Dinklage
Encyclopedia
Dinklage is a town in the district of Vechta
, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is situated approx. 13 km southwest of Vechta
, and 45 km north of Osnabrück
.
, the name Dinklage was first mentioned officially in 1231 (first as Thinclage, later Dynclage, till 1270 Dinklage). In 1080 the castle was given to the "Herren von Dinklage" (Masters of Dinklage), as they were later called. They tried to put up their own dominion in 1372, but were defeated by the bishop of Münster and their castle was destroyed.
After the "Herren von Dinklage" had lost their influence, in 1667 the rebuilt castle was bought by the count Christoph Bernhard Graf von Galen, who was bishop of Münster at that time. In 1826 Matthias Graf von Galen signed a contract, which made Dinklage, which formally belonged to the diocese of Münster before, a part of the Großherzogtum Oldenburg (the lands of the diocese had been secularized after the war against Napoleon).
The court was not the work of the Count, no, it was a people-court in the truest sense of the word; the Count acted as a manager or judge, but the people passed judgement. The following story will illustrate the workings of the court:
A man named Thethard took a young wife to his home. After a few weeks another man, named Brun, who had been in love with the woman, became enraged with jealousy. He attacked Therhard, choking and beating him to death. Neighbors were too late to help, but they carried the dead man home on a stretcher.
The twelve closest relatives of Therhard demanded vengeance and chanted "blood must flow". They captured the murderer and took him to the court-man, the Count, who locked him up. Word was sent throughout the area that a trial would be held the next day. The invited ones appear at the "court place". The Count sits on the court chair and the seven "Kuernoten", respected elderly men, also take their seats. On the bank near the stretcher carrying the cloth covered dead body there was a bare sword. The twelve relatives raised a coat of arms and pointed it towards the dead man. After the area has been secured with a long rope, the action begins.
Accusations are made, prosecution witnesses testify, followed by witnesses for the defense. The relatives take the sword, touching it simultaneously, and then touch the dead person. They demand the death of the one who has taken the flesh and blood of their relative. They repeat this demand three times.
The judge turns to the Frien (free people) and asks their judgement. The speaker steps forward and demands revenge. He then turns to the Kuernoten, who pass the same judgement. He then says " The people have judged; it is demanded: the murderer, who spills blood, looses his blood. He is to be hung. He has forfeited his life for a first time, for the second time, for the third time, for the 4th, 5th, 6th, th,8th , 9th, 10th, 11th , 12th time. The people have spoken."
The roped area was opened, the Provost and two henchmen seized the murder. The judge, with a white peeled willow rod in his hand leads the way to the gallows area, located in an elevated area referred to as the donkey-mountain. The elevation was surrounded by a bent moat with offshoots in the direction of the four winds. A large, bulky ladder leaned against the gallows and a rope dangled from the crossbeam.
They stop at the donkey-mountain and the two henchmen put the convicted man on a donkey, forcing him to ride backwards. They then lead him out among the people. The Provost then takes him to the gallows. The judge speaks the death sentence again and takes the narrow parchment strip, on which it is written, to the murderer to swallow. Then he takes the willow stick, breaks it on his knee, and says, " As I shatter this stick, your life is shattered". The Provost takes the murderer up the ladder and puts the rope around his neck. He then pushes the man off the ladder. The corps remains on the gallows for three days. The Provost then cuts it down, ties stones to it, and throws it into the moat.
This is your name Dinklage: "the place of justice", "the place of the right", "the place of the people’s will"
The Dersgaugraf of Calvelage (today Brockdorf) builds a castle at Dinklage around 980. The builder may have been named Heiß Ferdinand.
Count Bernhard I – 980
Count Hermann I – 1020
Count Bernhard II – 1051
Count Hermann II married Ethelinde, daughter of heroic Otto of Northeim, in 1075. The sphere of influence shifted northward and she wanted a larger, more magnificent castle, so they moved to Vechta.
Herren (Lords) of Dinklage: When Hermann II moves to Vechta c. 1080, he leaves the Ferdinandsburg (Dinklage castle) to vassals who called themselves the "Lords of Dinklage".
John of Dinklage. In 1231, John and his son Bertram (an iron-armored knight) backed Vechta which was allied with Emperor Philipp of Swabia in a dispute with Otto of Brunswick who was allied with the Cloppenburg Count von Tecklenburg.
Bertram of Dinklage (1231–1251) was approximately 30 years old when he took part in the 1228 Crusade and was a witness to the May 1229 crowning of his emperor as King of Jerusalem. He had two sons, John and Bertram. Bertran as a knight always supported Otto II of Vechta. Otto of Calvelage-Ravensberg (Vechta) donated a cloister in Bersenbruck out of joy over the birth of his daughter Jutta in 1231. Bertram was present at the 1235 wedding of Isabella, from England, to the Emperor. Four Kings, 11 Dukes, 30 Counts, many Archbishops, and more than 12000 knights took part in this wedding.
In 1252, the childless widow Jutta of Tecklenburg sells the country to the Bishop of Münster. Vechta sinks from a residence city to a Drostenstadt and the country becomes known as Niedershift Münsterland.
Johan of Dinklage (1258–1290) became the Drosten of the District (county) Vechta; he was in charge of a union of noble men, who were representatives of the Sovereign in the district Vechta. Beginning in 1258, Johan is a witness and guarantor of many negotiations.
In 1298 a coat of arms appears for the Lords of Dinklage. It has an upper field with 3 5-leaf roses and a lower field with 3 slanted crosses (cruised rods)
Frederik of Dinklage (1350–1396) was not satisfied with the small castle at Dinklage. He used the general decay and insecurity of the empire at the end of the 14th Century as an excuse to extort and rob traveling merchants. Frederik and his sons robbed a merchant train and took the merchants to the Fernindandsberg where they were held hostage for ransom. The wives of the merchants and the Hanseatic League
complained.
