Bentheim Castle () is an

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

Bad Bentheim Bad Bentheim (; ) is a town in the southwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany, in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of En ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The castle is first mentioned in the 11th century under the name ''binithem''.

Situation

The castle is built on a protrusion of Bentheim

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, which not only provided building materials for the castle itself but was also a valued export product. This ''Bentheimer Höhenrücken'' is the last protrusion of the nearby Teutoburger forest.Geodienst.de
/ref> Its elevated position in an otherwise very flat landscape provides an excellent view and thus a strategic location to build a castle.

History

Until 1500

The earliest history of the castle, which was erected on the remains of an earlier

refuge castle A refuge castleCreighton, Oliver (2015). ''Early European Castles''. Bloomsbury. or refuge fort (, also ''Fluchtburg'', ''Volksburg'', ''Bauernburg'' or ''Vryburg'') is a castle-like defensive location, usually surrounded by Rampart (fortification ...

is largely unknown.Burg Bentheim, Geschichte
/ref> In the registries of Werden Abbey (1050) the castle is mentioned, as ''Binedheim'', in and contributes grain, honey and 2

solidi The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid'; : ''solidi'') or ''nomisma'' () was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Later Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. It was introduced in the early 4th century, replacing the aureus, and its weight of about 4 ...

. A document from 1020 names Otto von Northeim as the owner of the castle. In 1116, the castle is completely destroyed in the war between ''Herzog Lothar von Süpplinburg'', better known as Lothar III and Heinrich V.Geschichte des ehemaligen niederstifts Münster (Vol II)
/ref> The ''

Annalista Saxo The Annalista Saxo ("Saxon annalist") is the anonymous author of an important imperial chronicle, believed to have originated in the mid-12th century at Nienburg Abbey in the Duchy of Saxony. General The chronicle of the "Annalista Saxo" is a ...

'' describes how Lothar "lays siege to ''Binithem'', a fine and strong city and burned it after it was conquered". The epithet "strong" (''firmam'') suggests the castle played a vital role in the cities defences, though it is assumed it was a wooden structure, and not yet a stone one. The castle is soon rebuilt and this time in stone by Otto von Salm, brother in law of the victorious Lothar III, whose wife ''Gertrud von Northeim'' uses it as a residence. In 1050 she is mentioned as ''comitissa de Benetheim'', which is the first documented member of the Counts of Bentheim. In 1146 a war erupted between Otto von Rheineck and the Bishop of Utrecht concerning the jurisdiction over

Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...

and Otto and his knights were defeated near Ootmarsum and the castle became a

fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...

of the Diocese of Utrecht and the Bishop claimed the palace and the chapel for his personal use until 1190. Otto's son and only heir, Otto II von Salm-Rheineck tried to recapture the castle but fell into the hands of Hermann von Stahleck in 1148. He spent some time as a prisoner in Schönburg near Oberwesel and was strangled the next year. To the bishops of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

and Utrecht the independent county remained a thorn in the side, and most notably in 1374 both launched attacks upon the castle. Otto's daughter, Sophie von Salm-Rheineck inherited the castle. She married Dirk VI, Count of Holland and the castle (1154) and the county (1165) thus passed into the hands of the Counts of Holland. Their son, Otto the Younger is mentioned in a deed by

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195), also known as Henry III, Duke of Saxony (ruled 1142-1180) and Henry XII, Duke of Bavaria (ruled 1156-1180), was a member of the Welf dynasty. Henry was one of the most powerful German princes of ...

as ''comes de Binitheim''. He is the first of the counts of Bentheim-Holland, whose rule lasts until 1421 when the castle passes into the hands of Eberwin IV von Götterswick, a cousin of the last count of Bentheim-Holland.

After 1500

From 1421 the name ''Grafen von Bentheim'' first appears. In 1486 Graf Eberwin II gets a

Fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...

from Frederick III and the County of Bentheim becomes an independent political entity. In 1489 this is reflected in the Burg, and the construction of the ''Pulverturm'' starts Between 1588 and 1593, Arnold II chooses the side of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, following the church reformers Calvin and

Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swi ...

. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, the county pays the price for its choice and is repeatedly sacked by Spanish troops. Much of the castle is destroyed in the process. This is repeated during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, in which the Burg repeatedly comes under siege from French and British troops and is taken several times. In 1795 it served as a field hospital in the war against the revolutionary French Army and was set ablaze and taken by general

Dominique Vandamme General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg (; 5 November 1770, in Cassel, Nord – 15 July 1830) was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was a dedicated career soldier with a reputation as an excell ...

. The castle is still owned by the Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt who is living at

Steinfurt Steinfurt (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From –1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt. Geography Steinfurt is situated north-west of Münster, North Rhine-Westp ...

Castle. It is home to some of his siblings and is also open to the public as a family museum.

References

{{Authority control Castles in Lower Saxony Buildings and structures in Bentheim Bentheim Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor