Privilegiertes uniformiertes Grazer Bürgerkorps

Last updated

The privilegierte uniformierte Grazer Bürgerkorps, founded in 1280 to protect the city of Graz, is the oldest organization in the Styrian capital. Its motto is "Für Treue, Mut und Bürgersinn" ("For loyalty, courage and citizenship"). The corps' headquarters is at the Garrison Church in the basement (the former canteen) of the Brothers Hospitallers building in Graz.

Graz Place in Styria, Austria

Graz is the capital of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. On 1 January 2019, it had a population of 328,276. In 2015, the population of the Graz larger urban zone who had principal residence status stood at 633,168.

Styria State of Austria

Styria is a state, or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km2 (6,332 sq mi). It borders Slovenia and the Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. The capital city is Graz which had 276,526 inhabitants at the beginning of 2015.

Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God religious order

The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God are a Roman Catholic order founded in 1572. They are also known commonly as the Fatebenefratelli, meaning "Do-Good Brothers" in Italian, the Brothers of Mercy, and the Merciful Brothers. The Order carries out a wide range of health and social service activities in 389 centres and services in 46 countries.

Contents

History

Before World War II

When cities developed as places with special rights and freedoms during the Middle Ages, Bürgerwehren, Bürgerkorps or Bürgergarden were created for fortification, defense and to maintain order. The Grazer Bürgerkorps (the last remaining branch of the Bürgerwehr Graz) traces its history to 1280, when it was founded by King Rudolf I of Habsburg. During the 18th-century rule of Maria Theresa, standing armies began to appropriate these tasks and the original groups assumed a ceremonial role.

Middle Ages Period of European history from the 5th to the 15th century

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

Fortification military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases

A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to solidify rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere.

Rudolf I of Germany austrian duke

Rudolf I, also known as Rudolf of Habsburg, was Count of Habsburg from about 1240 and King of Germany from 1273 until his death.

Brewmaster Richard Seebacher (1717-1805) revived a corps of hunters. At the end of the 18th century, three civil corps (the Hunter Corps, the Grenadier Corps and the Cavalry Corps) were unified in Graz.

The Graz garrison fought in the Napoleonic Wars, and citizen corps took over the city's protection. Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the second wife of Emperor Francis II and the first empress of Austria, donated a campaign streamer. At the war's height in 1809, the Graz citizen corps numbered 1,300 members. Its Schloßberg clock and bell towers were spared by the French after the payment of a ransom by its citizens. [1]

Napoleonic Wars Series of early 19th century European wars

The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European powers formed into various coalitions, financed and usually led by the United Kingdom. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and its resultant conflict. The wars are often categorised into five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1805), the Fourth (1806–07), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813), and the Seventh (1815).

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily Czech queen

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was the last Holy Roman Empress and the first Empress of Austria by marriage to Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the eldest daughter of Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily (1751–1825) and Marie Caroline of Austria (1752–1814).

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor also known as Francis I, Emperor of Austria

Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after the decisive defeat at the hands of the First French Empire led by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz. In 1804, he had founded the Austrian Empire and became Francis I, the first Emperor of Austria, ruling from 1804 to 1835, so later he was named the one and only Doppelkaiser in history. For the two years between 1804 and 1806, Francis used the title and style by the Grace of God elected Roman Emperor, ever Augustus, hereditary Emperor of Austria and he was called the Emperor of both the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. He was also Apostolic King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia as Francis I. He also served as the first president of the German Confederation following its establishment in 1815.

The corps' weaponry evolved from lances and halberds to bayonets and guns. With the introduction of conscription in 1866, the Grazer Bürgerkorps was incorporated into the defense of the monarchy to guard the city's gunpowder and food and to provide security. The Bürgergarde, in its bearskin uniforms, also marched in parades. To commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Habsburg dynasty on 1 July 1883 in Graz, where Emperor Franz Joseph I appeared, the Grazer Bürgerkorps provided music and an honor guard.

Halberd pole weapon with axe blade topped with a spike

A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. The word halberd is most likely equivalent to the German word Hellebarde, deriving from Middle High German halm (handle) and barte (battleaxe) joint to helmbarte. Troops that used the weapon are called halberdiers.

Bayonet bladed weapon designed for attachment to a firearm

A bayonet is a knife, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of a rifle's muzzle, allowing it to be used as a spear. From the 17th century to World War I, it was considered the primary weapon for infantry attacks. Today, it is considered an ancillary weapon or a weapon of last resort.

Gun weapon designed to discharge projectiles or other material

A gun is a ranged weapon typically designed to pneumatically discharge projectiles that are solid but can also be liquid or even charged particles and may be free-flying or tethered.

During World War I, the Grazer Bürgerkorps sent a 200-man company to the borders of the empire. Although it was dissolved in November 1919, after the signing of the Treaty of St. Germain, [2] it was revived in 1923 as a club. [3]

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) treaty signed on 10 September 1919

The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed on 10 September 1919 by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand and by the Republic of German-Austria on the other. Like the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary and the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, it contained the Covenant of the League of Nations and as a result was not ratified by the United States but was followed by the US–Austrian Peace Treaty of 1921.

