!!!Ministerialen

Ministerials (also ministeriales), in the Middle Ages retainers of the 
sovereigns coming mostly from the class of unfree knights (Burghut), 
who rose to the nobility and, after the great ("free") families had 
died out by the end of the 12%%sup th/%  century, advanced to the 
highest rank. In the 13%%sup th/%  century the "Ministeriales 
Austriae" took decisions in the absence of a sovereign (nomination of 
Otakar II of Bohemia). In the 15%%sup th/%  century the families 
of ministerials gradually died out; they were replaced as Lords by new 
noble families who had been raised to the rank of Baron or Count by 
the sovereigns.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Ministerialen|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]