The Hohenstaufens
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"From the noblest of Swabia's families of counts" come the Hohenstaufens, writes Otto von Freising, the uncle and chronicler of Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa. As early as the 10th and 11th century the Hohenstaufens belonged to the leading nobility which at times held the office palgrave in Swabia - according to ducal power the highest public position. This starting position, in conjunction with a smart territorial policy in the first half of the 12th century, enabled the Hohenstaufens to rise from an important Southern Germany noble family to become kings and emperors in Central and Southern Europe. Their name came from Hohenstaufen Mountain, on which Friedrich von Büren, later the first Duke of Swabia, had built a representative castle. Under Friedrich Barbarossa and Heinrich VI the Hohenstaufens achieved the height of their power. They moved their political center to Sicily, which had fallen to them as an inheritance, while their power declined in the period between 1198 and 1214/15 in the quarrel between the Hohenstaufens and Guelfs over the thrown. The last grand Hohenstaufen was Friedrich II. The dynasty died with the beheading of Konradin in 1268 in Naples.
Lorch Monastery was the tomb for the Hohenstaufens, however lost this function with the orientation of the dynasty on Italy.
Benedictines
The monks of the oldest Catholic order live according to the "Rule of Benedict". This requires the renunciation of all personal property, chastity, obedience and continuous residence in one place. The Benedictine monasteries were not only places of prayer and a life oriented toward God, but also of science and the arts. For example, the monks made a major contribution to the spread of philosophical and scientific knowledge of classical antiquity and the Orient in Christian Europe with their work as translators and copiers. At their monasteries bookbinding was practiced, optical devices for observing the heavenly bodies were developed and water mills as power sources were discovered.
Duke Friedrich I von Schwaben (around 1047-1105)
On Easter Sunday in 1079, which Emperor Heinrich IV celebrated with his vassals in Regensburg, he made Count Friedrich a Swabian duke and gave him his daughter Agnes von Waiblingen as his wife. As a loyal partisan of the Emperor, the Hohenstaufen also helped strengthen Heinrich's position by contributing his family property.
For the new Duke of Swabia the office of duke meant an especially powerful position and various privileges, while the close relationship to the imperial family resulted in a considerable increase in prestige. However, the current political situation hardly permitted a realization of his claim to dominion, as his office was not recognized by the papal party and its "counter duke". First in 1098 was it possible to find a compromise that defined the individual territories. Now Duke Friedrich was able to expand his power base and to secure a closed, defendable sovereign formation. This primarily took place through systematic expansion of the country. Castles and towns were founded, the acquisition of lordly and sovereign privileges through purchase of exchange, the acquisition of church fiefs, monastery and church governor's offices and internal colonization through clearing of woodland. Duke Friedrich gave Lorch Monastery to the Pope in 1102 as a gift and chose it as the location of the tomb for his dynasty.
Princess Irene (around 1181-1208)
Very little is known about the Byzantine emperor's daughter and wife of the Staufer king, Irene, who was buried in the chancel of the monastery church in Lorch. Born around the year 1181 in Constantinople as the daughter of Emperor Isaak II von Byzanz of the House of Angelos (1155-1204), she was wed in her first marriage to Roger V., one of two kings of Sicily at that time (around 1180/81 - early 1194), who died shortly after the marriage. In 1194 she was taken captive in Sicily during the taking of Palermo by Emperor Heinrich VI and wed in 1195 in Bari to his brother Philipp von Schwaben. As a result of this marriage she came to Hohenstaufen Castle in Swabia. Of her seven children three dies very young or during birth. They are also buried in Lorch. Irene, who was also called Maria of Swabia, found her way into literature through the "Erster Philipps-Ton" written in 1202/3 by Walther von der Vogelweide. Here she is called a "hochgeborniu küneginne" (honorable queen) and referred to with the Madonna epithet "rose ane dorn, ein tube sunder gallen" ("rose without thorns, dove without gall"). In 1208 she died while giving birth to her 7th child at Hohenstaufen Castle.
On 16 December 1898 a tablet was ceremoniously unveiled in the monastery church commemorating the emperor's daughter, who's fate and death greatly moved the people of that age.
Abbott Nikolaus Schenk von Arberg (1462-1477, died 1479) Schenk von Arberg accompanied the introduction of the "Melker Reform" in Lorch in 1462 and promoted the building renewal of the monastery. Under his direction the Romanesque chancel was given the late Gothic form preserved until today and the cloister was renewed. He also ordered the erection of the Staufer sarcophagus in the central nave of the monastery church. But that was not enough: Schenk von Arberg had the neglected church St. Ägidien ante portam monasterii restored, beautified and its altars reconsecrated. In addition, he saw to the restoration of the Nicolaus Chapel (Nikolauskapelle) in 1463. The coat of arms of this abbot so important for Lorch "In gold a stag jumping to the left on a green hill" is illustrated in one of the Lorch choir books.
Abbott Laurentius Autenrieth (1525-1548, died 1549)
Laurentius Autenrieth was born around 1483 as the son of the Blaubeuren miller Conrad Utenrieth. He arrived at Blaubeuren Monastery around 1500 and changed to Lorch around 1505. There he became the custos (custodian) in 1508, and participated in this function as a scribe in the making of the Lorch choir books in 1511/12. His book of sample scripts from 1520 is famous. Prior to this Autenrieth had become prior of Lorch. In 1525 his election to abbot followed, and a detailed document on the election act has been preserved. He remained abbot even after the monastery was closed in 1535.
