Martin Malterer
Martin was born to Johannes and Gisela Malterer. The year he was born in is unknown (or at least, I have not been able to uncover it in my research). In fact, not a lot is known about Martin in general. It had been his father who had risen to become this seemingly larger-than-life patriarch and laid down the foundations for Martin’s rather cushioned life.
Presumably, Martin was born around the year 1350, possibly in 1347, in the city of Freiburg. His father was a member of the city council and also held the title of Knight. The House of Malterer, a patrician family, was one of the wealthiest houses in Freiburg of that time. Martin had two sisters, Elisabeth and Margaretha. There may have been as many as three more sisters, but the facts on this are not entirely clear.
With whom Martin squired is unknown also. What is historical fact, however, is that he had received his accolade at some point, most probably when he turned 21.
One line I found during my research stated that ‘in 1360 there was a big wedding at the castle Kastelburg’. I interpreted this as Martin’s own wedding. He was married to Anna of Thierstein with whom he had four daughters – but no sons.
How Martin crossed paths with the Duke Leopold III of the House of Habsburg is not documented. The two must have been close, however, for Martin did not only accompany the Duke in his final battle as ‘his personal protector’, but legend has it that he died throwing himself atop Leopold to save his life.
It was in vain, though. Martin Malterer and Duke Leopold both died in the Battle of Sempach on July 9th, 1386. Martin was ca. 38 years.
Duke Leopold III of the House of Habsburg
Leopold was born on November 1st , 1351 in Vienna. He was the youngest of six (surviving) siblings. His father, Duke Albrecht II, died when Leopold was seven years old. His eldest brother Rudolf became head of the House of Habsburg. Rudolf, too, died early, however. When Leopold was 14 years old, there were only two surviving sons: he and his elder brother Albrecht.
Leopold always felt that he should have more rights to his family’s lands and estates than his father’s decree had awarded him. This resulted in constant squabbles with Albrecht. The two brothers made various contracts to split the Habsburgian lands between them, but this would not quench their animosities. On top of that, Leopold was obsessed with retaking the Habsburgian hereditary lands from the Swiss. This meant that he was basically fighting one battle after the other throughout most of his adult life.
Leopold married the Milanese Viridis Visconti in 1365, when he was only 14 years old. Together, they had four children.
In 1368, the city of Freiburg gave herself over to the House of Habsburg after a several years long dispute with the Counts of Freiburg which eventually ended in heavy bloodshed. Freiburg emerged victorious – and autarkic from the influence of the Counts. Freiburg then sought protection with the House of Habsburg. The Habsburgers already owned several fiefdoms in the area, but Freiburg must’ve been a lucrative price for them.
Subsequently, many of the knights from the Black Forest area joined Leopold during his increasingly violent battles against the Swiss.
The bloodshed cumulated in July in the year 1386 when the Duke and hundreds of his sworn knights fell in battle near the village of Sempach. Leopold was 34 years old.
Elisabeth Malterer
Elisabeth was Martin’s elder sister, born into the wealthy patrician Malterer family. Not much is known about her, unfortunately. She probably grew up in the city of Freiburg, though the date of her birth is unknown.
What is historically accurate, however, is that she was married to the Margrave Otto of Baden-Hachberg. They had no children.
Margrave Otto of Baden-Hachberg
The Margrave Otto of Baden-Hachberg resided as the head of his House on the mighty castle Hachberg. He had two younger brothers, Hesse and Johans. The House of Hachberg was a relatively small side line of the Counts of Baden.
Otto, who was also a knight and sworn to the House of Habsburg, died alongside Martin, and Leopold, and many more during the Battle of Sempach on July 9th, 1386.
Anna of Thierstein
Anna was married to Martin Malterer. Their exact wedding date isn’t known, but it might have been in the year 1360, as one line I found suggests.
Anna was the daughter of Count Walram of Thierstein. It’s unknown when she was born, but she died in 1419. With Martin, she had four daughters. After Martin fell in the Battle of Sempach, Anna re-married Count Eberhard II of Nellenburg.
Viridis Visconti
Viridis was the daughter of Barnabò Visconti, the Lord on Milan. She was born in 1352 and had seventeen siblings. When she was only 13 years old, she was married to Duke Leopold III. The House of Habsburg had extensive trade contracts with the Northern Italian cities, which might have resulted in the engagement between Viridis and Leopold. Viridis died in 1414.
