(Image copyright: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
The first thing I did when I started to work on ‘The 11th Code’ was a timeline of all the events in Martin Malterer’s life. I went hunting down dates and filled in gaps, feeling a bit like Indiana Jones when he solves one puzzle that leads him to the next until he arrives at the ultimate Prize. For Indy, that’s a crystal skull or a wooden goblet. For me, it was the raw shape of a tale.
What was both beautiful and frustrating about Martin Malterer’s life is the lack of records. To this day, I didn’t find out when his date of birth had been. Only the year of his accolade had been recorded. So, knowing that a squire received his knighthood at the age of 21, I counted back from there. More was known about Duke Leopold III. My own calculations put Martin at four years Leopold’s senior. That was an age difference that works wonderfully with the overall plot, so I decided to leave it at that.
Should any historian who knows more about Martin’s life ever stumble upon this tiny blog of mine – please accept my apology for any errors you may spot in the timeline or my work. What liberties I took I tried to keep as minimal as possible.
Key: an asterisk (*) in front of a a date indicated that this is presumed and not historical fact.
| Year | What happened? | Notes |
| * Ca. 1347 (January 1347) | Martin Malterer is born in Freiburg | Parents: John Malterer & Gisela von Kaiserberg |
| * 01.11. 1351 | Duke Leopold III is born in Vienna | Martin is 4 years old |
| * 1347 – 1354 | Martin grows up in Freiburg. | Grows up together with his elder sister Elisabeth. |
| 1354 | Elisabeth Malterer marries Otto of Hachberg. | During the wedding celebrations, Martin is offered to page for knight Otto. Martin is 7 years old. |
| 21.12.1354 | Martin’s name is mentioned for the first time. | Martin is gifted the castle Kastelburg by his father. The castle was brought for 2140 silver marks by John Malterer, but Martin is mentioned as its owner. Martin is 7 years old. |
| From 1356 | Several towns are plighted to Martin | Martin is 9 years old |
| 17.02.1360 | Johannes Malterer dies | Martin is 13 years old |
| 16.02.1360 | Martin marries Anna | Martin is 13 years old. Anna could be around the same age. |
| * 1360 – 1362 | Martin is educated as page at castle Hachberg. | In 1361, at age 14, Martin becomes a squire. |
| * Between 1363 and 1367 | 1 or 2 daughters are born. | I decided that Martin and Anna would’ve been too young to have a child at only 13, so I moved the first births up a few years. |
| 25.03.1367 | The Battle for Freiburg | Martin is 20 years old. Martin sides with Egino III, his liege. On March 25th 1367, Martin tries to raid the city with a group of knights, but they fail. At that time, Kastelburg is the military base for the battle against Freiburg. Martin uses the skirmishes to cancel an old alliance contract with Freiburg and continues to side with royalty instead of the city. |
| 1368 | Martin receives his accolade | Martin is 21 years old. |
| 1368 | Freiburg subjects itself voluntarily to the House of Habsburg. | Before the subjections, Freiburg had to pay an annual expiation of 300 marks to the Count of Freiburg. Leopold allowed Freiburg a large measure of freedom. Martin is 21, Leopold is 17. |
| From 1368 | The Habsburgian wars | Once Freiburg is pledged to the Habsburgians, they demand that the city‘s knights fight at their side against the Swiss Federation. Martin would’ve been one of those knights, eager to prove himself in battle. |
| * 1368 – 1377 | Construction at Kastelburg; Martin takes on his knightly duties. Visits his expanding territories. 1 more daughter is born. | As a knight, Martin can moves from Hachberg to Kastelburg. He starts extensive constructions and travels his fiefdoms (aged 21 to 30). |
| July 25th 1373 | First treaty between Leopold and Albrecht, in Vienna | The city of Vienna mediates a contract between the feuding brothers Albrecht and Leopold of Habsburg. |
| 1377 | Enters Duke Leopolds III’s services | This comes with a release of his duties to Austria. Martin is 30 years old; Leopold is 26. |
| * 1377 – 1379 | Martin spends extended time with Leopold. | His new role in the Duke’s services allows Martin to spend more time with his liege. Martin will accompany Leopold on his travels and fight by his side. |
| 1379 | This year or at a later time, Martin becomes a member of the League of the Lion | 1379 is the founding date of the League of the Lion (in Wiesbaden). Martin is 32. |
| 1379 | Martin becomes bailiff of several towns | Martin is acting as judge in this position. He will retreat back to Kastelburg to oversee his duties as bailiff and all other duties that come with his territories. If he’s unable to judge a dispute from his home, he will travel to see the dispute settled in person. |
| 25.09. 1379 | Dividing contract of Neuberg between Albrecht and Leopold. | Leopold and his brother Albrecht consent on the contract of Neuberg which forever splits the Habsburgian family lines. |
| 22.12.1381 | Martin’s mother dies | Gisela has moved to a monastery after her husband’s death and the unrest in Freiburg. |
| 09. July 1386 | Martin & Leopold both die in Sempach, Switzerland | Martin and Leopold fall at the Battle of Sempach. Martin is aged ca. 39; Leopold is 34. Anna, Martin’s wife, outlives Martin by many more years (Anna dies in 1419, ca. aged 62). |