Warzelrausrecht Castle

The etymology of the surname of the house is still debated by historians. The name was initially used by Friedrich himself, the founder of the house. Historians strongly suggest that Friedrich initially used it as a surname rather than a title, but this is still debated. Friedrich belonged to the Wegersheimken house, which was a baronial house from the north of the country. Friedrich apparently did not have a good relationship with his father Maximilian Wegersheimken, which led historians to believe that Friedrich never used his surname in his signature, preferring to use his title of Count of Rankezwang, and when he didn't, he signed simply as Friedrich "W".

Friedrich would first use the name Warzelrausrecht in 1268 and became widely known by this surname among his neighbors, both rivals and allies. In a letter from Count Josefh Trinyod, he referred to Friedrich as Friedrich Warzelrausrecht, Count of Rankezwang. Similarly, in a letter sent by the heir to the throne, Philippe (future Philippe V), to his father Philippe IV, he praised Friedrich and referred to him as Friedrich Warzelrausrecht. One of the earliest instances of Friedrich using the surname Warzelrausrecht was on January 12, 1268, in a decree naming his son Albert as his heir, signing the document as Friedrich Warzelrausrecht, Count of Rankezwang. According to documents from the time, Friedrich also baptized his children with the surname Warzelrausrecht, including his daughters, but only started using the surname himself in 1268.

The etymological origin of the house is somewhat complicated. During its founding period, the north of the country was under the rule of the Asnovanian kingdom, but the official language of the kingdom, Portuguese, was not the predominant language in the north. Instead, the predominant language was Deutschlandisch, which was also Friedrich's native language.

The surname could be divided into 3 parts to determine its etymology, which would be "Warzel" "raus" "recht".

"Raus" is a word that can mean "out" or "outwards". "Recht" means "right" or "law".

Warzel, according to linguists and historians, could be a variation of the word "Wanzel" which means "hill".

Therefore, the literal translation would be "right of hill out" or "right beyond the hills". Historians and linguists have reached this conclusion and consider it the most plausible for the etymological origin of the surname.

Historians support this theory even due to the historical documentation of the time, as Friedrich's first use of his Warzelrausrecht would even be before 1268, in 1260, when he used the name Friedrich Warzelrausrecht in a letter sent to neighboring barons situated beyond the hills. Therefore, the name Warzelrausrecht would be a way to demonstrate to Friedrich's neighbors that he had rights over the lands beyond the hills of his territory.

This is because Friedrich purchased the lands where he founded the Warzelrausrecht castle from the baron of Slohur. The lands Friedrich purchased were surrounded by hills, but according to historical documents about the lands, they were not limited by the hills, meaning the lands extended even beyond the hills. However, due to the poor care that the Slohur family had with the lands, the neighboring nobles ended up taking a large part of the lands situated outside the hills, not claiming the lands they surrounded. When Friedrich bought the lands, he would end up claiming all the original lands acquired by the Slohur family since he paid for the price of all the lands, meaning both those surrounded by hills and those situated beyond the hills.

Therefore, the surname Warzelrausrecht would have the meaning of "right beyond the hills" for this reason. So when Friedrich signed as Friedrich Warzelrausrecht, he wanted to convey the idea of "lord beyond the hills" or "with rights beyond the hills".

Carl Wegersheimken

The dynasty originates from the baronial house of Wegersheimken, with the oldest recorded ancestor of the dynasty being Carl Wegersheimken. Carl was the first to use the surname Wegersheimken. He was born between the years 520-530 and died between the years 580-590. And his biography was recorded by his grandson Gustav Wegersheimken (576-631). Carl's biography states that he was a peasant. When the Asnovanian Empire fell, the Ourlleouv house fought to rise to power and assume the position as monarchs of a unified Asnovanian kingdom. The feudal lord for whom Carl served called his arms to help Hugo I, and Carl was among those summoned. During the constant battles, Carl distinguished himself, gaining fame and fortune. Carl eventually married Leonor, the daughter of the feudal lord who had no male heirs. After the lord's death sometime between 560-570, Carl assumed his possessions as his heir and received permission from King Hugo I to found his baronial house.

The etymology of the name Wegersheimken could be something like "small house on the way". Some historians try to determine exactly why Carl would receive or name himself with this surname. There are two possible interpretations regarding the name. The first suggests that Carl chose the surname because he inherited the castle from Leonor's father. The castle was small and situated on an important trade route. Another interpretation, and the most accepted one, is that King Hugo I would give the surname to Carl, not as a surname but as a title. This is confirmed by the fact that Carl was known as the Baron of Wegersheimken after he succeeded to his father-in-law's domains. He would be granted the title of Baron of Wegersheimken due to the location of his lands, as they were both on the path of an important military and economic strategic road and because his was the only smaller family that controlled a portion of this road. Other families that held it were usually larger and more prestigious, holding titles ranging from Counts to Dukes, which would make the family a "small house on the way".

Schism

Maximilian Wegersheimken

The Wegersheimken house would go through a schism that would be formalized on January 18, 1271. Friedrich Wegersheimken did not have good relations with his father Maximilian Wegersheimken, whom he often called "That Man", never even speaking his name. Historians believe that Maximilian and Friedrich's fights were related to the way Maximilian treated his eldest son. Despite Friedrich being his apparent successor, Maximilian did not hide his dislike for him. According to Friedrich's biographers, Maximilian was a drunkard who frequently beat Friedrich and his siblings. According to records, Friedrich's mother Leopoldine also suffered the abuse. Maximilian's hatred for his son was only demonstrated when Friedrich, aged 14-16, once engaged in a physical fight with him. Despite being larger and stronger, Maximilian allegedly could not defeat his son, who humiliated him in front of guests at a party held by Maximilian at Wegersheimken Castle.

