Melk has throughout the Middle Ages been an important town on the Danube. The Abbey there was established in 1089 after Leopold II, Babenburg Margrave of Austria, donated a Castle there to the order of Benedictine monks. It was always prosperous, as the Abbey owned most of the land in the surrounding area, sustaining itself through revenues from agriculture and forestry. After a fire in the 17th century, the Abbey was completely rebuilt in an absurdly exquisite Baroque style, fully displaying the stupendous wealth of the Abbey. The Abbey was also frequently visited by the Hapsburg Monarchs, and especially by the court of Maria Theresa. The prominence and prosperity of the Abbey in history is paralleled by the opulent and generous Lord of Melk, named Astolt, in the Nibelungenlied. If you take away the red bus line on this map, the blue line, along the Danube, depicts quite accurately the journey of the Burgundians from Worms to Hungary. They passed through Passau, Poechlarn, Melk, and Vienna on there way to Esztergom, where Etzel had his court. This is probably the view that the Burgundians had as they were greeted with "magnificent gold goblets filled with wine [that] were brought from the castle and handed to them on the road" by Astolt and his men (169). Prior to being an Abbey, a castle stood here that belonged to the Babenburgs, and before it came under their domain it is probable that a lord ruled here from this spot named Astolt. The wealth of Astolt reflects the prosperity Melk had during the writing of the work (in 1200), as Melk was rich by that time as well. This wealth allowed the Abbey to build a splendid Baroque church, a beautiful library, and importantly a beautiful marble hall where the Abbot could receive powerful secular aristocrats, like the Hapsburgs themselves. This tradition of hosting powerful kings is echoed in the Nibelungenlied, as Astolt receives the royal brothers Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher at Melk. Intriguingly, within the library a fragment of the Nibelungenlied was found in the binding of another book. The Abbey and the epic seem intrinsically connected in ways both obvious and obscure, and the last but not the least of these include the fact that the epic was most likely written in Austria along the Danube somewhere between Passau and Vienna around 1200. Could the poet have been from Melk? A shame that we will probably never know.
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As I was walking through the Schatzkammer for the first time, I, admittedly, only really had an eye for the Imperial insignia and crown jewels that had been crafted at the beginning of the Empire. However, as I walked through a room that contained objects pertaining to the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece, I was immediately reminded not only of the power and independence of the Burgundian dukes in 1430 which was to completely disappear a mere 100 years later, but also of our noble Heroes of the Nibelungenlied, like Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher, who were also Burgundians. Unfortunately, both the Burgundians of Phillip III and the Burgundians of Gunther were reduced to mere footnotes in history. Granted, there were differences in territory, culture, and language between the two, but both entities occupied a similar status in their respective times. The Burgundians were a strong force beside the Rhine in the Nibelungenlied, yet their power was eventually subdued by the might of the Huns. Similarly, while the Dukes of Burgundy had many wealthy and prosperous lands along the Rhine and the Rhone in the 15th Century, stronger kingdoms, like France, Spain, and Austria, were able to erase independent Burgundy from the political map of the time, incorporating the French speaking lands into France, the German speaking lands into Austria, and the Flemish speaking lands into Spain. The stretch of land between modern day France and Germany is notorious for the destruction of independent political entities within it, like the historical tribe of the Burgundians, which was almost completely wiped out by a combined force of Romans and Huns in 437, and the Kingdom of Lotharingia, named after one of Charlemagne's Grandsons, which was absorbed by the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Otto I, after existing independently for a mere 50 years. All of this history passed through my mind as I was looking at the objects, like the robes that belonged to the head of the Order, and the Ainkhuern sword. The order of the Golden Fleece was established in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy to celebrate the fact that he owned a fast stretch of land that was de facto independent from either the Holy Roman Empire or the Kingdom of France, regardless of the claims of either. It soon grew into one of the most distinguished and honorable order of knights in Europe, and was even involved in the political governance of the Duchy of Burgundy. After independent Burgundy ceased to exist in 1477 after the death of Charles the Bold, who had no heir, the Order of the Golden Fleece was transferred to the Hapsburg Monarchy, which ruled in both Spain and Austria at the time. When Hapsburg ties between Spain and Austria ceased to exist, the order split into two, which both survive to this day. I thought the Ainkhuern sword was interesting, as it translates to the "Unicorn" sword, and it is of course related to the narwhal tusk that was believed to be a unicorn horn that now sits in the Schatzkammer as well. The Unicorn represented to chivalrous knights the ultimate hunting challenge, and so the possessor of the Ainkhuern sword would be seen as a prestigious huntsman and therefore an honorable person as well. This image of an honorable person being a prolific hunter is not new, but is also developed in the Nibelungenlied, as before Siegfried dies, he puts on the most marvelous display of hunting ability conceivable.
The imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire is, for its time, quite exquisite. Most likely crafted in Western Germany at the turn of 1000 AD, its sides are lined with gold and heavily bejeweled. Probably worn by the first Kaiser Otto I, it remained with the Kaiser until the dissolution of the Empire in 1806. The crown was adorned in the most luxurious fashion for a reason: no one was above the Kaiser. He was ordained by God to rule over the empire, and his splendor and wealth were never to be surpassed. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. Wars were often very costly, and the more ambition a Kaiser had, the more money he ended up spending. This trend of indebtedness of the monarchy was not a significant problem in 1100, but by 1400, Kingdoms and Empires alike dependant on wealthy merchant families to fund their campaigns. This is in stark contrast to the Kings of the Nibelungenlied, where all Kings described are opulent beyond belief and without equal in wealth. King Siegfried, Gunther, and Etzel distribute money and gifts incredibly liberally, and are each invariably described as having immeasurable riches. This wealth gives them immense legitimacy and power, as their wealth can not only raise powerful armies, but also decide who will live lavishly and who will live as a peasant. This is related to the concept of the Germanic tribes where it was expected of a leader to reward his followers with wealth in exchange for service. Under a feudal system, taxes were due to the Lord, with the lord only required to provide protection from enemies. This fundamental shift in the relationship between liege and liege-man is not complete in the Nibelungenlied, as the tendency of kings to gift give is prevalent. The Kings and Emperors of 1200 were certainly not as fantastically wealthy as Siegfried or Etzel, and this in someway dampens the legitimacy the actual rulers in comparison.
Without a thorough understanding of the expansion of the Roman state, the history of most major European cities seems nonsensical. Be it Paris, London, or Rome itself, all owe a great debt to the Romans for their general layout, development, and aggrandizement, just as Vienna does. Therefore, I paid a great deal of attention to the exhibit on Vindobona when we visited it with Dr. O. I was not surprised to see the characteristically typical heated floor system, which you will always encounter when visiting a Roman ruin of an upper class citizen or a bath house. Judging by the projected size of the Tribune's house, Vindobona was quite well off, and it's upper class lived quite comfortably, enjoying many of the luxuries shipped in from all across the empire. They imported olive oil, wine, and glass to Vindobona to keep the 7,000 odd soldiers stationed there well feed and satisfied so that they could defend the borders of the empire from attack. Their pottery was quite distinguished for a town considered to be a provincial backwater, as evidenced by this rare face pottery I found really funny! Even their burial practices were imported directly from the Eternal City, as they made it illegal to bury people within the city walls. They either cremated or buried their dead outside the city, and their tombstones were exquisitely carved. However exquisitely carved the tombstones were, just as the Colosseum, they were not safe from building material scavengers who took at liberty to further their own projects. This millstone was crafted out of an old tombstone. Imagine, as the son or daughter of this poor dead Roman, you see your Father's tombstone grinding someone's grain 500 years later. It makes you wonder what will happen to your grave in 200 years. Everywhere around the first district of Vienna we can see the impact of the Romans. Whether its the base of the Ruprecht's Kirche or the open air excavations next to the Spanish riding school, the memories of the past are inescapable.
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AuthorBrian Sebetic Archives
November 2016
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