The story of the knight Goetz von Berlichingen - a mercenary with a steel hand

Nowadays it is difficult to surprise someone with a functional prosthesis. But just fifty years ago, a biomechanical arm or leg would have been regarded as a miracle. Now imagine that in the 16th century there was a man who used a prosthetic hand with bending fingers, which allowed him not only to hold various objects, but also to use weapons. The German knight Goetz von Berlichingen went down in history only thanks to this miracle of medieval technology.

Today, many are in captivity of illusions and consider knights to be noble defenders of the honor of beautiful ladies or, at worst, courageous fighters for the faith. But in fact, everything was completely different, and the story of the German knight Goetz von Berlichingen vividly testifies to this.

This descendant of an ancient but not rich family was a mercenary whose main goal was money. He gathered a gang of thugs and fought for those who paid him. When there was no worthy military work, Getz and his detachment were engaged in banal robbery. But we must give him his due - von Berlichingen was never a coward and he was always seen in the thick of the battle.

As befits people of his occupation, a mercenary knight often received a visor with a sword or a spear in his breastplate. His body was dotted with many scars, but Getz considered any injuries to be nothing more than an annoying trifle and the cost of the profession. This was until he lost his right arm in battle.

In 1504, the 23-year-old Goetz participated in the siege of the city of Landsgut with the army of Duke Albert IV of Bavaria. It was a good bloody civil strife, promising good money for the mercenaries. But in battle, the knight was left without his right hand. It is not known exactly how this happened, but one of the versions says that a cannonball hit the knight’s hand, completely crushing it.

To avoid deadly complications, the duke's doctor amputated what was left of his arm. So the young and full of strength von Berlichingen became a cripple. The loss of a hand in an era when they relied mainly on edged weapons in battle doomed the mercenary to poverty. Only the war brought him money and he did not know how to do anything else.

But Goetz was not one of those who immediately give up. He began to look for a way out of the situation and found it very quickly. The knight ordered a steel arm, which was attached to the forearm with leather straps. The first prosthesis was quite primitive. It looked like a steel glove with four finger hooks. The product made it possible to hold the sword, though not very securely.

Ordering a prosthesis from the master, the knight demanded to make it aesthetic. Fingernails were engraved on the hook-fingers, and folds and wrinkles were engraved on the palm. Having received a steel hand, von Berlichingen took up the old ways and for several years with his team participated in wars and skirmishes. Over time, he studied all the weaknesses of the prosthesis and decided to order a more advanced model.

The second iron hand was also in the form of a glove, but ended at the elbow. Modern medical journal "American Journal of Surgery" described it as "a clumsy design, the author who was not without ingenuity." The fingers of this prosthesis were no longer hooks. They were made mobile, which made it possible to hold not only the sword, but also other types of weapons.

The position of the fingers was changed by levers that could be switched with the left hand. Spring mechanisms blocked the joints in the selected position. With such fingers, Getz could hold a dagger, an ax or a mace, handle the reins, and even write with a pen! And the brush could be rotated around the axis to any position.

The mechanical arm is still kept in the museum of the Berlichingen castle in their hometown of Jagsthausen. It was such a revolutionary thing for its time that it was even made the coat of arms of the city, placed on a shield. Now the town is inhabited by only 1,600 people, and each of the local residents, except for babies, can tell in detail the story of an unbending knight. Also during World War II, Goetz's hand became the emblem of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Goetz von Berlichingen.

Goetz von Berlichingen fought as a mercenary in various armies until the age of 64. His iron hand crushed enemies during the Ottoman campaign and during the invasion of France in 1544. But even a man with a steel hand and an iron will is getting old and the knight had to retire.

But his mechanical hand did not know rest even in retirement. Goetz von Berlichingen set about writing his memoirs. Contemporaries claimed that with the help of a prosthesis, the old knight scribbled memories no worse than another scribe-monk with an ordinary hand. Goetz died in 1562, at the age of 82, in his own bed from old age, which was not typical for people in his profession.

The work of the one-armed warrior was published only in 1731. The book did not go unnoticed and found its readers. Based on her motives, the great Goethe wrote the play "Getz von Berlichingen". The poet romanticized the image of a mercenary, turning him into a young man with a vulnerable soul. In the play, von Berlichingen dies not an old man, but quite young, and his fate is tragic and instructive.

Knight Goetz von Berlichingen is known not only for his steel hand, but also for a catchphrase that everyone knows. When his native castle Jagsthausen was besieged by enemies, the knight replied to the proposal of the truce-men to surrender: “Tell the boss that he can kiss my ass.” This phrase was called the "Swabian greeting" and survived for centuries.

It is also worth remembering that Goetz's steel hand has become part of German folklore. It is difficult to remember all the tales that were told about her. One of the legends says that the knight did not die of old age. A servant found him dead in the morning with traces of steel fingers on his neck. The steel hand itself disappeared without a trace. It was also said that Getz's hand sneaks into houses at night and kills sleeping people.