The term edelfrei or hochfrei ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atonement reparation of three times their "Weregild" (Wergeld) value from a guilty person or party. Such knights were known as Edelfreie or Edelinge. This distinguished them from those other free men or free knights who came from the Third Estate social hierarchy, and whose atonement reparation value was the standard "Weregild" (Wergeld) amount set according to regional laws. In the Holy Roman Empire, the "high nobility" (Hoher Adel [de]) emerged from the Edelfreie during the course of the 12th century, in contrast to the so-called ministeriales, most of whom were originally unfree knights or Dienstadel [de].[1]
In the Middle Ages edelfrei or hochfrei meant, in simple terms, that someone was a member of an ancient, dynastic aristocratic line. Free noble families were independent of legal obligations of a secondary nature, and they were not subordinated to any other families or dynasties, apart from the king or emperor.[1] The modern concept of aristocracy (Uradel) must not be confused with the term edelfrei, since the former term's scope is much broader: all families that can prove they belonged to the knightly aristocracy by no later than around 1400 (whether originally edelfrei or ministeriales) are counted today as Uradel, i.e., the aristocracy.
Many edelfrei families submitted themselves during the course of the Middle Ages to more powerful feudal lords; these families are commonly referred to in the literature as "originally edelfrei". This submission did not always happen under duress. Many vassals attained high positions in the courts of their lords, and vassal service was often very lucrative. Especially at the time of territorial expansion and the emergence of a monetary economy, many Edelfreie were dependent on the protection and support of a powerful secular or ecclesiastical lord. And vice versa: a dependent relationship existed, in that larger territories could only be secured and managed with the aid of loyal vassals.
The number of edelfreie families was limited. A new social order, the ministeriales now arose rapidly. These officials, who were mostly unfree in their origins, managed within a century to elevate themselves to the lesser nobility. The differences between ministeriales and the old aristocratic families began increasingly to blur. For many aristocratic families that were originally edelfrei there is therefore no reliable evidence of their dynastic origins.
^ abKarl Bosl: Die Gesellschaft in der Geschichte des Mittelalters. 4. Auflage. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1987, ISBN 3-525-33389-7, p. 56.
The term edelfrei or hochfrei ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second...
accumulated power and fiefs, at some point more than the Edelfrei knights. Poorer Edelfrei knights passed into ministerialis service, primarily to be...
Brandenburg, the Junker was originally one of the members of the higher Edelfrei (immediate) nobility without or before the accolade. It evolved to a general...
was the Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (edelfrei) and the ministeriales. What distinguished them from other knights, who...
(one of the Mediatised Houses, or former Sovereign families). The former edelfrei family was first mentioned as Ursperch in a deed of 1162 issued by Duke...
Countess Palatine of Bavaria. She was one of the two daughters of the edelfrei Lord Frederick III of Pettendorf-Lengenfeld-Hopfenohe, who died between...
medieval Burgraviate of Nuremberg. Conrad was a count of Raabs, a family of edelfrei nobility, named after their first castle, Burg Raabs an der Thaya in Lower...
in 1159. According to contemporary sources, Otto was born into a noble (edelfrei) family which held estates in the Swabian Jura. He was related to the Staufers...
indicates that his family had imperial immediacy, either as part of the Edelfrei (nobili liberi, "free nobles"), the Germanic unindentured knightly class...
Egeno I of Konradsburg (also Conradsburg) was one of the free knights (Edelfrei) of Konradsburg, in the northeast of the Harz region of Germany, near Ermsleben...
until his death. Gottfried III was a member of the von Raabs family, an edelfrei family named after their first castle, Burg Raabs an der Thaya in Lower...
von Graben (before 1300 – c. 1361) was a Styrian noble, a member of the edelfrei Von Graben family. He held the titles as Lord of Kornberg and Graben (near...
Conrad ruled alone until his own death. Conrad I was a member of the edelfrei von Raabs family. He was a son of Gottfried I of Gosham and a grandson...
Judith married Boto, the younger brother of Count Palatine Aribo II of the edelfrei family of the Aribonids. In 1070 h referred to himself as comes de Potensteine...
Conrad I, from 1105 until his death. Gottfried II was a member of the edelfrei von Raabs family. He was the son of Gottfried I of Gosham and the grandson...
Anno is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. He was born to the edelfrei Steusslingen family at Altsteußlingen (near Ehingen) in Swabia, and was...
1234–1255) was a German Minnesänger (lyric poet). Gottfried was born to an Edelfrei family of Swabia. He was associated with the court of King Henry VII of...
hill castle Code CH-GR Height 822 m above the sea Site information Condition ruin Site history Built about 1000 Garrison information Occupants Edelfrei...
(German: Friedrich der Jüngere), was a Styrian noble, a member of the edelfrei Von Graben family. He held the titles as Lord of Kornberg and Marburg,...
the Duchy of Styria, Andreas von Graben was a descendant of the noble (edelfrei) House of Graben family. He was the son of Friedrich I von Graben (d. 1422...
Schlössle is the burgstall of Bromberg Castle, built around 1200 by the edelfrei lords of Bromberg and which was reduced to ground level in 1824. Downhill...
hillfort. The castle was first mentioned in 1312 as the property of the edelfrei family of Schlüsselberg. A Henry of Neideck, however, was recorded as early...
the value of bracteates. The house of Dassel was certified in 1113 as edelfrei, i.e. knights not subordinate to any except the king or emperor. However...
were first mentioned in an 1127 deed. The first owners were the Swabian edelfrei Lords of Schelklingen, three brothers: Rüdiger, Adalbert and Walter, who...
Global Information