Georg von Frundsberg
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2016) |
Georg von Frundsberg
Early life
Frundsberg was born to Ulrich von Frundsberg, a
Career
In 1492, he followed his father in the campaign of the
Still serving Maximilian, he took part in the 1504
Thereafter, Frundsberg lived an uninterrupted life of war, campaigning for the Empire and the Habsburgs. In 1509, he was appointed "Highest Field Captain" of the Landsknecht Regiment (occupation force) and participated in the War of the League of Cambrai against the Republic of Venice, achieving a reputation for himself and his men when defending Verona against many attacks.[4] In 1512 he was, together with Jakob von Ems, leading the Imperial contingent sent to aid Gaston de Foix to retake Brescia.
After a short visit to
At the
After the French campaign in 1522 ended and Frundsberg resigned from the leadership of the Landsknechts, he returned to lead the march of 6,000 men on upper Italy. A difficult alpine crossing through deep snow led to the Battle of Bicocca near Milan in April. Swiss nationals on foot fought alongside Frundsberg, who led and fought from the front. The emperor's victory at Bicocca allowed the return of the previous rulers of the oligarchic Republic of Genoa and the Duchy of Milan and brought the greater part of Lombardy under the influence of Charles V.
In 1525, after a brief stop in Mindelheim as the "Highest Field Captain" of the entire German Nation (with a force consisting of 12,000 men and twenty-nine flag bearers), Frundsberg moved again towards upper Italy to relieve Pavia and to save the Empire's Duchy of Milan. Despite an additional 6,000 men, of whom some were Spanish, in battle against an enemy that was strongest, Frundsberg won his most famous victory at Pavia, with the capture of the French king.
Only one year later, when the war in Italy was renewed in 1526, Frundsberg received a call for help from the Emperor's Army in Lombardy, to help decide the war. Albeit an insufficient amount, he obtained 36,000 German Thaler to organize the new army. During his occupation of Mindelheim, Frundsberg borrowed money and sold off his silver table settings and his wife's jewelry, in order to acquire the remaining funds to raise the army. In less than three weeks, Frundsberg organized over 12,000 men and crossed the Alps during the middle of November. He joined the Constable de Bourbon near Piacenza and marched towards Rome. However, order and discipline broke down near Modena on 13 March 1527, when no decisive battle developed after months of campaigning in Italy. Payment for the mercenaries remained overdue and, in the end, even Frundsberg was unable to rally the Landsknechts and restore order. The matter shook the old commander to such an extent that he suffered a stroke. Unable to regain his physical strength, Frundsberg was moved to Germany after a long struggle in Italian hospitals. Tormented by great anxiety over the situation with his mercenaries or "beloved sons", the loss of his personal estate and death of one of his sons, Frundsberg died in his castle in Mindelheim.
Though there is no evidence that he ever left the Catholic Church, and in spite of his constant loyalty to the Catholic Emperor, Frundsberg was quite receptive to the message of Martin Luther and according to some stories, before the campaign of 1527, he gathered soldiers willing to pillage and hang a pope.[6]
Legacy
Frundsberg was considered a capable and chivalrous soldier, and a devoted servant of the Habsburgs. A son had been killed in Italy in 1524 just before the battle of Pavia. Another son Caspar (1500–1536) and his grandson Georg (died 1586) were both soldiers of some distinction. With the latter's death, the family became extinct.[5]
The title "Father of the Landsknechte" was used by his contemporaries to refer to Frundsberg, describing both his authority and his devotion to the interests of his soldiers.[7]
Cultural depictions
There are many anecdotes and stories about the life of Frundsberg, forming a body of legends about him (Mythos Frundsberg). An early contributor to this Mythos was the first biographer of the captain – the writer and mystic Adam Reißner, who was for a time Frundsberg's secretary and as such, witness to many of the events he described. Reinhard Baummann opines that Reißner did glorify Frundsberg, but he also described many realistic events that could have been covered or glossed over by another writer. Another early direct source about Frundsberg was the poet Oswald Fragenstainer – who was not only a scribe but also a soldier under Frundsberg.[8]
- The Frundsbergfest (Frundsberg Festival) in Mindelheim, one of the largest historical festivals in Germany, is dedicated to Georg von Frundsberg.[9]
- Georg von Frundsberg is a character in the historical novel The Adventurer, AKA Michael The Finn (Mikael Karvajalka) by Mika Waltari.
- In 1841 a bust by Walhalla memorial.
- Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria had a statue erected in his honour at the Hall of Generals (Feldherrenhalle) of the Vienna Museum of Military History, inaugurated in 1866.
- The Austro-Hungarian corvette SMS Frundsberg launched in 1873 was named after him.
- During World War II, the Waffen-SS 10th Panzer Division by order of 3 October 1943 was given the honorific title Frundsberg.
Notes
- ^ His first name may also be spelled Jörg and his surname Fronsberg or Freundsberg.
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2022) |
- ^ Paulus, Christof (2021). "Reinhard Baumann: Mythos Frundsberg. Familie, Weggefährten, Gegner des Vaters der Landsknechte (reviewed by Christof Paulus)". Zeitschrift des Historischen Vereins für Schwaben. Recensio: 399–400. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ Messner, Florian (2014). Maximilian I. und die Kriegsführung seiner Zeit. p. 47. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ISBN 978-88-9327-169-1. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ Cristini 2016, p. 24.
- ^ a b c Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Heroes of History, Will Durant
- ^ Leukel, Patrick (13 April 2020). "Mythos Frundsberg (Buchbesprechung)". Portal Militärgeschichte (in German). Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ Leukel 2020.
- ^ Lippl, Melanie (14 June 2023). "Frundsbergfest 2023: Programm, Eintritt & Infos zum Fest in Mindelheim". Augsburger Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved 29 June 2023.
Bibliography and further reading
- Baumann, Reinhard (2019). Mythos Frundsberg: Familie, Weggefährten, Gegner des Vaters der Landsknechte (1. Auflage ed.). Mindelheim: Verlag Hans Högel KG. ISBN 9783947423156.
- Wilson, Peter H. (2023). Iron and blood: a military history of the German-speaking peoples since 1500. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674987623.*
- 10. SS-Pz.Div. "Frundsberg", Abt.VI/Az.37g/Lt./Dr; Div.St.Qu., dtd 6.11.43, National Archives, Record Group 242, Berlin Document Center, Microfilm Publication T354, Roll 150, Frames 791940-791948
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Frundsberg, Georg von". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 270. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the