History of Europe

How did the women save their husbands in the siege of Weinsberg Castle?

The Guelph terms and gibellines come from the Italian terms guelfi and ghibellini , with which the two factions were called that since the 12th century supported the House of Bavaria (the Welfen, and hence the word Guelph in the Holy Roman Empire, respectively. listen)) and to the house of the Hohenstaufen of Swabia, lords of Waiblingen Castle (hence the word Ghibelline). After the childless death of Emperor Henry V in 1125, civil war broke out between the Guelphs, who supported Lothair, Duke of Saxony, and the Ghibellines, who supported Conrad, Duke of Swabia. Both of them appointed their own emperor:Conrado III and Lothario II . Although the war ended in 1135 with the submission of Conrad III, the tables turned in 1137 when Emperor Lothair II died, and Conrad III was elected Holy Roman Emperor against Henry the Proud , heir to Lothair. Even so, hostilities did not cease and Conrad III besieged Weinsberg Castle in Bavaria in 1140.

Conrad III

The siege was dragging on too long and the emperor sent an ultimatum…

Unless you surrender, I am going to demolish the city, burn your houses and put you all to the sword.

The besieged of Weinsberg, jaded, tired and knowing that they could not receive help, requested to meet with the emperor...

The men of Weinsberg are not afraid to die and we are ready to continue fighting. Even to see how the castle is destroyed and our houses are burned, but not to see how our women die. So, we beg that their lives be spared and that they be allowed to leave the castle.

The emperor was adamant in his threat to destroy the city and kill the men, but granted his request to spare the women. So, he decided that the next morning he would allow all the women to leave the castle and, in addition, they could take their most precious possessions with them, but only what they could carry without the help of carts or animals. When the besieged heard the emperor's offer from the emissaries, the men assented, but the women left the square and gathered by themselves... and made a decision that would astonish the men and even the emperor himself. The next morning, when the castle gates opened, this is what the emperor saw...

All the women left with their most precious possessions on their backs:their children, their husbands or their parents . The emperor went from indignation to admiration, and decided that this show of love and intelligence deserved a response of the same caliber:he spared the lives of women, men... and decided not to destroy the city. The women of Weinsberg saved the men and the city.

Sources:The wives of Weinsberg, The women of Weinsberg