Georg Wolf of Kotzau
Encyclopedia
Georg Wolf of Kotzau, nicknamed the rich (d. 1560) was an Imperial Knight
and Amtmann
and Governor
.
Georg Wolf of Kotzau was a member of the ancient knightly family of Kotzau
. According to the genealogists Alban of Dobeneck, Georg Wolf of Kotzau was a son of Hans von Kotzau, who was Amtmann
of Münchberg
and who bought Oberkotzau Castle, Fattigau Castle and Burgstall Haideck from his brothers.
Georg served Margrave Albert II Alcibiades
of Brandenburg-Kulmbach as Amtmann
on the Epprechtstein
Castle and later in Rehau
. In the Schmalkaldic War
, he followed the call of his sovereign to defend the Plassenburg
. Later he went into the service of Henry IV of Plauen
and was governor of the Plauen
-Voigtsberg Castle area. At the outbreak of the Second Margrave War
, Georg, like most of his peers, refused knight service to his Margrave; instead he openly joined the other side and, after the Siege of Hof
in 1533, he briefly served as governor of Hof. After the defeat of Albert Alcibiades, the Hohenzollerns made their influence felt and gave the principality of Brandenburg-Kulmbach to George Frederick I of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach. George Frederick burned down some of Kotzau's castles, include the manor at Fattigau, to punish, in his view, the breakaway Georg Wolf, despite the latter holding letters of protection from the Emperor Charles V
and King Ferdinand I
of Bohemia.
George Wolf died in 1560 and was buried in the St. James Church
in Oberkotzau
. His painted tomb shows the knight kneeling before the cross and several ancestral coats of arms as proof of ancestry.
Imperial Knight
The Free Imperial Knights, or the Knights of the Empire was an organisation of free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor, remnants of the medieval free nobility and the ministeriales...
and Amtmann
Amtmann
Amtmann can be :*a feudal, administrative and/or gubernatorial title, such as Bezirksamtmann . Amtmann, ammann and amman were a kind of bailiff in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in Brussels....
and Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
.
Georg Wolf of Kotzau was a member of the ancient knightly family of Kotzau
Kotzau
The House of Kotzau was a local noble family in Franconia.The House of Kotzau took its name from the village of Kotzau, today called Oberkotzau and it is located in the district Hof in Upper Franconia. Famous members of the family were abbess in the abbeys of Himmelkron and Hof. Hans von Kotzau...
. According to the genealogists Alban of Dobeneck, Georg Wolf of Kotzau was a son of Hans von Kotzau, who was Amtmann
Amtmann
Amtmann can be :*a feudal, administrative and/or gubernatorial title, such as Bezirksamtmann . Amtmann, ammann and amman were a kind of bailiff in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in Brussels....
of Münchberg
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia , Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the Textile Town of Bavaria. Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, USA.-The city district's:-History:...
and who bought Oberkotzau Castle, Fattigau Castle and Burgstall Haideck from his brothers.
Georg served Margrave Albert II Alcibiades
Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Albert Alcibiades was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, also known as Brandenburg-Bayreuth.Because of his bellicose nature Albert received the cognomen Alcibiades after his death; during his lifetime Albert was known as Bellator .He was a member of the Franconian branch of the House of...
of Brandenburg-Kulmbach as Amtmann
Amtmann
Amtmann can be :*a feudal, administrative and/or gubernatorial title, such as Bezirksamtmann . Amtmann, ammann and amman were a kind of bailiff in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in Brussels....
on the Epprechtstein
Epprechtstein
The Epprechtstein is a mountain in the northern Fichtelgebirge in northeast Bavaria, . It is mineralogically the most interesting mountain in the entire Fichtelgebirge range. Around the summit there are about 20 quarries, in three of which Epprechtstein granite is quarried. The others are closed...
Castle and later in Rehau
Rehau
Rehau is a town in the district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. The first documented name of Rehau was "Resawe" in the year 1234. Rehau is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km southeast of Hof, and 12 km west of Aš...
. In the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
, he followed the call of his sovereign to defend the Plassenburg
Plassenburg
Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were ministerial of the counts of Andechs and used as their seat the Plassenburg...
. Later he went into the service of Henry IV of Plauen
Henry IV, Burgrave of Plauen
Henry IV of Plauen , was Colonel Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Burgrave of Meissen, Lord of Plauen, Gera, Greiz, Schleiz and Bad Lobenstein, Lord of Toužim, Hartenštejn Castle, Andělská Hora Castle and Žlutice...
and was governor of the Plauen
Plauen
Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:...
-Voigtsberg Castle area. At the outbreak of the Second Margrave War
Second Margrave War
The Second Margrave War was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, it involved numerous raids, plunderings and the destruction of many towns and castles in the empire, especially in...
, Georg, like most of his peers, refused knight service to his Margrave; instead he openly joined the other side and, after the Siege of Hof
Siege of Hof
thumb | Emergency money printed by the city in 1920 with the woodcut by Hans Glaser thumb | Tinted element of the woodcut with a depiction of [[Henry IV, Burgrave of Plauen|Henry IV of Plauen]]The Siege of Hof was an event of the Second Margrave War...
in 1533, he briefly served as governor of Hof. After the defeat of Albert Alcibiades, the Hohenzollerns made their influence felt and gave the principality of Brandenburg-Kulmbach to George Frederick I of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach. George Frederick burned down some of Kotzau's castles, include the manor at Fattigau, to punish, in his view, the breakaway Georg Wolf, despite the latter holding letters of protection from the Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and King Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
of Bohemia.
George Wolf died in 1560 and was buried in the St. James Church
St. James Church
St James Church or variations such as St. James' Church or St. James Chapel or St. James Parish Church may refer to:-Australia:*St James' Church, Greenough, Western Australia, in Greenough, Western Australia...
in Oberkotzau
Oberkotzau
Oberkotzau is a municipality in Upper Franconia in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany....
. His painted tomb shows the knight kneeling before the cross and several ancestral coats of arms as proof of ancestry.