In November of 1371, the Emperor ordered Florenz, the Prince-Bishop of Münster, to proceed against the castle at Dinklage. Frederik reinforced the castle with 20 ditches and ramparts. The Bishop, realizing that he could not conquer the Ferninandsberg alone, sought allies. The Bishop of Paderborn, the Bishop of Osnabrück, and the Counts of Oldenburg, Cloppenburg and Mark eventually reinforced him. On September 15 and 16 of 1372, the attack began. The Ferdnandsborg Castle, the Vorburg, all of the outbuildings and the fortifications were completely destroyed.
Frederik and his sons retreated, first to Vechta, then to Diepholz. Frederik died in around 1393 in the same year as his sons Statius and Bertran. In 1383 they had been forced to sign an oath pledging never again to build a castle at Dinklage.
In 1393, Bishop Florenz invests the four living sons of Frederik with the old possessions in Dinklage and Vechta. The four sons were named Herbord, Dietrich, Hugo, and John. Herbord built the Herbordsburg in about 1400 at the exit of the Fernandsborg (today the Rentei). Dietrich built the Dietrichburg (the present day Wasserburg). Hugo built the Hugoburg at the present location of the castle-chapel. Not much is known about the fourth castle, which was built at some other location, possibly in the present town of Dinklage, and soon abandoned.
The inhabitants of each castle led their own lives, sharing only the water mill near the Hugoburg. With little property to control and with an unstable economy and a restrictive environment, debts arose and the Lords of Dinklage applied for positions outside their castle.
In 1543 John of Dinklage supported the Reformation of Martin Luther.
In 1560 their descendants of Hugo succeed in extending their property to a point where they took over the Herbordsburg. The newly acquired castle often served as a widow-seat (a home for the widow of the Lord) in succession times and was called the Frauenburg.
In 1587 the Dietrichsburg became the property of Kaspar Ledebur and was named the Ledebargshaus. (This is the present day castle)
In 1592 the widow Gertrud von Dinklage wed Hermann of Kettler of the House of Assen. Thus the names Herbordsburg-Frauenberg-Kettersburg indicate the same castle (today Rentei).
In 1641, during the 30 Years war, the sovereign Bishop of Münster sent the trusted Heinrich von Galen to Dinklage with the title Count of Vechta.
In 1650 Christopher Bernhard von Galen becomes Prince-Bishop of Münster and the position of his brother the Drosten Heinrich von Galen of Dinklage was strengthened.
In 1671 the Prince-Bishop acquired the entire possessions of the Dinklager. The Herbordsburg was used for the administration of goods; while, the Hugoburg contained a storeroom, a courtroom, and two dungeons. The family resided in the Diedrichsburg.
In 1677 the sovereign united Dinklage and the peasantry Brockdorf into a Federal-free "Herrlichkeit" with its own jurisdiction and its own administration.
In 1803 Dinklage was absorbed into the Dukedom (Herzogtum) of Oldenburg.
Dinklage remained the seat of the von Galen’s district until the Herrlichkeit ended in 1827.
In 1843, the Hugoburg was demolished and a castle-chapel was built at its location.
Many members of the von Galen family served as members of the South Oldenburg Reichstag.
Count Clemens August, who served as the Bishop of Münster from 1933 to 1946, was born in the castle. He became known as the "Lion Of Münster" and took an active stand against the Nazi government.
At the beginning of this Century, the von Galens transferred their home to Westphalia (the House of Assen)
After World War II the castle became a Benedictine
cloister.
After the end of the war, Prince-Bishop Franz Wilhelm tried, with a strong hand, to correct he pitiful circumstances of the church in the Niederstift. He either left all the parishes of the Districts Vechta and Cloppenburg under his personal leadership or under the management of the Episcopal commissioners. During the inspections of the years l651, 1652, 1654 and 1655, the carefully recorded protocols show a picture of the sad conditions of the churches in the Vechta district.
About the confusion of the Thirty Year War in the community Dinklage, pastor Balthazar Kohauß (1615—1657), gives a descriptive picture of conditions of the priests in Dinklage during the war. From the autumn 1623 up to the spring 1630 Dinklage stood under the tyranny of foreign troops. Life must have been difficult, because in 1630 the Vicar-General Nikolartius' inspection reported that conditions were not good for the church after the departure of the troops. The Paramentes were taken away by the predatory war-hordes, the floor was agitated everywhere, so that the place of worship looked more like a barn or a stall. The tabernacles, one equipped with torn silk, the font not lockable. Over the altar, the coat of arms of the Lords of Dinklage was positioned in place of holy pictures. Pigs ransacked the churchyard, and bones lay scattered around. During the church service, the Pfarrangehðrigens stayed in the Inn instead of in the church. Serious attempts to repair the damages could not be made because of the warlike circumstances and because of the behavior of the Lords of Dinklage. Although the office of the Kirchenprovisors lay in their hands, they didn't …care for the church, and also paid no church taxes themselves. They had reduced the property of all funds little by little and moved them at their discretion. The church was restored moderately after the Thirty Year War through the intervention of the Drosten von Galen, who transferred his residence to Dinklage. In 1655, it was stated: Everything looks complete and marvelous in the place of worship———. But unfavorable circumstances had also destroyed much; the Paraments and the silver chalice were stolen.
attempted to gain control of all of Europe. At that time, Germany was the first goal of his plans. The Corsican had promoted himself from artillery-general to Consul and by 1804 to Emperor of the French.
