Heinrich von Bülow (Grotekop)
Encyclopedia
Heinrich von Bülow also known as Big Top (Grotekop) was a knight born in the middle of the fourteenth century. He died either before 1395 or during 1415. He prospered as a warrior- supporter of Prince Albrecht
of Mecklenburg
(and of Sweden). Outside Mecklenberg, Heinrich Grotekop is still remembered in many quarters as an archetypal robber baron
on account of his appetite for feuding.
. Heinrich von Bülow was called Big Head (Grotekop) on account of his ancestral home at Castle Preensberg, some 10 km (6.2 mi) to the east of Wismar
, close to the main trade route to Rostock
, and located in a village now known as Benz
. The first recorded mention of the place dates from 1376. Heinrich was the son of another Heinrich von Bülow, and also had five brothers with whom he worked closely.
, as part of a vendetta in which he was engaged against the Bishop of Havelberg
. He burnt the place, including its church, to the ground. An unplanned outcome of this destruction was a strong economic resurgence in Wilsnack which continued nearly to the time of the Reformation
. This arose through the discovery of three undamaged portions of The Host (Christ’s blood)
after the fire. For the next 170 years hundreds of thousands of pilgrim
s came to visit the Holy Blood of Wilsnack
.
In 1385 fate turned savagely against Heinrich when of Prince Albrecht III
, who was also the king of Sweden
, formed an alliance with the powerful Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck, and along with the Hanseatic League
member cities Wismar
und Rostock
launched a punitive attack on the disruptive robber baron. Twenty of von Bülow's strongholds were sought out and destroyed by this alliance, led by the Mayor of Lübeck, Thomas Morkerke and Hinrich Westhof, another freeman member of Lübeck’s ruling class and a man who would himself later become its mayor. The destroyed strongholds included von Bülow’s main base at Castle Preensberg, and were presumably mostly Motte or Motte-and-bailey
style fortifications. Heinrich appears never to have rebuilt them, and today barely a trace of them remains.
1389 saw Heinrich von Bülow appointed as a leading war lord under of the King
. His importance, by this time, in Mecklenburg’s power structure is apparent from the fact that together with his brother he is recorded as holding Plau am See
as collateral
in respect of a mortgage on Neustadt-Glewe
and Dömitz
. The value of the debt was 14,000 Lübeck Marks, which was a very large amount at that time. Heinrich will by now have been living in the castle at Neustadt-Glewe
.
Evidence as to the year of Heinrich’s death is contradictory. He may already have been dead by 1395 in which case he would not have been able to purchase the freedom of his lord, Albrecht III, imprisoned by Queen Margaret of Denmark
, as recorded in the Treaty of Helsingborg (1395).
Albert of Sweden
Albert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...
of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
(and of Sweden). Outside Mecklenberg, Heinrich Grotekop is still remembered in many quarters as an archetypal robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
on account of his appetite for feuding.
Provenance and family
The von Bülow family is an old aristicratic family from Northern GermanyNorthern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
. Heinrich von Bülow was called Big Head (Grotekop) on account of his ancestral home at Castle Preensberg, some 10 km (6.2 mi) to the east of Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
, close to the main trade route to Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, and located in a village now known as Benz
Benz, Nordwestmecklenburg
Benz is a municipality in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
. The first recorded mention of the place dates from 1376. Heinrich was the son of another Heinrich von Bülow, and also had five brothers with whom he worked closely.
Life
Heinrich von Bülow first made his mark in 1383 when he invaded the little town of WilsnackBad Wilsnack
Bad Wilsnack is a town in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated halfway between Berlin and Hamburg. Since 1928 it has been officially recognised as a spa town, before which time its name was simply Wilsnack...
, as part of a vendetta in which he was engaged against the Bishop of Havelberg
Bishopric of Havelberg
The Bishopric of Havelberg was a Roman Catholic diocese founded by King Otto I, King of the Germans, in 946. The diocese was suffragan to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. Its most famous bishop was Anselm of Havelberg. Its seat was in Havelberg in the Northern March and it roughly covered the...
. He burnt the place, including its church, to the ground. An unplanned outcome of this destruction was a strong economic resurgence in Wilsnack which continued nearly to the time of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. This arose through the discovery of three undamaged portions of The Host (Christ’s blood)
Sacramental wine
Sacramental wine, Communion wine or altar wine is wine obtained from grapes and intended for use in celebration of the Eucharist...
after the fire. For the next 170 years hundreds of thousands of pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s came to visit the Holy Blood of Wilsnack
Holy Blood of Wilsnack
The Holy Blood Wilsnack were three allegedly miraculous hosts, which survived a fire in 1383 that burned the church and village to the ground. The relics became the destination of medieval religious pilgrimages to Bad Wilsnack, Germany for nearly two centuries. Revenue from the many pilgrims...
.
In 1385 fate turned savagely against Heinrich when of Prince Albrecht III
Albert of Sweden
Albert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...
, who was also the king of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, formed an alliance with the powerful Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck, and along with 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...
member cities Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
und Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
launched a punitive attack on the disruptive robber baron. Twenty of von Bülow's strongholds were sought out and destroyed by this alliance, led by the Mayor of Lübeck, Thomas Morkerke and Hinrich Westhof, another freeman member of Lübeck’s ruling class and a man who would himself later become its mayor. The destroyed strongholds included von Bülow’s main base at Castle Preensberg, and were presumably mostly Motte or Motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
style fortifications. Heinrich appears never to have rebuilt them, and today barely a trace of them remains.
1389 saw Heinrich von Bülow appointed as a leading war lord under of the King
Albert of Sweden
Albert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...
. His importance, by this time, in Mecklenburg’s power structure is apparent from the fact that together with his brother he is recorded as holding Plau am See
Plau am See
Plau am See is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 28 km east of Parchim, and 29 km west of Waren....
as collateral
Collateral (finance)
In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
in respect of a mortgage on Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe is a German town, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim.-Sights and monuments:* The Alte Burg, a 13th-century castle, considered to be the oldest military castle in Mecklenburg....
and Dömitz
Dömitz
Dömitz is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, 25 km southwest of Ludwigslust, and 37 km northwest of Wittenberge....
. The value of the debt was 14,000 Lübeck Marks, which was a very large amount at that time. Heinrich will by now have been living in the castle at Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe
Neustadt-Glewe is a German town, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim.-Sights and monuments:* The Alte Burg, a 13th-century castle, considered to be the oldest military castle in Mecklenburg....
.
Evidence as to the year of Heinrich’s death is contradictory. He may already have been dead by 1395 in which case he would not have been able to purchase the freedom of his lord, Albrecht III, imprisoned by Queen Margaret of Denmark
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
, as recorded in the Treaty of Helsingborg (1395).
Printed souces
- Jakob Friedrich Joachim Bülow: Mit Kupfern und vielen Urkunden versehene, historische, genealogische und critische Beschreibung des Edlen, Freyherr- und Gräflichen Geschlechts von Bülow. Korb, Neubrandenburg 1780 (Digitalisat)
- Adolf v. Bülow: Bülowsches Familienbuch. 2 Bände. Schwerin 1911–1914