburg Digital Archive no. 1275
:''"We therefore keep horses and buy ourselves weapons, and surround ourselves with a large retinue, all of which costs a great deal of money. We cannot leave even two acres of land unguarded for very long, we must not visit a farm without being armed, and, when hunting and fishing, we have to wear armour. The quarrels between foreign farmers and our own never cease, no day goes by without reports of quarreling and strife, that we try to settle with the utmost care."''
:''"For if I defend myself or pursue wrongs too vigorously, there are feuds. But if I am a little too patient or even give up what is due to me, I am encouraging unjust attacks against me from all sides, because whatever I abandon to one person, is immediately seized upon by all as a reward for their injustice."''
:''"No matter whether a castle stands on a hill or on the plains, it is definitely not built for comfort, but for defence, surrounded by moats and ramparts, inside oppressively small, packed with livestock and stables, its dark chambers crammed with heavy rifles, pitch, sulphur and all other kinds of weapons and warlike equipment. Everywhere, there is the whiff of gunpowder; and the smell of dogs and their muck is not sweet, I think."''
:''Horsemen come and go, including robbers, thieves and highwaymen, because our houses are usually open to all sorts of people, and we do not know the individual particularly well or do not especially look after him. And what a noise! Sheep bleating, oxen bellowing, dogs barking, workers in the field shouting, wagons and carts creaking, and, at home, we can even hear the wolves howling. Every day you worry about the next, you're always on the go, always anxious.''
Von Hutten not only gives descriptions of the
feudal system
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...
, but also numerous criticisms of medieval nobility, clergy, and academics. Eventually, some elements of the dissatisfied knighthood rose up in arms under
Franz von Sickingen
Franz von Sickingen (2 March 14817 May 1523) was an Imperial Knight who, with Ulrich von Hutten, led the so-called "Knights' Revolt," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the Protestant Reformation. Sickingen was nickn ...
(1481-1523) and Ulrich von Hutten in the so-called Knights' Revolt (1522-1523). It was quickly suppressed. Both von Hutten and von Sickingen supported the reforming priest and theologian,
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
. Sickingen was mortally wounded, fighting against the
Archbishopric of Trier
The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' ( IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Imperial Knights council (''Reichsritterstand'') eventually lost its political importance. But the feudal system was not officially abolished until 1848. Von Hutten and von Sickingen are both honoured with busts in the
Valhalla memorial
The Walhalla is a hall of fame that honours laudable and distinguished people in German history – "politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue";Official Guide booklet, 2002, p. 3 Built decades before the foundation of th ...
at
Donaustauf
Donaustauf is a market town in Bavaria, east of Regensburg at the foothills of the Bavarian Forest. The ruins of a medieval castle, presumably erected between 914 and 930, tower above the small town. Situated nearby on a hill rising from the ...
.
See also
*
Vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...