Thomas von Absberg
Encyclopedia
Hans Thomas von Absberg was a Frankish knight of Absberg family, known as robber baron
.
He kidnapped important travellers like royal legates or merchants from Nuremberg
or Augsburg
. He was supported by several Frankish knights, who helped to hide the hostages, e.g. members of the houses of Sparneck
or the Guttenberg
. The hostages were taken on a route with several castles far away from the point they were kidnapped. An advantage for Thomas von Absberg were the nearby borders of several principalities and sometimes he escaped to Bohemia
. He was known for the cruelty of cutting off the right hand with a dussack
and sending it to the family of his victims to underline his demands for ransom.
Eventually prisoners held at the Waldsteinburg
were able to escape and reveal who the supporters of Thomas von Absberg were and where their castles were. To punish the behaviour of Thomas von Absberg the Swabian League
destroyed the family's castle seat in 1523, as well as all of the castles belonging to the House of Sparneck
. This was documented in a series of woodcut
s by Hans Wandereisen. But Thomas von Absberg was not caught and continued his robbery, until he was murdered in Alten-Sedlitz
in 1531 by one of his accomplices.
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
.
He kidnapped important travellers like royal legates or merchants from Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
or Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. He was supported by several Frankish knights, who helped to hide the hostages, e.g. members of the houses of Sparneck
House of Sparneck
The House of Sparneck was a local noble family in Franconia.The family is known to exist from 1223 to 1744 and was named after the market village of Sparneck. One of their first castles was the Waldsteinburg; further castles were located in Sparneck, Weißdorf, Stockenroth, Uprode near Weißdorf,...
or the Guttenberg
House of Guttenberg
The House of Guttenberg is a prominent Franconian family which traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh v. Blassenberg . Though, the first mention in a document is dated 1158. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg and was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310...
. The hostages were taken on a route with several castles far away from the point they were kidnapped. An advantage for Thomas von Absberg were the nearby borders of several principalities and sometimes he escaped to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. He was known for the cruelty of cutting off the right hand with a dussack
Dussack
A Dussack is a type of short, single-edged sword from Central and Eastern Europe ....
and sending it to the family of his victims to underline his demands for ransom.
Eventually prisoners held at the Waldsteinburg
Waldsteinburg
The Waldsteinburg, also called the Red Castle is a ruined castle on the summit of the Großer Waldstein in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains of Germany...
were able to escape and reveal who the supporters of Thomas von Absberg were and where their castles were. To punish the behaviour of Thomas von Absberg the Swabian League
Swabian League
The Swabian League was an association of Imperial States - cities, prelates, principalities and knights - principally in the territory of the Early medieval stem duchy of Swabia, established in 1488 at the behest of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg and supported as well by Bertold von...
destroyed the family's castle seat in 1523, as well as all of the castles belonging to the House of Sparneck
House of Sparneck
The House of Sparneck was a local noble family in Franconia.The family is known to exist from 1223 to 1744 and was named after the market village of Sparneck. One of their first castles was the Waldsteinburg; further castles were located in Sparneck, Weißdorf, Stockenroth, Uprode near Weißdorf,...
. This was documented in a series of woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s by Hans Wandereisen. But Thomas von Absberg was not caught and continued his robbery, until he was murdered in Alten-Sedlitz
Staré Sedliště
Staré Sedliště is a village and municipality in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,061 ....
in 1531 by one of his accomplices.