Schwickart the Younger of Sickingen () (–1478), also written Schweikart, Schweickart or Swicker, was an

imperial knight The Free Imperial Knights (, ) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (''edelfrei'') and the ministerialis, ministeriales. What ...

and, from 1459, held the office of ''

Amtmann __NOTOC__ The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff A bailiff is a ...

'' (akin to a

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

) in the

Electoral Palatine The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

'' Amt'' of

Bretten Bretten (; South Franconian: ''Bredde'') is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Geography Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbron ...

Family

Schwickart was the son of Schwickart VI of Sickingen (died before 1468) and Elisabeth Landschad of Steinach. He married Anna Spet of Zwiefalten, daughter of Albert Spet of Zwiefalten and Clara of Ehestetten. Their marriage produced a son, Conrad, who was appointed as advocate, or ''

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'', of Bretten from 1504 to 1508.

Life

Schwickart of

Sickingen Franz von Sickingen (; 2 March 14817 May 1523) was a knight of the Holy Roman Empire who, with Ulrich von Hutten, led the so-called " Knights' War," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the Protestant Reformation. Sick ...

came from an old

Kraichgau The Kraichgau () is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary is c ...

aristocratic family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...

. His duties as ''amtmann'' are recorded in a

deed A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...

as follows: he is to vouchsafe legal protection for all the townsfolk and inhabitants of the ''Amt''. He is also to provide escorts free of charge for all tradesmen, pilgrims and travellers on the "escort roads" (''Geleitstraßen'') - part of a law known as the ''

Geleitrecht The ''Geleitrecht'' ("right of escort") in the Holy Roman Empire was the escorting of travellers or goods guaranteed by the right holder (''Geleitherr'' or "escort lord") within a specified territory or on specific routes. It was a way of providin ...

'' - and only accept voluntary donations in return. His income was 150

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...

s and the use of ten

morgens Morgens, morgans, or mari-morgans are Welsh and Breton water spirits that drown men. Etymology The name may derive from Mori-genos or Mori-gena, meaning "sea-born. The name has also been rendered as Muri-gena or Murigen. The name may also be c ...

of pasture, a herb garden, wood and right to the "small

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

". He died on 4 August 1478.

References

* Otto Beuttenmüller: ''Die Vögte im Oberamt Bretten''. In: ''Brettener Jahrbuch'', Vol. 5, 1972/73, pp. 89–96. * Bernd Breitkopf: ''Die alten Landkreise und ihre Amtsvorsteher. Die Entstehung der Landkreise und Ämter im heutigen Landkreis Karlsruhe - Biographien der Oberamtmänner und Landräte von 1803 bis 1997'',

Ubstadt-Weiher Ubstadt-Weiher is a municipality in northern Karlsruhe district in Baden-Württemberg, 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 ...

1997, p. 21, {{ISBN, 3-929366-48-7. 1478 deaths House of Sickingen Imperial Knights Year of birth missing People from Bretten