In 1497, Blicker von Gemmingen obtained the "High Jurisdiction" for the Guttenberg dominions from the Emperor Maximilian. This gave the Gemmingens the right to erect stocks and gallows. The fact that the Gemmingens did obtain this right meant they were subject directly to the Emperor and to no other Lord. Thus, their dominions were independent and subject only to the oversight of the Emperor. The import of this award is that the Gemmingens could decide life and death for of their subjects. The legal procedures took place at Hüffenhardt [where later George Utz and Johann Michael Volck attended church]. Even today there is a residue in the street names which read "At the Gallows" and "Place of Execution".
This right of jurisdiction existed for 300 years, until Napoleon’s new judicial laws took effect. Many of the court records still exist from the earlier times. There is also an employment contract for the executioner, which specified his wages. He was paid by the piece. It did not matter whether he axed, chopped, strangled, cooked, quartered, or fried the culprit, he received the same amount per head. The job was not a full time job, and the executioner was forced to take other part-time work. Usually the man was hired from Wimpfen [as in Bad Wimpfen].
It was considered very important that the accused person confess his crimes. People who did not confess their sins spent lots of time in purgatory. If one confessed his sins here on earth, it would shorten his time in purgatory. So the accused was encouraged to confess. One way of encouraging confessions was to use a rack, a flat bed-like structure in which the head was held in place by a yoke while ropes attached to his feet were used to stretch the person. A lever arrangement multiplied the force. Sometimes it was not easy for the accused to talk because water was being poured down his throat. But what he did say was recorded and used in his trial as evidence. Typically he would be found guilty on the basis of his confessions.
Just in case they are needed again, the Guttenberg castle maintains a rack and an executioner’s axe and sword.
The Thirty Years’ War started in Bohemia in 1618, but the battlefield shifted to the Neckar Valley when General Tilly pursued the Palatine troops of the Elector Frederick into their home territory. On 6 May 1622, a decisive battle was fought near Wimpfen, close to Guttenberg Castle. More than 36,000 men took part in the battle. (Guttenberg represents this in a Diorama, but uses only ten percent of that number in painted, tin soldiers.) The day was exceedingly hot. At noon, a rest break was called in the battle, and it resumed later in the day. At the end of the day, each side had lost 5,000 men. A great misfortune overtook the Electoral troops when their main ammunition wagon exploded at 4:00 PM. Running out of firepower, the Electoral troops began to withdraw.
(03 Jul 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.