Kopf

Before there was Haupt, there was ...

Kopfsburg - circa 1500's

Matthias Johannes Bauer, in his 2005 article "Das Leben des Pappenheimer Stammvaters Heinrich Haupt" (The life of the Pappenheim founding father Heinrich Haupt) seems to suggest that before the name was Haupt, the name may have been Heinricus Caput (Latin) or even Heinrich Kopf. Both of these last names mean the exact same thing as Haupt.

This is further supported by an earlier article by Gunther Flohrschutz in 2002, "Die Wittelsbacher Ministerialen Familie Kopf".

Heinrich Kopf was a Wittelsbacher Ministerialen (Government Official) in the Erding-Wartenberg area northeast of Munich during the very early 1100's. More specifically this area is Eichenkofen near Freising.

The shield in the hand of the knight pictured above is the Pappenheim shield.

The shields above with red swords are the shields of the Marshals of the Holy Roman Empire - found on the Coats-of-Arms of the Electorate of Saxony, the city of Meissen (Burg Meissen) , and the Imperial Coat-of-Arms of the Reichserbmarschalle von Pappenheim (Imperial Hereditary Generals of Pappenheim). Hereditary Marshalship awarded by HRE Ludwig the Bavarian in 1334.

German King Heinrich V had invaded Italy with a large army (of which Heinrich Haupt was a high ranking soldier/knight/officer) in 1110. Rome was now under their control. The King was expecting/demanding to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Feb. 12, 1111. His father, HRE Heinrich IV, had died Aug. 7, 1106. The crowning of the new HRE was being delayed by the Pope. German Bishop Otto of Freising (b. 1114 d. 1158) writes in his chronicles that on February 12, 1111, while at (the old) St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Heinrich Haupt, with sword drawn, approached First Bishop Conrad of Salzburg. The German King (and soon to be HRE) Heinrich V then shouted to Haupt, "No! Heinrich, it is not yet time!"

King Heinrich V (like his father) and the Pope were at odds with regard to their differing views over investitures. The Pope was preparing to go public with this disagreement. The crowning was not going to occur. This caught the German Bishops off guard and sparked Haupt to draw his sword. The Papal Guards responded but the German forces seized control. The turmoil that resulted led to the capture of Pope Paschal II and 16 of his Cardinals.

The King left Rome with the Pope and ultimately forced the Pope to crown him HRE on April 13, 1111. Once word spread of this incident, opposition and conflict erupted throughout Germany that lasted for decades. Ultimately, the opposition under Lothar III of Saxony would defeat HRE Heinrich V in 1125 and by 1133, Lothar III would be HRE. Lothar III was dead by 1137. Haupt proved himself to be both a loyal henchman to HRE Heinrich V and a short tempered daredevil. This Heinrich Haupt was likely born about 1075-1080.

By 1113, Heinrich Haupt was a Burggraf von Meissen (Count of the fortress in Meissen) also a Ministerialen (and supporter of Heinrich V, HRE). The previous Burggraf (Burkhardt) wound up in prison. Opposition continued to mount against HRE Heinrich V. With the appointment as Burggraf, it appears that loyal Heinrich Haupt was given a promotion.

Matthias Johannes Bauer suggests the possibility that Reichsministerialen Heinrich Haupt of Meissen is of the same family as Reichsministerialen Heinrich Kopf of Eichenkofen (now a part of the town of Erding). Perhaps it is the same individual. It appears like this Heinrich Haupt died about 1123. At this point, he had the title of Marschall (Heinricus Marscalcus). A Marschall is the German equivalent of a General. The Heinrich Haupt, Marschall of Pappenheim, is likely to have been his son. Erding is 20 miles NE of Munich. The county's name is also Erding.

Also in the County of Erding, one can likely find the ruins of the Burg Kopfsburg (now in the village of Lengdor

Web page updated April 20, 2011

f).

New Information: The Grafschaft-Pappenheim website, in the article entitled "Die fruehen-Marschaelle" (the early Generals) suggests that possibly Heinrich Haupt (Burggraf of Meissen and likely father to Heinrich Haupt of Pappenheim) might be the son of Konrad, Marschal of Germany (under German King and Emperor Heinrich IV) who led the Germans during the First Crusade from 1095 to 1101.

In J. Riley Smith's book "The First Crusaders" on page 203, refers to Conrad, the Constable of Germany serving under German King/Emperor Heinrich IV. He refers to the Latin description "miles imperterritus gregius, famoses et mirabilis" in reference to Conrad. Translation meaning fearless soldier of the masses, the famous and wonderful leader. The title of Constable would pre-date the use of Marschal or General.

First Documentation of "Haupt"