Elisabeth of Wetzikon
Elisabeth of Wetzikon (* 1235, † 1298 in Zurich ) was 1270-1298 Princess-Abbess of the monastery Dame Cathedral in Zurich and thus the mistress of the city.
Elizabeth was a daughter of Baron Ulrich von Wetzikon. The first mention of it is in 1265 as a nun in the women's Cathedral.
Her appointment as abbess in 1270 was controversial; decisive for their choice was the Bishop of Constance, Eberhard II von Waldburg. With her election as abbess Elisabeth was the most powerful woman of the time on the territory of modern Switzerland. The monastery was at the height of his power and had huge land to the central Switzerland. Elizabeth had the coinage, leased the duties of Zurich, elected the mayor and his deputy and was supreme judge of the city. Since there was no town clerk, led the women's monastery Munster also the municipal office.
In a document dated January 25, 1274 she was awarded Rudolf I of Habsburg, whom she had treated like royalty in the previous year, to mint money.
To date, 170 documents are obtained, which carry and show that they dealt ex officio with many different legal transactions their names and sometimes their seal.
She had extensive relationships and political influence beyond Zurich. For example, the Chief Magistrate of Uri was in the founding year of Switzerland 1291 Knight Arnold Meier her of silenes.
Culturally led Elizabeth in Zurich, the Gothic, which first appears in the transept of the cathedral wife. In a chancel pillar following inscription is carved on it: "( Frow EB) TISCHENNE ELI / S ( ABETH VO) WEZZINGKON N / I (N THE IAR ) BY GOD GE / B ( URT IM) MCCXCVIII IAR ".
Elisabeth of Wetzikon is mentioned in some works of literature:
- John Hadlaub in the " manessische Liederhandschrift »: ... of Zurich diu vürstin ... - Due to the mention of Elizabeth and some other leading citizens of Zurich has been suggested earlier, the Mentioned (and thus also Elisabeth of Wetzikon ) were part of a literary circle, out of which the songs manuscript itself had arisen. This assumption is now also refuted.
- Friedrich Schiller in "William Tell", Act 3, Scene Riitli: The great woman of Zurich I am sworn ...
- Gottfried Keller in the novella " Hadlaub »: There was especially Bishop Heinrich of Constance, a handsome man with dark eyes and hair, with serious but witty facial features; with the ringed hand he held the hand of the Princess-Abbess of Zurich, who was sitting in worldly ladies dress next to him, a nursing temporary phenomenon that flourished only in the light of those eyes. To his other side sat the housewife of the knight of the equally old- lived tribe of Wolfleipsch, right next to her another Konventualin the abbey, wife Elizabeth of Wetzikon, cousin of the bishop, the most important abbess was later, this also in secular garb. - The Cunegond of Wasserstelz in the same amendment should be modeled on Elizabeth.