His armies dominated Austria, Prussia and Russia. Prussia submitted to the Peace of Tilsit (1807), and all areas to the west of the Elbe became part of the newly defined Kingdom of Westphalia under Napoleon's brother Jerome. Napoleon had already established the Rhine-association in 1806, placing under his protectorate sixteen German princes. Also pressure was applied to the Oldenburgischen Duke. In 1808, he joined the German princes' Rhne-Association. This move by Friedrich Ludwig did not long satisfy the French. On December 13, 1810 they declared that all areas between the North Sea and a certain line became part of the French Empire. The French military confiscated all public treasuries. From Hamburg, the Prefect of Keverberg seized the homeland. The duke protested in vain; but, he had to give up power on the 26th of February 1811, and went to St Petersburg at the invitation of Czar Alexander.
On the 28th of February 1811 the Prefect went to Lambertikirche in Oldenburg and swore allegiance to France. French laws and customs came into force. The personal relationships of the farmers as property owners, the Patimonalgerichtsbarkeiten and all facilities of the fief-nature were lifted. Civilian records replaced church registers as official records of State. French became the official style.
Napoleon redrew the political map within a short time, making fundamental changes. Northern Germany was divided in 4 departments. The III Department was that Oberems-Department, with Osnabrück as the headquarters. Karl Ludwig Wilhelm of Keverberg served as the Prefect. In this Department, there were 4 Arrondissementses. A sub-prefect at Quakenbrück governed the area of the former offices Vechta and Cloppenburg. The Arrondissement of Quakenbrück was then divided into 10 cantons. One was the Dinklage Canton, which included the communities of Dinklage, Lohne, and Steinfeld.
The Marie were given the responsibility of maintaining public birth, death, and marriage records; this service had formerly been provided by the Priests in the community.
The mayors could perform civil weddings. They were also responsible for the supervision and administration of the financial affairs of the community. They supervised conscription and the maintenance of public safety. One really difficult task was the supervision and enforcement of the excessive demands of France for the delivery of livestock and grain. This was especially difficult when the levy involved manpower, as in the construction of the Hamburg-Wesel road.
1. The property-tax, based on the value of the property.
2. That personnel - and furniture-taxes, based on the number of people and the value of their furniture.
3. The livestock-tax, based on the type and number of the existing animals.
So, in 1812, the entire community of Dinklage paid a property-tax of 1975 francs, a personnel-and-furniture-tax of 181 francs and a livestock-tax of 1473 francs. In 1813 the taxes were 1925 Frs., 165.91 Frs. and 1210.43 Frs. In the Arrondissement Quakenbrück there were 25 active tax collectors. The collected taxes were delivered to the main-tax-treasury in Osnabruck.
Livestock, grain, and feed were collected for use by the troops in the large fortress-cities of Magdeburg and Wittenberg. The following records for the year 1813 clearly illustrates this. On April 8, Dinklage was to deliver 22 head of cattle at 5500 pounds, but only 2690 pounds could be found. A payment of 28 francs per 100 pounds of missing beef was due, but the funds were not immediately available. The 2810 pounds shortage must be settled with money. On April 29, a new delivery was due in the amount of 100 hundredweight of hay, 105 hundredweight of oats, and 62 hundredweight of straw. In May and June, the community had to deliver 19,421 pounds of wheat-flour and 7050 pounds of rye-meal, along with oats, hay and straw to Osnabrück. On June 23, Dinklage was supposed to deliver 25,000 pounds of meat in the form of live cattle to Wittenberg. For this, the community made available 133 head of cattle. On July 6 and 7 a new demand was made for the delivery of 353 hundredweight of wheat and 252 hundredweight of rye in 200 pound-sacks to the fortresses at Magdeburg and Wittenberg. For the transportation the community put 30 vierspänniges (four-horse) wagons.
A special financial burden was encumbered by 15 Dinklage citizens in the amount of 2193 franc, 90 Centimens for provisioning of a French honorary-guard. Each honorary-guard received a special uniform allotment of 150 francs.
Road construction, and other hand-work tasks were required. In Northern Germany, an obstacle to Napoleon’s plans was the lack of adequate roads for the rapid movement of troops. A highway was planned from Hamburg, by way of Bremen, to Osnabrück and Wesels. Although this was not in Oldenburg, inhabitants from the canton of Dinklage were forced to work on the section from Barnstorf to Cornau. The assignment of work was based on the relationship to the land: the heuerman had one, the Kötter two, the farmer and noble men four. Also women and children from 12 years worked with the teams. Each worker must bring spades and other tools. A deployment lasted 8 days before being replaced by another team. The work was reimbursed. A man got 16 ½ Grote, a Woman 13 ½ Grote, a boy or girl 9¼ Grote for the day. A report of the Marie Böckmann on July 4, 1814 is interesting. “From March through October of the year 1813 the community Dinklage, for the purpose of transporting soldiers, war-ammunition etc. to Diepholz provided 538 vierspännige wagons and 600 leader-horses”
On the occasion of the birth of the Emperor’s son, Napoleon II, in March 1811, the inhabitants of Wiek and Dinklage were granted a license to hold a party. They were allowed to dance and amuse themselves as they could at 3:00 in the afternoon on March 31.
Baron Carl Ludwig Wilhelm of Keverberg was born on March 14, 1768 in Haelen in the Flemish part in Lüttich. He belonged to one elegant and affluent family at and had studied at the Prussian Universities. He was chosen as the Prefect because of his knowledge and experience. During his term of office as prefect of the Oberems-Department's Quakenbrück, he visited the canton of Dinklage. On one such visit in August 1812, he stayed at the Mäkel Inn. The proprietor served the Prefect and his companions “6 mugs of Brantwein at 28 Grs., 59 Glasses of Brantwein at 1½ Grs., and 80 mugs of beer at 3 Grs.”
In August 1813, Austria joined the Russian-English-Prussian alliance. By October 1813 France faced a large coalition. It would end with Napoleon’s total defeat. A few days before, on the 15th of October, the Prefect of Keverberg threatened the mayors with release from office if payment of the backlogs and the contributions to the honorary-guard were not fulfilled within 24 hours. A sigh of relief went through the population, as the Gendarmerie withdrew from the Arrondissement. The Prefect with his officials left Osnabruck on November 2, 1813.
Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig of Oldenburg returned from Russia and took control of the government on December 12, 1813. Economic depression existed, which necessitated the energetic reconstruction of the entire Oldenburger State. The old laws gradually took effect. The old officials were put in charge again, even if they had served the French. Serfdom remained abolished and a new Criminal legal system secured personal freedom for each citizen.
In retrospect one can say, that that French presence as foreign masters was felt with harsh restriction. Heavy taxes and Conscription were enormous burdens that brought the country no advantage. This, and the short existence (hardly 3 years) of the Oberems-Department, led to the fact that the French administration-system was not successful.
The large increase in population, with the resulting expansion of available manpower, brought about industrialization among the craftsmen of Dinklage; the first were the weavers. The brothers van der Wal from Holland wanted to use the existing specialists to place near the Mühlenbach (mill brook) an industrial weaving and printing work (for materials). In 1837, a corresponding proposition went out to the Amt (government office). Despite some protest from the jurisdiction Vechta a dyer Mertz from Vechta and a calico manufacturer Bremswig from Bakum seem to be granted the authorization, because van der Wal could pick up the business and soon he considerably expanded it.
A second "pioneer" of the industrialization in Dinklage was in the second half of the century was the wind-miller and cartwright Bernard Holthaus. He profited from the increasing modernization of the agriculture. His manufactured machines and appliances found wide sales nationwide and finally led to the foundation of a factory for agricultural machines. It was one of the largest businesses in the entire dukedom in the last century.
, Kentucky
, Kansas
, Michigan
, Missouri
, Wisconsin
and Illinois
.
Head of the parliament became Mr Johann Ostendorf.
Vechta (district)
Vechta is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oldenburg, Diepholz, Osnabrück and Cloppenburg.-History:...
, in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is situated approx. 13 km southwest of Vechta
Vechta
Vechta with a population of nearly 32,000 is the biggest city and also the capital of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany.It's well known all around Europe for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which occurs every summer and has a history dating back to 1298....
, and 45 km north of Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
.
History
The castle Dinklage was built by the counts of the Dersagau of Calvelage around the year 980980
Year 980 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Otto II renounces his claim to Lorraine.* The Viking ring castle of Trelleborg is constructed in Denmark....
, the name Dinklage was first mentioned officially in 1231 (first as Thinclage, later Dynclage, till 1270 Dinklage). In 1080 the castle was given to the "Herren von Dinklage" (Masters of Dinklage), as they were later called. They tried to put up their own dominion in 1372, but were defeated by the bishop of Münster and their castle was destroyed.
After the "Herren von Dinklage" had lost their influence, in 1667 the rebuilt castle was bought by the count Christoph Bernhard Graf von Galen, who was bishop of Münster at that time. In 1826 Matthias Graf von Galen signed a contract, which made Dinklage, which formally belonged to the diocese of Münster before, a part of the Großherzogtum Oldenburg (the lands of the diocese had been secularized after the war against Napoleon).
Dinklage: The Court Place
The name Dinklage comes from "Thing" which means "court-place". The name is as old as the Gaugraften. The Gaugraf (District Count) exercised his jurisdiction in this place, under a Linden tree. The name "Thinclage" appears in a document dated from the year 1231. The spelling changed over the years to include "Dinclage" and finally "Dinklage".The court was not the work of the Count, no, it was a people-court in the truest sense of the word; the Count acted as a manager or judge, but the people passed judgement. The following story will illustrate the workings of the court:
A man named Thethard took a young wife to his home. After a few weeks another man, named Brun, who had been in love with the woman, became enraged with jealousy. He attacked Therhard, choking and beating him to death. Neighbors were too late to help, but they carried the dead man home on a stretcher.
The twelve closest relatives of Therhard demanded vengeance and chanted "blood must flow". They captured the murderer and took him to the court-man, the Count, who locked him up. Word was sent throughout the area that a trial would be held the next day. The invited ones appear at the "court place". The Count sits on the court chair and the seven "Kuernoten", respected elderly men, also take their seats. On the bank near the stretcher carrying the cloth covered dead body there was a bare sword. The twelve relatives raised a coat of arms and pointed it towards the dead man. After the area has been secured with a long rope, the action begins.
Accusations are made, prosecution witnesses testify, followed by witnesses for the defense. The relatives take the sword, touching it simultaneously, and then touch the dead person. They demand the death of the one who has taken the flesh and blood of their relative. They repeat this demand three times.
The judge turns to the Frien (free people) and asks their judgement. The speaker steps forward and demands revenge. He then turns to the Kuernoten, who pass the same judgement. He then says " The people have judged; it is demanded: the murderer, who spills blood, looses his blood. He is to be hung. He has forfeited his life for a first time, for the second time, for the third time, for the 4th, 5th, 6th, th,8th , 9th, 10th, 11th , 12th time. The people have spoken."
