Benedikt Fontana (Vogt)

Memorial plaque at his residence: Rätia Ampla castle in Riom

Benedikt Fontana, Romansch Benedetg Fontana (born around 1450 in Salouf; † 22 May 1499) was a Vogt and Ministerialer and died in the Battle of Calven.

Biography

Origin

Benedict of Fontana came from a noble family from Salouf in Oberhalbstein. His father, Henry II, was a civic minister in the service of the prince-bishop of Chur . His mother was Magdalena of Lumerins. There are hardly any records of Fontana's childhood and adolescence; accordingly his date of birth is uncertain. However, it is known that he had three brothers and five sisters.Several of his sisters were married to members of the lower ministerial nobility (an unnamed sister with a Meier Demont, his sister Ursula with Valwart's valet, his sister Agnes with Junker Hans von Biss (Abys), the Vogt of Riom, and one sister married to Johann Flugi). The oldest brother Heinrich III. was married to Anna Sarganserin, an illegitimate daughter of Count Georg von Werdenberg-Sargans zu Ortenstein. The Fontana family may date from the noblemen of Salouf, who are attested in documents in the 13th century.

Life as a Vogt

Fontana was appointed as an episcopal Vogt in 1493. A grazing law dispute between the Puschlavians and the Tirans threatened to jeopardize the good relationship between the Diocese of Chur and the Duchy of Milan; Fontana was appointed by the Bishop of Chur to mediate the diplomatic conflict.

Life as a Civil Servant

From 1495 Fontana served, as his father Henry II, as Ministerialer in Gotteshausbund in the Oberhalbstein. The formal seat of this position was the castle of Riom, which is still located prominently on a hill on the left side of the Riom valley. In 1497, during a border dispute between the neighboring communities of Savognin and Tinizong, he is said to have taken his sword in both hands and rammed exclaiming "Here's the limit!" and ending the dispute.

Death

In 1499, during the Swabian War, he earned fame when he died in the Battle of Calven. Troops were under the command of the Zurich captain Dietrich Freuler, who hesitated in mounting an offensive. Fontana took command and led a counter-attack while surrounded that turned the tide of the battle which was ultimately won by Grisons. Fontana died during this counter-offensive. The following is said about his death:

Benedikt Fontana was badly injured by an enemy bullet, while he led the Graubünden troops to the Austrian line. Dying, he held the wound to his abdomen with his left hand while he aimed his sword at the enemy with his right hand. Turning his face towards his allies, he spurred on to victory with his last strength saying: "Get up, my boys, I am only a man, do not pay any attention to my injury; Grisons and the Federation or nevermore!" This had apparently been of use, as Grisons routed the Austrian Habsburgs.

Legend has it that Fontana's sword was thrown into the Balandegns steam after the Battle of Calven so that it would not fall victim to any thief and is still hidden there today.

Historiography

His heroic death did not remain in the public eye for long. Only the Grisons historian Simon Lemnius noted Fontana's role in the battle and thus helped him retain a spot in Grisons history. Fontana's breakthrough as a national hero was in the Grisons History (1870-1874) by Conradin von Moor.

Folk Hero Status

Fontana is revered in Grisons as a national hero, comparable to William Tell or Arnold von Winkelried. His last words are the epitome of patriotism and can be found in numerous poems and songs. Simon Lemnius was the first historian to write Fontana's final words. This work, written in Latin, was written by Lemnius shortly before his death in 1550. According to this, Fontana said the following: "socii vos, tendite contra vallum igens telis; hodie est, aut Raetia nunquam amplius extabit, patriam defendite dextra!" This was later translated as: "Companions! Storm me the Wall, which is so grimly peppered with guns! Because Rätien - today or never - will continue to exist, so defended in homeland loyalty."

In 1570, the Engadine humanist Ulrich Campell published a work regarding Fontana. This too was written in Latin. He wrote only Fontana's heroic words in Engadin Romansh at the time: "Hei fraischgiamaing meis matts: cun mai ais par un huom da far; quai brichia guardad: u chia hoaz Grischuns e Ligias, u maa non plü!". While Lemnius' Latin citation did not receive much popularity, Campell's Romanesque citation turned into a call to Grisons patriotism as it was written in the native tongue.

Monuments and Commemoration

Benedikt Fontana monument in Chur

Chur is home to the Fontanapark. In this park resides a monument created by Richard Kissling in 1903 commemorates Fontana.

One line of the Allegra trains servicing the Rhaetian Railway is named after Fontana.

Duri Sialm named one of his cantatas after Benedikt Fontana.

The Benedikt Fontana Cup was named after him.

Literature

• Fontana, Benedikt in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Claudio Willi: Benedikt Fontana im Laufe der Zeiten. In: Historisch-antiquarische Gesellschaft des Kantons Graubünden (Hrsg.): Festschrift 600 Jahre Gotteshausbund: Zum Gedenken an die Gründung des Gotteshausbundes am 29. Januar 1367. Calven-Verlag, Chur 1967, S. 351–375.
• Claudio Willi: Calvenschlacht und Benedikt Fontana: Überlieferung eines Schlachtberichtes und Entstehung und Popularisierung eines Heldenbildes (= Historia raetica. Band 1). Calven-Verlag, Chur 1971.
• Bündner Urkundenbuch. Band VI, Nr. 3575 vom 29. Januar 1367, wo Heinrich I. von Fontana unter den Ministerialen des Gotteshausbundes (Eherenfels, Schauenstein, Juvalt, Marmels) auftritt.

Weblinks

• Sage über Benedikt Fontana

Einzelnachweise

Template:SORTIERUNG:Fontana, Benedikt CAtegory:1499 births

References

This article "Benedikt Fontana (Vogt)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Benedikt Fontana (Vogt). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Benedikt Fontana

---