The Karl castle is appropriate for approx. 25 km on a mountain spur at the left bank of the Main opposite the city Karl city, northwest from peppering castle. North underneath the castle the associated valley settlement was in the Gemarkung of the today's quarter Karl castle.

Situation

This concerns a very traffic-favorable and - determining situation in the Frankish old settling country. The Main valley widens here to a flat, toward the west rising boiler. Along the Main as well as in west east direction important operating races ran to the centers of the Frankish karolingischen realm. They crossed the river here in two, approx. two kilometers from each other distant fords. The complex of castle and settlement formed the last stage station on the way Main upward after peppering castle, for the former seat of the duke Heden and bishop city since 741/42. Likewise a day's journey far away river downward the monastery new city and northward mutton castle lie. This shows the important position of the Karl castle on the way by east Franconia at that time.

Written excessive quantity

The first mention of the settlement complex Karl castle to the year 741/42 stands in the direct connection with the establishment of the diocese peppering castle. The karolingische house Meier Karl man gave Karloburgo to the diocese beside 25 royal self-churches also a Marienkloster with belonging to goods and rights in the mansion, justified by Bonifatius, about which three later confirmation documents report. In a second donation in the same context king transferred Pippin the younger one 751/53 to the first bishop Burkard castle and king yard with associated Fiskalbezirk and all income which can be referred from it (castellum"… Karloburg"… cum fisco regali). At the latest in the center 8. Century existed thereby a central place with attachment, king yard as well as a monastery, which were first in royal hand and/or that the karolingischen house Meier and only thereafter to the diocese one handed over. The exact of the castle cannot be derived from the sources. It remains unclear whether it had been put on only in karolingischer time, possibly under Karl Martell, or already in time, perhaps under Obhut of the Hedene. Also information over appearance and function of the castle are missing. The historical messages already mark Karl castle as an important central place in the earlymedieval national history of Main Franconia. The 1286 as castrum Karl castle mentioned found its end in the farmer war, as it between that to 15. May and 3. June 1525 burn.

Archaeological excavations

Archaeological excavations on the castle took place 1971/72 and 1974/75 under the direction of Klaus black. 1994 were accomplished again a smaller Sondagegrabung. Substantial realizations made possible also 1992 taken up aerial photographs for the oldest, hardly recognizable attachment.

The development of the Karl castle of 8. to 16. Century

The evaluation of the excavations by Peter Ettel resulted in an arrangement of the building history of the castle in four phases.

Phase A the karolingische plant of the early diocese time (establishment around the center 8. Century)

It possessed an expansion of approximately 125 x 120 m with approx. 1.3 hectars of inner surface and was with 5.30 m broad, formerly 1.90 m deep pointed ditch umwehrt, which locked the spur arc-shaped. Behind the internal ditch edge a mortar wall, one of the earliest such attachments in South Germany ran with very high probability. In the smaller Sondageschnitten inside the castle plant different post positions and settlement pits were found, the certification of an intensive land development and use to give. Under the finds a probably earlymedieval particularly is to call verziertes leg panel. It probably comes from a small box and is considered as voucher to the presence of a socially lifted person layer on the castle.

Phase B - The petrol niche plant (establishment around 900 - 1. Half of 10. Century)

The smaller attachment of the karolingischen castle was given up, the ditch was filled and the umwehrte surface on 1,7 hectars was extended. This covered also unused area before it; the expansion amounted to now about 170 x 120 M. the new attachment formed again arc-shaped, a barrier broad with stones and soil more up-poured, 9-10 m and a ditch pre-aged without Berme. Very probably associated two further, approx. 100 and/or 200 m are distant barrier ditch plants in the apron, which correspond to the main attachment completely in their construction and obviously served as approximation obstacles for riders. The kind of the attachment is for plants from the time of the Hungary ideas around 900 and in the first half 10. Century typically. From the close interior settlement again numerous post pits and fire places witness. At the barrier foot a six-post house of 6,40 x 5-5.20 m size, with board soil, a stone delimitation in the west and a bricked stove place in the northwest corner stood.

Phase C - The salisch staufische plant (establishment in the 11. Century)

The size of the petrol niches castle was maintained. On the barrier a wall was established, which was strengthened partly by pre-aged and into the ditch set towers. The three ergrabenen homogeneous towers in relatively regular intervals from 32 to 35 m possessed a wall thickness of approx. 1.60 m and a of 7,20 M. to be in each case accepted can two further towers in the southwest just like a gate at the southwest corner. During the third phase also the barrier on the inside was widened around 3-4 m to 13-13,50 m, which widens ditch on 4,50 m deepened and on 10-12 m. The attachment reached thereby a total width of 25 M.

With also here again the numerous post holes a particularly substantial building method with very broad and deep, post pits driven into the lining up rock is remarkable. At the barrier foot again a zweischiffiges post house with 6 m became side length ergraben. A large number of ceramic(s) and metal finds occupies the intensive and multi-phase use of the interior. Horseshoes, hoof nails and a stirrup refer to the temporary presence of mounted troops.

Phase D - latemedieval plant (off around 1200 or in the middle 13. Century to center 16. Century)

The castle plant was made smaller now and remained limited to the southeast spur range. But deep and 30 m a broad neck ditch was put on, which older attachments to a large extent geschleift and which plane areas in the apron. From the interior land development several remainders are received still in the coming up. Some Roman construction units probably still originate from salisch staufischer time. Possibly the castle D was already put on around 1200 parallel to the establishment Karlstadts on the opposite Main side by bishop Konrad von Querfurt (1198-1202). From the gothical buildings v. A. the east wall of the is received, which rises this very day at a value of 90 m over the Main and offers in particular from the Main side an impressive picture. The Karl castle was destroyed during the farmer war in the year 1525.

Literature

• Peter Ettel: Karl castle - development of a royal central place at the Main with castle and valley settlement of 7. up to 13. Century. Gaillard 18, 1998, P. 75-85.
• Peter Ettel: Karl castle at the Main from the karolingischen king castle to the castle. In: Klaus Leidorf, Peter Ettel, Burgen in Bavaria. 7000 years castle history in the aerial photograph (Stuttgart 1999) P. 78-81.
• Peter Ettel: Karl castle. In: Material encyclopedia of the Germanic ones antiquity customer. Bd. 16. Jadwingen - small seal (Berlin, New York 2000) P. 272-274.
• Peter Ettel: Karl castle - Rosstal - Oberammerthal. Studies to the earlymedieval building of castles in north Bavaria. Earlyhistorical and archaeology. Materials and research 5. Publication of the commission for the comparative archaeology of Roman alpine and Danube countries of the Bavarian academy of the sciences (Rahden/Westf. 2001).
• Peter Ettel: Between king and bishop. The settlement complex of Karl castle. In: Wilfried/Dieter Planck (Hrsg.): Humans, times, areas. Archaeology in Germany (Stuttgart 2002) P. 339-342.
• Peter Ettel, Dieter Castellum and mansion Karloburg. Historical and archaeological excessive quantity. In: Lenssen/Ludwig Wamser (Hrsg.): 1250 years diocese peppering castle. Archaeological-historical certifications of the early period (peppering castle 1992) P. 297-318.
• Peter Ettel, Ludwig Wamser: New realizations to Castellum, Monasterium and mansion Karloburg. Karl castle and city Karl city, district Main Spessart, Lower Franconia. In: The archaeological year in Bavaria 1994, P. 138-143.

Related links

• Karl castle - early and high-medieval central place at the Main, project sides of the range for Ur and early history of the Friedrich Schiller university Jena
• Archaeological excessive quantities. The castles on the height, information of the city Karl city.

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