The roped area was opened, the Provost and two henchmen seized the murder. The judge, with a white peeled willow rod in his hand leads the way to the gallows area, located in an elevated area referred to as the donkey-mountain. The elevation was surrounded by a bent moat with offshoots in the direction of the four winds. A large, bulky ladder leaned against the gallows and a rope dangled from the crossbeam.
They stop at the donkey-mountain and the two henchmen put the convicted man on a donkey, forcing him to ride backwards. They then lead him out among the people. The Provost then takes him to the gallows. The judge speaks the death sentence again and takes the narrow parchment strip, on which it is written, to the murderer to swallow. Then he takes the willow stick, breaks it on his knee, and says, " As I shatter this stick, your life is shattered". The Provost takes the murderer up the ladder and puts the rope around his neck. He then pushes the man off the ladder. The corps remains on the gallows for three days. The Provost then cuts it down, ties stones to it, and throws it into the moat.
This is your name Dinklage: "the place of justice", "the place of the right", "the place of the people’s will"
An Outline Of The History Of The Dinklage Castle
King Heinrich I (916-936) founds a mounted army that develops into the knighthood. Water-castles are built to provide refuge in war-like times.The Dersgaugraf of Calvelage (today Brockdorf) builds a castle at Dinklage around 980. The builder may have been named Heiß Ferdinand.
Count Bernhard I – 980
Count Hermann I – 1020
Count Bernhard II – 1051
Count Hermann II married Ethelinde, daughter of heroic Otto of Northeim, in 1075. The sphere of influence shifted northward and she wanted a larger, more magnificent castle, so they moved to Vechta.
Herren (Lords) of Dinklage: When Hermann II moves to Vechta c. 1080, he leaves the Ferdinandsburg (Dinklage castle) to vassals who called themselves the "Lords of Dinklage".
John of Dinklage. In 1231, John and his son Bertram (an iron-armored knight) backed Vechta which was allied with Emperor Philipp of Swabia in a dispute with Otto of Brunswick who was allied with the Cloppenburg Count von Tecklenburg.
Bertram of Dinklage (1231–1251) was approximately 30 years old when he took part in the 1228 Crusade and was a witness to the May 1229 crowning of his emperor as King of Jerusalem. He had two sons, John and Bertram. Bertran as a knight always supported Otto II of Vechta. Otto of Calvelage-Ravensberg (Vechta) donated a cloister in Bersenbruck out of joy over the birth of his daughter Jutta in 1231. Bertram was present at the 1235 wedding of Isabella, from England, to the Emperor. Four Kings, 11 Dukes, 30 Counts, many Archbishops, and more than 12000 knights took part in this wedding.
In 1252, the childless widow Jutta of Tecklenburg sells the country to the Bishop of Münster. Vechta sinks from a residence city to a Drostenstadt and the country becomes known as Niedershift Münsterland.
Johan of Dinklage (1258–1290) became the Drosten of the District (county) Vechta; he was in charge of a union of noble men, who were representatives of the Sovereign in the district Vechta. Beginning in 1258, Johan is a witness and guarantor of many negotiations.
In 1298 a coat of arms appears for the Lords of Dinklage. It has an upper field with 3 5-leaf roses and a lower field with 3 slanted crosses (cruised rods)
Frederik of Dinklage (1350–1396) was not satisfied with the small castle at Dinklage. He used the general decay and insecurity of the empire at the end of the 14th Century as an excuse to extort and rob traveling merchants. Frederik and his sons robbed a merchant train and took the merchants to the Fernindandsberg where they were held hostage for ransom. The wives of the merchants and the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
complained.
In November of 1371, the Emperor ordered Florenz, the Prince-Bishop of Münster, to proceed against the castle at Dinklage. Frederik reinforced the castle with 20 ditches and ramparts. The Bishop, realizing that he could not conquer the Ferninandsberg alone, sought allies. The Bishop of Paderborn, the Bishop of Osnabrück, and the Counts of Oldenburg, Cloppenburg and Mark eventually reinforced him. On September 15 and 16 of 1372, the attack began. The Ferdnandsborg Castle, the Vorburg, all of the outbuildings and the fortifications were completely destroyed.
Frederik and his sons retreated, first to Vechta, then to Diepholz. Frederik died in around 1393 in the same year as his sons Statius and Bertran. In 1383 they had been forced to sign an oath pledging never again to build a castle at Dinklage.
In 1393, Bishop Florenz invests the four living sons of Frederik with the old possessions in Dinklage and Vechta. The four sons were named Herbord, Dietrich, Hugo, and John. Herbord built the Herbordsburg in about 1400 at the exit of the Fernandsborg (today the Rentei). Dietrich built the Dietrichburg (the present day Wasserburg). Hugo built the Hugoburg at the present location of the castle-chapel. Not much is known about the fourth castle, which was built at some other location, possibly in the present town of Dinklage, and soon abandoned.
The inhabitants of each castle led their own lives, sharing only the water mill near the Hugoburg. With little property to control and with an unstable economy and a restrictive environment, debts arose and the Lords of Dinklage applied for positions outside their castle.
In 1543 John of Dinklage supported the Reformation of Martin Luther.
In 1560 their descendants of Hugo succeed in extending their property to a point where they took over the Herbordsburg. The newly acquired castle often served as a widow-seat (a home for the widow of the Lord) in succession times and was called the Frauenburg.
In 1587 the Dietrichsburg became the property of Kaspar Ledebur and was named the Ledebargshaus. (This is the present day castle)
In 1592 the widow Gertrud von Dinklage wed Hermann of Kettler of the House of Assen. Thus the names Herbordsburg-Frauenberg-Kettersburg indicate the same castle (today Rentei).
