Rudolf von Erlach was a knight and commander of the Swiss Confederation

Old Swiss Confederacy

The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....

 forces at the Battle of Laupen

Battle of Laupen

The Battle of Laupen in 1339 was fought between the Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy and Habsburg territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its position in the region...

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He was the son of Ulrich, a knight and steward, and Mechtilde of Rheinfelden. In 1316 he married Elisabeth Rych, the daughter of Ulrich of Solothurn

Solothurn

The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...

. He was a squire, knight, and ministerialis

Ministerialis

Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...

 (or unfree knight) in the service of Count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

 Rudolf III of Nidau

Nidau

Nidau is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.- Population :Nidau, located at the language boundary, although the official language is German, a high minority of French speakers live in the city, which has since long been offering them the...

. He was the castellan

Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...

 in Erlach

Erlach

Erlach may refer to:places in Austria:*Erlach , a locality of Kallham*Erlach , a locality of Pischelsdorf am Engelbach*Bad Erlach, also known as Erlach an der Pitten in Wiener Neustadt-Land in Lower Austriaplaces in Switzerland:...

 and owner of Reichenbach castle. He served as the guardian of the young Count of Nidau. According to Konrad Justinger, he led the Confederation armies in the Battle of Laupen in 1339. The Confederation victory against Freiburg

Fribourg

Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...

 army and feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy

County of Burgundy

The Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...

 and the Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

s. His victory led to Bern and Freiburg avoiding further warfare. Bern was drawn into closer association with the Swiss Confederation, becoming one of the Eight Cantons in 1353. Freiburg itself would become an associate of the Confederation in 1454 and a full member in 1481. However, he didn't live to see any of this. In 1360 he was killed by his son-in-law Jost of Rudenz of Unterwalden

Unterwalden

Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...

. They had argued with each other on the subject of a dowry, when Jost saw the sword from the Battle of Laupen hanging against wall. In sudden anger he seized it and plunged it the heart of Rudolf. He then fled, pursued by his father in law's hounds and was never seen again.

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