His successor had a tomb erected for him in the southern aisle. The translation of its Latin inscription reads, "Wanderer! In this tomb you have before you? the bones of the very pious and excellent man Lorenz, father? and abbot of Lorch Monastery, who bravely held out with the greatest spiritual strength and endurance for 15 years against the church separation of the Lutherans and learned to stand by the poor. Now he has gone to the common homeland as a devout Christian and Catholic, after he headed the monastery for 24 years. He went home in the year of our Lord 1549, in the sixty-sixth year of his life, on 17 February. May his soul live forth in God. Amen."
Duke Ulrich von Württemberg (1487-1550)
Ulrich von Württemberg had an unhappy childhood. His mother died after his birth, and his mentally ill father was imprisoned at Hohenurach in 1490. His guardians, who pursued different political interests, were careless with the boy's upbringing and education. As an adult Ulrich was distinguished by his lack of consideration for and mistrust of the people around him. His private and political life was a turbulent one. For example, he lost his Duchy for many years when the Swabian Confederation (Schwäbische Bund) relinquished it to Karl V. Probably on the occasion of their wedding in 1511, he and his wife, Sabina von Bayern, supported the making of the Lorch choir books as their main contributors. The first page of the Lorch "Graduale" is adorned with a dedication illustration in which both are shown in festive clothing and with their coat of arms. After his return to the Duchy in 1534, Ulrich began with the introduction of the Reformation - which included Lorch Monastery - and with it took major steps in setting the course of education and professional training. Duke Ulrich von Württemberg died in 1550 and lies buried in the Collegiate Church (Stiftskirche) in Tübingen.
Duke Christoph von Württemberg (1515-1568)
In 1515 Sabina von Bayern, Duchess of Württemberg, bore the successor to the Württemberg throne, Christoph, at Urach Palace and fled to her brothers, the Bavarian Dukes Wilhelm and Ludwig under threats from her husband, leaving he two children behind. She was first able to return to Württemberg after her son Christoph assumed the throne in 1551. The son she left behind, who treated his father with great mistrust his entire life, was raised in Innsbruck at the court of Ferdinand I. He was involved in dynastic conflicts for many years. Duke Christoph imposed the Lutheran orientation of the Württemberg Church once and for all, established thirteen monastery schools for the education of theologians, including at Lorch Monastery, and assumed the role of the political leader of German Protestantism. His court in the Old Palace was that of a Renaissance sovereign, who placed great value on courtly representation and self-portrayal. Duke Christoph's achievements in government laid the basis for Württemberg's body politic for over two hundred years.
Monastery Bailiff Jakob Friedrich Brack (1692-1760)
The monastery bailiff Brack came to Lorch in 1719. He authored the "Lorcher Fleckenlagerbuch" of 1724. The very carefully prepared book was used to specify the tax obligations of the fief owners. Beyond these lists, Brach also recorded historical information and described the boundaries of Lorch is a clear, detailed manner. Brack also wrote the "News from Lorch Monastery" ("Nachrichten vom Kloster Lorch") in which he "collected everything from various proven manuscripts and authors with diligence and described it in the most concise manner".
Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805)
Friedrich Schiller was born on 11/10/1759 in Marbach on the Neckar river as the son of the military surgeon Johann Caspar Schiller. He spent his childhood and youth in poor surroundings. During the years 1763 to 1766 he lived in Lorch, as his father held a position as enlisted officer in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Friedrich Schiller later attended the Latin school and enrolled in the "Hohe Carlsschule" in 1773 on order of Duke Karl Eugen, where he studied medicine in 1776. In 1780 Schiller became regiment physician in Stuttgart. Due to the production of the "Highwaymen" ("Die Räuber")" in Mannheim he was arrested and forbidden to write. Schiller fled via Mannheim (1783), Leipzig (1785), Dresden to Weimar (1787). In 1789 he was named associate professor of History and Philosophy in Jena. In 1799 he moved to Weimar, where he died on 5/9/1805.
Eduard Mörike (1804-1875)
Mörike was born on 9/8/1804 in Ludwigsburg. There he attended the Latin school and from 1818 the Seminar in Urach. In 1826 he assumed the position of vicar in Nürtingen, and in 1827/1828 he worked as editor at a newspaper. From 1834-1843 he was pastor in the town of Cleversulzbach. Mörike went into early retirement without sufficient financial security, and was then, among other things, a literature teacher in Stuttgart, in 1855 "Hofrat" (Aulic Councillor) and achieved a professorship in 1856. From 1867 to 1869 Mörike lived in Lorch, where he learned to appreciate the monastery, countryside and good air. From 1871 Mörike lived in Stuttgart, where he died on 6/4/1875. Eduard Mörike is one of the most important lyricist and original storytellers of the German language.
Jakob August Lorent (1813-1884)
Lorent was born in 1813 in the US, and already moved to Mannheim at he age of five, where he became the rich heir of his foster father. He studied the natural sciences, was conferred a doctor's degree in 1836 and then undertook extended journeys in the Orient and around the Mediterranean. Lorent became one of the most important architectural photographers of the 19th century, who photographed and cataloged historical buildings with scientific precision. Lorent's interest in medieval architecture primarily concentrated on Romanesque and Gothic monasteries. He recorded Lorch Monastery in photographs from a wide range of different angles. These early photos not only report on the condition of the monastery around 1866, they also radiate a certain charm even for today's viewers.