(Discussion of Hesse, continued from Note Nr. 1617.)
To keep the peace, the 500 students checked their swords and daggers with the fencing master when they attended the 200th anniversary of the Marburg University. Still, the windows, glasses, tables, and benches wound up being smashed in a thousand pieces by the inebriated crowd.
The Seven Years' War was the defining and disastrous feature of life in Marburg in the Eighteenth Century. Marburg changed hands between the combatants some fifteen times, its protecting (?) castle seven times. The advent of modern artillery had by now greatly reduced the military value of fortifications. More emphasis was placed on controlling the major roads upon which the armies depended for supplies and communications. Marburg's central location on the main north-south highway between Kassel and Frankfurt made it a prime target of military forces.
The town was seized by a 25,000-man French army in mid-summer 1757. Troops were quartered in the town, which made life miserable for the inhabitants. The French demanded high payments in money and goods from the Germans to support their army. Food had to supplied to the French, who even wanted furniture and bedding from the residents. Dysentery spread among the French, which killed more than a thousand of them. The hospitals were overloaded and the Germans were told to supply more beds.
In the next winter the Germans were told to supply 2,000 cords of firewood for use by the occupation troops. Then the Marburgers had to turn out to improve the local fortifications against an expected attack by the Prussians. The French were driven out, but returned by the next summer. The demands made upon the locals were so great that not enough food for local men and beasts was available. The farmers refused to bring their grain in for sale because they feared the draft animals would be confiscated.
This went on from 1757 until 1762, when the French left. After the war, it was realized that walls and castles afforded no protection. To reduce the attraction of Marburg to invading armies, the walls and outlying fortifications were torn down, which helped to end the strategic value of Marburg. After the war the streets and roads needed repaving, but there was no money for this.
In 1788, Wilhelm von Humboldt wrote of his travels and time spent in Marburg. He referred to it as the ugliest and least commodious town imaginable. The houses were old and unattractive, the streets dirty and too steep to travel easily. When he went to the balls and dances, he even thought the women were ugly. He did like the beautiful view from the castle. And he gave better than average marks to the university students, who at least removed their hats in class. But he did not think they should have brought their big dogs with them to school. And they should not talk and laugh during the lectures.
(Continued in Note Nr. 1619.
(14 Mar 03)
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.