Eike von Repgow
Encyclopedia
Osternienburg
Osternienburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Osternienburger Land. It is situated approx. 6 km northeast of Köthen , and 15 km west of Dessau-Rosslau....
in Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
), was a medieval German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
administrator who compiled the Sachsenspiegel
Sachsenspiegel
The Sachsenspiegel is the most important law book and legal code of the German Middle Ages. Written ca...
in the Thirteenth Century.
The Sachsenspiegel
Eike von Repgow is thought to have written (or dictated) the Sachsenspiegel at the behest of Graf Hoyer von Falkenstein between 1220 and 1235.It was intended by its compiler to document existing, customary law, not to create new law. The work is of great significance not only as a legal code but also as the first major work of German prose.
Vetus auctor de beneficiis
As the author writes in the verse prologue of the Sachsenspiegel, he first wrote it in Latin and later, with some reluctance, at the wishes of Graf Hoyer von Falkenstein, translated it into German.The Latin version of the first part, on Landrecht (common law), has been lost, but the second part, on Lehensrecht (feudal law) was, as is now believed, preserved. This is the Vetus auctor de beneficiis, which is written in verse. There was a debate as to whether this was the Latin original of the part of the Sachsenspiegel on feudal law or a later translation of it into Latin, and for some time the latter view prevailed. However, the current consensus is that the Vetus auctor de beneficiis is indeed the Latin original of the feudal law section of the Sachsenspiegel.
Where did Eike von Repgow compile the Sachsenspiegel?
Where the original was compiled is unclear. It was thought to have been written at Quedlinburg or Burg Falkenstein in the Harz Mountains, but Peter Landau, an expert in medieval canon law recently suggested that it may have been written at the monastery of Altzelle (now Altzella).Other works by Eike von Repgow
Another work, the Sächsische Weltchronik has also been attributed to Eike von Repgow, but this is now thought unlikely.Life
Little is known about Eike von Repgow, but he is mentioned in several documents dating from the period between 1209 and 1233.Family
It is thought that his family moved to the district of Serimunt, south of MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, in the Twelfth century and acquired land in the village of Reppichau. Other members of the family are mentioned in 1156 and 1159.
From his mention in court proceedings in 1209 it is inferred that he was born around 1180. Lack of mentions after 1233 suggests that he died shortly after that.
Education
From the prologue to the Sachsenspiegel it is clear that Eike could read Latin, as well as German. It is not actually known if he could write, since it was quite common, at the time, to employ scribes.He was versed in canon law; so it is thought that he was educated at a cathedral school, possibly under Bishop Wichmann von Seeburg at Halberstadt, or more likely at Magdeburg.
Status
It is clear that he was a respected personage, but his precise place in the feudal hierarchy is not known with certainty, since he is sometimes listed among the free nobles and sometimes among the bondsmen (Dienstmannen). He may have been a bondsman of Count Henry I. of Anhalt or of Graf Hoyer von Falkenstein but he was probably a free noble, one of the so-called schöffenbar freie, which entitled him to sit in the Thing (baron's court). One theory is that he was of noble birth, but like many others, became a ministerialis or bondsman, while retaining his noble status.Commemoration
There are monuments to Eike von Repgow in MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, Reppichau
Osternienburg
Osternienburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Osternienburger Land. It is situated approx. 6 km northeast of Köthen , and 15 km west of Dessau-Rosslau....
and Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
and at Falkenstein Castle in the Harz Mountains. There is a square named after him in Berlin, and there is an open-air museum devoted to him and the Sachsenspiegel in his village of Reppichau. There are also schools named after Eike von Repgow School in Halberstadt and Magdeburg.
The Eike von Repgow prize, which comes with a statuette of Eike von Repgow, a certificate, and 5000 euros, is awarded jointly by awarded annually by the city of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
and the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg for academic work of a historical or legal nature.