In 1641, during the 30 Years war, the sovereign Bishop of Münster sent the trusted Heinrich von Galen to Dinklage with the title Count of Vechta.
In 1650 Christopher Bernhard von Galen becomes Prince-Bishop of Münster and the position of his brother the Drosten Heinrich von Galen of Dinklage was strengthened.
In 1671 the Prince-Bishop acquired the entire possessions of the Dinklager. The Herbordsburg was used for the administration of goods; while, the Hugoburg contained a storeroom, a courtroom, and two dungeons. The family resided in the Diedrichsburg.
In 1677 the sovereign united Dinklage and the peasantry Brockdorf into a Federal-free "Herrlichkeit" with its own jurisdiction and its own administration.
In 1803 Dinklage was absorbed into the Dukedom (Herzogtum) of Oldenburg.
Dinklage remained the seat of the von Galen’s district until the Herrlichkeit ended in 1827.
In 1843, the Hugoburg was demolished and a castle-chapel was built at its location.
Many members of the von Galen family served as members of the South Oldenburg Reichstag.
Count Clemens August, who served as the Bishop of Münster from 1933 to 1946, was born in the castle. He became known as the "Lion Of Münster" and took an active stand against the Nazi government.
At the beginning of this Century, the von Galens transferred their home to Westphalia (the House of Assen)
After World War II the castle became a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
cloister.
Dinklage in the Thirty Year War
The Thirty Year War spread severe misery over the Münsterland. In the country, looting and fire devastated many farms. The farmland lay uncultivated, the inhabitants having fled or died. Trade and exchanges ceased. More important than the economic crisis was the depression of the moral. The people and the clergy were demoralized because of the long war; the trust in the terrestrial and spiritual authority had completely vanished. The churches, in peacetime the recumbent pole in the village-picture lay neglected in ruins or were fully destroyed. The means of providing for the restoration were missing since the church-fortune was virtually exhausted. The Episcopal Vicars General Dr. Hartmann, Nikolartius, and Luzenius already had visited the different parishes of the Niederstift during the war (1618, 1619, 1620, 1625, 1630 and 1644).After the end of the war, Prince-Bishop Franz Wilhelm tried, with a strong hand, to correct he pitiful circumstances of the church in the Niederstift. He either left all the parishes of the Districts Vechta and Cloppenburg under his personal leadership or under the management of the Episcopal commissioners. During the inspections of the years l651, 1652, 1654 and 1655, the carefully recorded protocols show a picture of the sad conditions of the churches in the Vechta district.
About the confusion of the Thirty Year War in the community Dinklage, pastor Balthazar Kohauß (1615—1657), gives a descriptive picture of conditions of the priests in Dinklage during the war. From the autumn 1623 up to the spring 1630 Dinklage stood under the tyranny of foreign troops. Life must have been difficult, because in 1630 the Vicar-General Nikolartius' inspection reported that conditions were not good for the church after the departure of the troops. The Paramentes were taken away by the predatory war-hordes, the floor was agitated everywhere, so that the place of worship looked more like a barn or a stall. The tabernacles, one equipped with torn silk, the font not lockable. Over the altar, the coat of arms of the Lords of Dinklage was positioned in place of holy pictures. Pigs ransacked the churchyard, and bones lay scattered around. During the church service, the Pfarrangehðrigens stayed in the Inn instead of in the church. Serious attempts to repair the damages could not be made because of the warlike circumstances and because of the behavior of the Lords of Dinklage. Although the office of the Kirchenprovisors lay in their hands, they didn't …care for the church, and also paid no church taxes themselves. They had reduced the property of all funds little by little and moved them at their discretion. The church was restored moderately after the Thirty Year War through the intervention of the Drosten von Galen, who transferred his residence to Dinklage. In 1655, it was stated: Everything looks complete and marvelous in the place of worship———. But unfavorable circumstances had also destroyed much; the Paraments and the silver chalice were stolen.
Dinklage under the Rule of France
At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon INapoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
attempted to gain control of all of Europe. At that time, Germany was the first goal of his plans. The Corsican had promoted himself from artillery-general to Consul and by 1804 to Emperor of the French.
His armies dominated Austria, Prussia and Russia. Prussia submitted to the Peace of Tilsit (1807), and all areas to the west of the Elbe became part of the newly defined Kingdom of Westphalia under Napoleon's brother Jerome. Napoleon had already established the Rhine-association in 1806, placing under his protectorate sixteen German princes. Also pressure was applied to the Oldenburgischen Duke. In 1808, he joined the German princes' Rhne-Association. This move by Friedrich Ludwig did not long satisfy the French. On December 13, 1810 they declared that all areas between the North Sea and a certain line became part of the French Empire. The French military confiscated all public treasuries. From Hamburg, the Prefect of Keverberg seized the homeland. The duke protested in vain; but, he had to give up power on the 26th of February 1811, and went to St Petersburg at the invitation of Czar Alexander.
On the 28th of February 1811 the Prefect went to Lambertikirche in Oldenburg and swore allegiance to France. French laws and customs came into force. The personal relationships of the farmers as property owners, the Patimonalgerichtsbarkeiten and all facilities of the fief-nature were lifted. Civilian records replaced church registers as official records of State. French became the official style.
Napoleon redrew the political map within a short time, making fundamental changes. Northern Germany was divided in 4 departments. The III Department was that Oberems-Department, with Osnabrück as the headquarters. Karl Ludwig Wilhelm of Keverberg served as the Prefect. In this Department, there were 4 Arrondissementses. A sub-prefect at Quakenbrück governed the area of the former offices Vechta and Cloppenburg. The Arrondissement of Quakenbrück was then divided into 10 cantons. One was the Dinklage Canton, which included the communities of Dinklage, Lohne, and Steinfeld.
