My Travel and History Blog, Focussing mostly on Roman and Mediaeval Times
7 Jan 2013
Border Castles and Conflicts - Castle Sichelnstein
Remains of Sichelnstein Castle
The first person we can trace with more surety is one Wittilo who is said to have fought bravely at the Battle of Riade against the Magyars in 933. King Heinrich I rewarded Wittilo by granting him the Sichelnstein as fief, and dubbing him. This incident is a bit curious. One possible interpretation is that Wittilo was a ministerialis, a member of the legally unfree but still high ranking men serving in administrative functions at the royal court and as heavy cavalry in war. Many ministeriales held fiefs to pay for their armour, but with less rights than freeborn nobles held their lands. Heavy cavalry secured the victory at Riade which would have given Wittilo his chance to shine. An additional dubbing could have meant that Wittilo gained the status of a freeborn knight. In that case he likely took his name of the castle from that time on. Read more »
Like most other minor castles I've posted about, the beginnings of the Sichelnstein are shrouded in obscurity and some names that may have been local legend rather than historical. The Saxon nobles Asic and Billing mentioned in Carolingian chronicles (811, 813), who fled from their own people and established local holds in the Frankian lands between Kassel and Göttingen, can not be connected with the later Sichelnstein family (or many of the others they are connected with on a certain website). A Hiddi and a certain Amelung - both Saxon nobles - who are connected with the foundation legends of the castle are obscure persons as well.
The first person we can trace with more surety is one Wittilo who is said to have fought bravely at the Battle of Riade against the Magyars in 933. King Heinrich I rewarded Wittilo by granting him the Sichelnstein as fief, and dubbing him. This incident is a bit curious. One possible interpretation is that Wittilo was a ministerialis, a member of the legally unfree but still high ranking men serving in administrative functions at the royal court and as heavy cavalry in war. Many ministeriales held fiefs to pay for their armour, but with less rights than freeborn nobles held their lands. Heavy cavalry secured the victory at Riade which would have given Wittilo his chance to shine. An additional dubbing could have meant that Wittilo gained the status of a freeborn knight. In that case he likely took his name of the castle from that time on. Read more »