After this event, Friedrich fled his father's lands in 1247. He used money he had Acquired from his mother to sustain himself for 3 years as he traveled from place to place. In 1250, he arrived at the court of Roberto Yeles, Viscount of Desletra, an old but wealthy man. Friedrich impressed Roberto, who advised him not to leave his court and to assume the role of administrator of his lands. Friedrich accepted and spent 7 years administering Roberto's lands. Roberto was so pleased with Friedrich that he often called him his son. Roberto had no male heirs but had 3 daughters: Isabel, Helena, and Maria. Friedrich would marry Maria in 1252, and after Roberto's death in 1257, his lands were divided among his daughters. The title of Viscount of Desletra went to Isabel's husband, the eldest daughter of Roberto, but the most fertile lands went to Friedrich. He received the title of Count of Rankezwang, a title that Roberto had purchased in 1255 to give to Friedrich after his death.

Friedrich did not have grand ambitions, but he knew how to profit. He managed to make his lands prosper and develop them in such a way that it caught the attention of King Philippe IV, who had recently ascended the throne in 1257. Philippe would meet Friedrich in 1260, by which time Friedrich had already turned his lands into highly productive and modernized ones. He had created channels in the rivers, built roads, established an efficient tax collection system, introduced a legal code, set up a council for administration, and introduced a judicial council. Additionally, he tripled the number of soldiers in his lands and built a library. All these accomplishments in just 3 years would attract the attention of the king, who had just taken over a kingdom and needed advice. Friedrich would be introduced to the king through Prince Philippe, who would become his friend.

On June 7, 1260, King Philippe IV would meet Friedrich and be pleased with him, appointing him as the general administrator on June 18. Friedrich would hold this position until August 4, 1291, serving two kings, Philippe IV and Philippe V, and becoming known as the third in the kingdom. Soon after assuming the position in 1260, Friedrich would receive the counties of Palituz and Aipasi, significantly increasing his wealth. From the years 1260 to 1271, Friedrich would receive an additional 2 counties, 4 baronies, 1 viscounty, and 1 marquisate. In order, they were the counties of Ansdeai and Delafairo, the baronies of Lusttu, Hisryl, Sudnu, and Stalfad, the viscounty of Pluespa, and the marquisate of Genpeist. Friedrich would also end up buying lands from barons, but he did not acquire their titles. By 1270, Friedrich was already one of the richest men in the kingdom.

One of the lands purchased by Friedrich was in the north, belonging to the Slohur house, who did not care much for the lands despite their significant size and fertility. Friedrich was so pleased with the lands that he had royal permission to spend 2 months of the year on vacation, and he always chose to go to those lands. Friedrich began construction of a castle that would serve as the headquarters of his family, which would become known as Warzelrausrecht Castle.

On January 18, 1271, King Philippe IV granted Friedrich the title of Duke, and Friedrich self-appointed himself as the Duke of Warzelrausrecht, thus founding the Duchy of Warzelrausrecht and the House of Warzelrausrecht together. Friedrich united his lands, and after receiving the title, he and his children and his wife renamed themselves, adopting the surname Warzelrausrecht in both civil and church records.

Leonor, Friedrich's mother, would die in 1272, but before her death, Friedrich visited her. As a noble and member of the king's court, his father could not prevent it. Instead, Maximilian left his castle and spent days at the family's countryside hunting lodge. Friedrich saw his mother on March 3, and she passed away on March 19. Friedrich then returned to the court without exchanging a single word with his father.

Friedrich still faced issues regarding his father's succession. Maximilian Wegersheimken died on March 4, 1276, leaving the succession of the Wegersheimken barony uncertain. His eldest son, who had abandoned him and publicly humiliated him, instilled hatred in Wegersheimken toward Friedrich. On the other hand, his younger son, Josefh Wegersheimken, was an alcoholic with numerous debts and no male heirs. Maximilian never formally removed Friedrich from the succession line, but even after his father's death, Friedrich did not claim the title of Baron of Wegersheimken. Instead, his eldest son Albert would claim it, initiating a long period of conflict between Albert and his uncle.

Friedrich continued to wield significant power and influence in the kingdom, becoming known at court as Lord Warzelrausrecht. He received treatment and excellence and was responsible for modernizing the city of São Paulo, the capital of the Asnovanian kingdom at the time. He initiated peace treaty negotiations with the kingdom of Valoreski to end the 13-year war, established codes of law to be followed in the realms, and created the General Courts, which would be the main means of national representation for the three groups: Clergy, Nobility, and Bourgeoisie. Friedrich also granted authority and autonomy to municipalities by creating municipal councils. He was responsible for modernizing cities and incentivizing fiefdoms to increase production, as well as creating laws in favor of serfs and bourgeoisie.

Friedrich withdrew from politics in 1291, although the title of general administrator still technically belonged to him, he did not exercise it from June 4 until his death. From this period onwards, the kings of the Ourlleouv house would wield great power, starting with Philippe V. Due to Friedrich receiving the title of lifelong general administrator, Philippe and his descendants would not acknowledge his death, declaring him as still ruling even after his death. This practice, besides being a tribute, was used to prevent the appointment of individuals to the position who could diminish royal power.

Friedrich spent his final years at Warzelrausrecht Castle, where he did not concern himself with kingdom or family matters, delegating all responsibilities regarding the Warzelrausrecht family to his eldest son Albert, who began exercising these duties in 1292.

Friedrich passed away on September 9, 1301, at the age of 70. He left the leadership of the house and most of his lands to his son Albert, but he also left some purchased lands to his younger son Ferdinand and a larger fortune to him as he received fewer lands than Albert. Friedrich's wife, Maria, passed away on March 1, 1308, at the age of 74. Both are buried at the Abbey of St. George.