The Mayors
Civil leaders called Marie (Mayors) were appointed for the communities. The Marie of Dinklage was the former constable Johann Conrad Böckmann. The Marie of Lohne was Karl Heinrich Nieberding. In Steinfeld, the Maire was August Hildebrand.The Marie were given the responsibility of maintaining public birth, death, and marriage records; this service had formerly been provided by the Priests in the community.
The mayors could perform civil weddings. They were also responsible for the supervision and administration of the financial affairs of the community. They supervised conscription and the maintenance of public safety. One really difficult task was the supervision and enforcement of the excessive demands of France for the delivery of livestock and grain. This was especially difficult when the levy involved manpower, as in the construction of the Hamburg-Wesel road.
Cattle and Taxes
The citizens were subjected to stricter tax-laws and levies. Napoleon's giant-army was involved in a war with Russia and required escalating financial support. The following taxes were raised:1. The property-tax, based on the value of the property.
2. That personnel - and furniture-taxes, based on the number of people and the value of their furniture.
3. The livestock-tax, based on the type and number of the existing animals.
So, in 1812, the entire community of Dinklage paid a property-tax of 1975 francs, a personnel-and-furniture-tax of 181 francs and a livestock-tax of 1473 francs. In 1813 the taxes were 1925 Frs., 165.91 Frs. and 1210.43 Frs. In the Arrondissement Quakenbrück there were 25 active tax collectors. The collected taxes were delivered to the main-tax-treasury in Osnabruck.
Livestock, grain, and feed were collected for use by the troops in the large fortress-cities of Magdeburg and Wittenberg. The following records for the year 1813 clearly illustrates this. On April 8, Dinklage was to deliver 22 head of cattle at 5500 pounds, but only 2690 pounds could be found. A payment of 28 francs per 100 pounds of missing beef was due, but the funds were not immediately available. The 2810 pounds shortage must be settled with money. On April 29, a new delivery was due in the amount of 100 hundredweight of hay, 105 hundredweight of oats, and 62 hundredweight of straw. In May and June, the community had to deliver 19,421 pounds of wheat-flour and 7050 pounds of rye-meal, along with oats, hay and straw to Osnabrück. On June 23, Dinklage was supposed to deliver 25,000 pounds of meat in the form of live cattle to Wittenberg. For this, the community made available 133 head of cattle. On July 6 and 7 a new demand was made for the delivery of 353 hundredweight of wheat and 252 hundredweight of rye in 200 pound-sacks to the fortresses at Magdeburg and Wittenberg. For the transportation the community put 30 vierspänniges (four-horse) wagons.
A special financial burden was encumbered by 15 Dinklage citizens in the amount of 2193 franc, 90 Centimens for provisioning of a French honorary-guard. Each honorary-guard received a special uniform allotment of 150 francs.
Road construction, and other hand-work tasks were required. In Northern Germany, an obstacle to Napoleon’s plans was the lack of adequate roads for the rapid movement of troops. A highway was planned from Hamburg, by way of Bremen, to Osnabrück and Wesels. Although this was not in Oldenburg, inhabitants from the canton of Dinklage were forced to work on the section from Barnstorf to Cornau. The assignment of work was based on the relationship to the land: the heuerman had one, the Kötter two, the farmer and noble men four. Also women and children from 12 years worked with the teams. Each worker must bring spades and other tools. A deployment lasted 8 days before being replaced by another team. The work was reimbursed. A man got 16 ½ Grote, a Woman 13 ½ Grote, a boy or girl 9¼ Grote for the day. A report of the Marie Böckmann on July 4, 1814 is interesting. “From March through October of the year 1813 the community Dinklage, for the purpose of transporting soldiers, war-ammunition etc. to Diepholz provided 538 vierspännige wagons and 600 leader-horses”
Service
Already in April 1811, the people in Dinklage Canton were to supply troops for Napoleon. The Corsican wanted to subjugate England, and demanded sailors for his warships. On May 7, 1811, 25 young people left Lohne, traveled to Quakenbrück, and then went on to Antwerp and Toulon, where they served as sailors on the admiral-ship “Commerce de Paris”. Also the French army required soldiers. On August the 28th, the district of Quakenbrück sent a contingent of 303 men. With it, the Canton Dinklage provided a contingent of 30. In June of the year 1812, Napoleon moved with the biggest army in history – 400,000 Soldiers, a third of it Germans -, to Russia. Many men tried to desert. They proceeded against deserters without leniency. Those who helped deserters were imprisoned for up to 6 months. Dr. Anton Tapehorn, along with the farmer Hugo Westendorf, hid in Bünne to escape service. Those who deserted escaped from the certain death penalty when Napoleon was defeated in RussiaPeace-court, judges, servants
The French courts of Justice and tribunals were established in August 1811. Hamburg was the seat of the imperial court of justice. Each Arrondissement received a tribunal of first authority, so also Quakenbrück. In each canton, a peace-court was established to handle the minor jurisdiction. In Dinklage, it was established in the Amtshaus, which later became first Dinklage hospital. Serving as magistrate, was Friedrich Christian Lentz from Höfften who had previously served as the Landgerichtsassessor in Vechta. The Canton paid the salary. The Huissier (Usher) in Dinklage was resident Friedrich Christian Harm. As an usher, he was required to deliver court-information. The Greffier (court-writers) at the peace-court was Henricus Antonius Bahlman. He was, during the French Occupation, also a tax collector. The files of the peace-court of Dinklage are written partially bilingual, that is the left half of the page is in French and that right in the Low German language.On the occasion of the birth of the Emperor’s son, Napoleon II, in March 1811, the inhabitants of Wiek and Dinklage were granted a license to hold a party. They were allowed to dance and amuse themselves as they could at 3:00 in the afternoon on March 31.
