In the 12th Century these wives saved their husbands.
Naturally, it happened in a war.
This tale begins when the Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair II, died in 1137. You see the crown should have passed to Henry the Proud. However, it didn’t, as when he stood to be emperor, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire opposed him. Instead, they chose and then elected King Conrad III, who was from the princely German family of Hohenstaufen, in Frankfurt on February 2, 1138.
It was now that Conrad gave the Duchy of Saxony to Count Albert, the Bear, which led the Saxons to rise up in support of their young prince, Henry the Proud and his brother Count Welf of Altorf. This led to war!
The siege of Weinsberg
During the war in 1140, King Conrad III laid siege to Weinsberg, a city located in southwest Germany, and was therefore part of the Holy Roman Empire.
However, Weinsberg put up such a fearless defence of the city that King Conrad III resolved to destroy Weinsberg and imprison its defenders. Nevertheless, he suspended the final assault while a surrender was negotiated.
The offer to the Ladies of Winsberg
During these negotiations King Conrad realised that once the city fell, the women of the city would be at a great risk from his soldiers. Therefore, he decided that he should spare the lives of all the women in the city.
He issued a decree that allowed all the women in the city to leave with whatever they could carry on their shoulders.
What was the result?
King Conrad never expected what happened next.
The women came out of the city carrying their husbands and their children on their backs!
What did King Conrad do?
Well, he laughed, King Conrad realised there was nothing he could really do but, laugh.
Then he said that as a King it was his duty to keep his word, which he did.
Finale
You see not only were all the lives spared but they also had all their possessions restored to them, undamaged.
You have to ask whether it was an example of wifely love, or was it an early example of women being better negotiators?
Isn’t History fun?
10 friendly questions to give help remember this event.
- Who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1138, and why did Henry the Proud not receive the crown?
- What decision by King Conrad III caused the Saxons to rise up in rebellion?
- Where was Weinsberg, and why was it important during the war of 1140?
- How did the people of Weinsberg defend their city during the siege?
- What offer did King Conrad III make to the women of Weinsberg, and why did he make it?
- What unexpected action did the women take when they were allowed to leave the city?
- Why do you think King Conrad III chose to laugh rather than punish the women?
- How does this story show the importance of keeping one’s word, even in wartime?
- In what ways does the story challenge traditional ideas about women’s roles in medieval society?
- Do you think this event is best seen as an example of love, clever negotiation, or both? Explain your answer.
To learn more about this here are three web sites worth visiting:
https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-wise-wives-of-weinsberg-cce96e3a1d79