Europe (c.1400-1458)

39. Franconia

186 Franconia no one except a German can be emperor; but since the authority to choose the emperor was handed to the Germans, a German is usually elected. That is why, when the position of emperor became vacant on the death of Louis, the son of Boso,the Germans, having that power, selected a man who was a German and a Frank from eastern Francia.461 I wanted to include this preface, since the subject of Franconia had arisen. For there are many who claim that only those who live around Paris are Franks and that the empire was assigned to them. It would be more accurate to call these people descendants of the Franks.462 39 FRANCONIA 135. FRANCONIA, as it is understood in our time, borders on the Swabians and Bavarians in the south, the Rhine in the west, and the Bohemians and Thuringians in the east; the Thuringians also adjoin it to the north, along with the Hessians. A river of no little renown called the Main flows through the land. Ptolemy seems to call this river the Obrinca, which according to him separates the Upper from the Lower Germans. For there is no other river which could mark that separation more suitably than the Main; even today, in fact, the Lower Germans extend as far as Mainz, and from there on they are called Upper Germans. The Main rises in the mountains of Bohemia and empties into the Rhine right opposite Mainz. For that reason, many people have believed that “Maguntia” [Mainz] is really “Moguntia” and was named after the river Moganus [i.e., Main]. The same river flows through several cities, of which the most cel461 . Louis III “the Child” (r. 899–911); the next king of Germany was Henry the Fowler of Saxony (r. 919–36), but the imperial throne remained vacant until Henry’s son Otto was elected in 962. 462. Francigenae. Franconia 187 ebrated are Würzburg and Frankfurt. In Würzburg is the famous see of a bishop who is also known as the duke of Franconia; when he celebrates mass, he keeps a naked sword in front of him on the altar. In Frankfurt, there is a well-known market, where the Upper and Lower Germans meet twice a year. There, too, the emperor is chosen in accordance with a long-established custom.463 This makes it clear that the empire was given to the Germans, since it is among them that the emperor is elected and crowned—even if the culmination of his glory comes when he is crowned again in Rome. In Franconia, there is also the famous Church of Bamberg, which stands by the Pegnitz River. It was founded by Emperor Henry II, whom the locals venerate devoutly and hold to be a saint.464 This is where Berengar is buried, who usurped the throne of Italy.465 After being captured by Otto I, he was brought to Germany and died there in exile. 136. On a high mountain above the city is a castle well fortified by nature and human ingenuity, where I once lunched with the local bishop.466 Albert, the most noble count of the Franconians and grandson of Duke Otto of Saxony, through his daughter, took refuge in this castle after killing Count Conrad, who was said to have been the son of King Louis, and for a considerable time withstood the king’s siege.467 Storming the place seemed difficult, so the king resorted to trickery and enlisted Otto, bishop of Mainz, as 463. The Golden Bull of 1356 decreed that all future imperial elections would be held at Frankfurt. 464. The cathedral was built in 1004 by Henry II (r. 1002–24); he was canonized in the twelfth century. 465. Lombard magnate Berengar (c. 900–66) seized the throne of Italy in 951 and married the widow of Lothar, his predecessor. 466. Bishop Anthony von Rotenham (r. 1431–59). 467. Albert of Bamberg killed Conrad “the Old,” who was the head of a rival Franconian aristocratic family (but not related to King Louis IV) in 906. This story can be found in Otto of Freising’s Chronicle, 6:15. See The Two Cities: A Chronicle of Universal History, trans. and ed. Charles Mierow, Austin Evans, and Charles Knapp (New York: Octagon Books, 1966), 374–75, for translation and notes. Thanks to Patrick Geary for help identifying this event. 188...