Baron Carl Ludwig Wilhelm of Keverberg was born on March 14, 1768 in Haelen in the Flemish part in Lüttich. He belonged to one elegant and affluent family at and had studied at the Prussian Universities. He was chosen as the Prefect because of his knowledge and experience. During his term of office as prefect of the Oberems-Department's Quakenbrück, he visited the canton of Dinklage. On one such visit in August 1812, he stayed at the Mäkel Inn. The proprietor served the Prefect and his companions “6 mugs of Brantwein at 28 Grs., 59 Glasses of Brantwein at 1½ Grs., and 80 mugs of beer at 3 Grs.”
Decline of the French Reign
The populace knew about the retreat of the army from Russia and the resulting military difficulties. The national resistance of Prussia was awakened, with the King of Prussia allying with Russia against and declaring war on France. Unrest broke in the middle of March 1813 in all of Northern Germany. The Oberems-Department with the Arrondissement Quakenbrück was touched by it. The cause was the occupation of Hamburg by Russian troops. The sub-prefect in Quakenbrück could protect the security with Citizen-guards.In August 1813, Austria joined the Russian-English-Prussian alliance. By October 1813 France faced a large coalition. It would end with Napoleon’s total defeat. A few days before, on the 15th of October, the Prefect of Keverberg threatened the mayors with release from office if payment of the backlogs and the contributions to the honorary-guard were not fulfilled within 24 hours. A sigh of relief went through the population, as the Gendarmerie withdrew from the Arrondissement. The Prefect with his officials left Osnabruck on November 2, 1813.
Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig of Oldenburg returned from Russia and took control of the government on December 12, 1813. Economic depression existed, which necessitated the energetic reconstruction of the entire Oldenburger State. The old laws gradually took effect. The old officials were put in charge again, even if they had served the French. Serfdom remained abolished and a new Criminal legal system secured personal freedom for each citizen.
In retrospect one can say, that that French presence as foreign masters was felt with harsh restriction. Heavy taxes and Conscription were enormous burdens that brought the country no advantage. This, and the short existence (hardly 3 years) of the Oberems-Department, led to the fact that the French administration-system was not successful.
Dinklage Industry in 1837
The Wiek Dinklage, which was already the industrial center of the Kirchspiel in the time of the Herren of Dinklage, also developed into a significant regional center for trades and trade among the Barons von Galen. The influx of foreign hand-workers and merchants described by Clemens Heitmann (Jubileeband 51 f) clearly states this. With Theoder Hörstmann (Contribution to the History S. 42) we find following installation for the place Dinklage for the year 1837: It lists four distilleries (schnapps), eight breweries, five oil mills, a tobacco factory, one candle factory, three grain mills, 21 merchants and grocers as well as 223 craftsmen of whom 85 were rope weavers. By factory or brewery, one cannot imagine any big businesses here of course. They began as family businesses and contracted for additional workers, as they became known as factories. At this time, one third of the entire resident population of the Kirchspiels lived approximately in the center of the place.The large increase in population, with the resulting expansion of available manpower, brought about industrialization among the craftsmen of Dinklage; the first were the weavers. The brothers van der Wal from Holland wanted to use the existing specialists to place near the Mühlenbach (mill brook) an industrial weaving and printing work (for materials). In 1837, a corresponding proposition went out to the Amt (government office). Despite some protest from the jurisdiction Vechta a dyer Mertz from Vechta and a calico manufacturer Bremswig from Bakum seem to be granted the authorization, because van der Wal could pick up the business and soon he considerably expanded it.
A second "pioneer" of the industrialization in Dinklage was in the second half of the century was the wind-miller and cartwright Bernard Holthaus. He profited from the increasing modernization of the agriculture. His manufactured machines and appliances found wide sales nationwide and finally led to the foundation of a factory for agricultural machines. It was one of the largest businesses in the entire dukedom in the last century.
Emigration
Many citizens left Dinklage during the 19th century in order to find a way out of poverty building up a new life in America. They especially settled in the states of OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
First local Parlament
The first local parliament was established at May 1, 1856. Members of the parliament were:Mr. Renze zu Bahlen (farmer), Mr. Többe-Schwegmann (farmer), Mr. Klöcker (farmer), Mr. Brunkenkel (farmer), Mr. Hörstmann (Salon), Mr. Diers-Bünnemeyer (farmer), Mr. Böckmann (farmer), Mr. kleine Sextro (farmer), Mr. Schulte (farmer), Mr Hörstmann (farmer), Mr. Meyer (farmer), Mr. gr. Bornorst (farmer), Mr. Niemann (farmer), Mr.Hugo (farmer), Mr Keppel (pharmacist).Head of the parliament became Mr Johann Ostendorf.
Economy
The economy is especially characterized by farming and food industry. But also industrial facilities and machines or furniture and plastic-products are being produced.Statistics
| Confessions | percent of population |
| Roman-Catholic Catholic The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"... |
ca. 69,3 % |
| Protestant | ca. 16,9 % |
| different other denominations | ca. 13,8 % |
| (Last update: 31 December 2004) | |
Notable residents
- Clemens August Graf von GalenClemens August Graf von GalenBlessed Clemens August Graf von Galen was a German count, Bishop of Münster, and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church....
, Roman Catholic archbishop of Münster, the "Lion of Münster"