Eltz Feud

It came about as a result of attempts in 1331 by the Archbishop of Trier and Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg to re-incorporate the imperial ministeriales or knights of the castles of Ehrenburg, Eltz, Schöneck and Waldeck as vassals into the administrative district of Trier and to subordinate them to a unified, sovereign state administrative structure.

This measure was designed to curb private feuds and the operations of jungle law (Faustrecht), to counter the practice of disrupting trade by travelling merchants and the movement of goods through arbitrary tolls and illegal seizures, and to prevent the use of imprisonment and seizing of hostages in order to enforce a claim.

Baldwin decided to reinforce his electoral sovereignty by building the counter-castles of Rauschenburg and Trutzeltz (also Baldeneltz), from where he controlled and prevented the knights from joining forces with one another.

In the documents about this feud, appear the names of the brothers, Henry the Elder and Henry the Younger of Ehrenberg, John of Eltz, Conrad the Red of Schoneck, Rudolph, William, Winand and John, called Boos von Waldeck, William Barrett, and Hertwin Winningen.

Primitive cannons known as pots-de-fer are known to have been used at the siege of Eltz Castle, which is the first recorded instance of artillery being used in Germany.