Rudolf von Erlach (born around 1299 in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, died in 1360 in Reichenbach Castle) was a knight and commander of the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

forces at the

Battle of Laupen The Battle of Laupen was fought in June 1339, between Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy and Habsburg territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its positio ...

. He was the son of Ulrich, a knight and steward, and Mechtilde of Rheinfelden. The von Erlach family had been Bernese citizens since the late 13th century. In 1316, Rudolf married Elisabeth Rych, the daughter of Ulrich of

Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...

. He was a squire, knight, and

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...

(or unfree knight) in the service of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Rudolf III of

Nidau Nidau is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Biel/Bienne (administrative district), Biel/Bienne administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. History Nidau is first mentio ...

. He was the

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

in Erlach and owner of Reichenbach castle. He served as the guardian of the young Count of Nidau. According to Konrad Justinger, he led the Confederation armies in the Battle of Laupen in 1339. The Confederation victory against

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

army and feudal landholders from the

County of Burgundy The Free County of Burgundy (; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity ruled by a count from 982 to 1678. It became known as Franche-Comté (the ''Free County''), and was located in the modern region of Franche-Comté. It belonged to th ...

and the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

s. His victory led to Bern and Freiburg avoiding further warfare. Bern was drawn into closer association with the Swiss Confederation, becoming one of the

Eight Cantons The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure ...

in 1353. Freiburg itself would become an associate of the Confederation in 1454 and a full member in 1481. He was killed in 1360 by his son-in-law Jost of Rudenz of

Unterwalden Unterwalden, translated from the Latin ''inter silvas'' ("between the forests"), is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or '' Talschaften'', now tw ...

. They had argued with each other on the subject of a dowry, when Jost saw the sword from the Battle of Laupen hanging against wall. In sudden anger he seized it and plunged it the heart of Rudolf. He then fled, pursued by his father in law's hounds and was never seen again.

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*. 1290s births 1360 deaths Medieval Swiss military personnel Swiss murder victims 14th-century Swiss nobility Rudolf 14th-century military personnel {{Switzerland-bio-stub