After the war

In 1953, after the end of World War II, reconstruction of the Grazer Bürgerkorps began. Its membership initially increased, peaking in 1966. The group's popularity then declined, despite a 1978 Civil Corps exhibition at the Styrian Armoury for Graz' 850th anniversary. [4] For the corps' 700th anniversary, membership began to increase again and a handbook was published. [5]

In 1984, the Styrian government and the mayor of Graz contributed to the purchase of Karabiner 98k rifles for the corps. With the increase in membership, a larger headquarters was needed for its monthly meetings. In 1987 (about 20 years after the dedication of its last flag at the Freiheitsplatz), the Grazer Bürgerkorps dedicated a new corps flag. The hand-painted silk flag (similar to the banner of the Imperial Army of 1836) was donated to the corps. In 2002 Mannlicher M1895 rifles replaced the corps' Karabiner 98ks, which were retired to ceremonial use. The corps, a member of the Vereinigung der Traditionsverbände Mitteleuropas (VTM), moved to a new location in late 2008. [6]

Equipment

The corps uniform is similar to the pre-1911 version, in steel green rather than black. Although its 1836 bearskin hats were replaced by smaller ones in 1954, caps from 1849 are still in use. [7]

The Grazer Bürgerkorps has Werndl–Holub rifles with bayonets for ceremonial use, in addition to the Mannlicher M1895s. Grenadiers wear sabres dating back to 1765, and officers wear 1861 infantry sabres. [8]

Related Research Articles

Grenadier infantry soldier armed with grenades or a grenade launcher

A grenadier was originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At that time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers. By the 18th century, dedicated grenade throwing of this sort was no longer relevant, but grenadiers were still chosen for being the most physically powerful soldiers and would lead assaults in the field of battle. Grenadiers would also often lead the storming of fortification breaches in siege warfare, although this role was more usually fulfilled by all-arm units of volunteers called forlorn hopes, and might also be fulfilled by sappers or pioneers.

The Grande Armée was the army commanded by Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1805 to 1809, the Grande Armée scored a series of historic victories that gave the French Empire an unprecedented grip on power over the European continent. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered terrible losses during the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and never recovered its tactical superiority after that campaign.

M1903 Springfield American 5-round magazine fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle

The M1903 Springfield, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903, is an American five-round magazine fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.

Foot guards senior infantry regiments in some militaries

In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. Foot guards are commonly responsible for guarding royal families, or other state leaders, and they also often perform ceremonial duties accordingly.

Military parade

A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the late 19th century fought in formation. Massed parades may also hold a role for propaganda purposes, being used to exhibit the apparent military strength of one's nation.

The Royal Regiment of Canada Regimental Museum in Ontario, Canada

The Royal Regiment of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Toronto, Ontario, part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Today, the regiment has a total of three companies:

Fusilier infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun

Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word fusil – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in contrasting ways in different countries and at different times, including soldiers guarding artillery, various elite units, ordinary line infantry and other uses.

Beating Retreat

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating to 16th century England and was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.

Gewehr 98 rifle

The Gewehr 98 is a German bolt action rifle made by Mauser firing cartridges from a 5-round internal clip-loaded magazine. It was the German service rifle from 1898 to 1935, when it was replaced by the Karabiner 98k, a shorter weapon using the same basic design. The Gewehr 98 action, using a stripper clip loaded with the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, successfully combined and improved several bolt action engineering concepts which were soon adopted by many other countries including the UK, Japan, and the US. The Gewehr 98 replaced the earlier Gewehr 1888 rifle as the main German service rifle and first saw combat in the Chinese Boxer Rebellion and was the main German infantry service rifle of World War I. The Gewehr 98 saw further military use by the Ottoman Empire and Nationalist Spain.

Full dress uniform

Full dress uniform is the most formal type of military uniform, reserved for parades, ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions of the most formal level, including private ones such as marriages and funerals. Full dress uniforms often goes with order insignias and full size medals. In Western dress codes, full dress uniform is a permitted supplementary alternative corresponding to the civilian white tie for evening wear or morning dress for day wear - sometimes collectively called full dress - although military uniforms are the same for day and evening wear.

Uniforms of the British Army

The uniforms of the British Army currently exist in twelve categories ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress. Uniforms in the British Army are specific to the regiment to which a soldier belongs. Full dress presents the most differentiation between units, and there are fewer regimental distinctions between ceremonial dress, service dress, barrack dress and combat dress, though a level of regimental distinction runs throughout.

Guard of honour organization, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitary, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonies, especially funerals

A guard of honour (en-GB), guard of honor (en-US), also honour guard (en-GB), honor guard (en-US), also ceremonial guard, is a guard, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitary, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, especially funerals. In military weddings, especially those of commissioned officers, a guard, composed usually of service members of the same branch, form the Saber arch. In principle any military unit could act as a guard of honour. However, in some countries certain units are specially designated for guard of honour duty.

Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars

The Imperial and Royal or Imperial Austrian Army was strictly speaking, the armed force of the Holy Roman Empire under its last monarch, the Habsburg Emperor Francis II, although in reality, it was nearly all composed of the Habsburg army. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, it assumed its title of the Army of the Austrian Empire under the same monarch, now known as Emperor Francis I of Austria.

Berthier rifle

The Berthier rifles and carbines were a family of bolt-action small arms in 8mm Lebel, used in the French Army from the 1890s to the beginning of World War II (1940).

Universalmuseum Joanneum Universal museum in Trautenfels and Wagna , in the Austrian province of Styria

The Universalmuseum Joanneum is a multidisciplinary museum with buildings in several locations in the province of Styria, Austria. It has galleries and collections in many subject areas including archaeology, geology, paleontology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, history, art and folk culture. It is the oldest museum in Austria as well as the largest universal museum in central Europe with over 4.5 million objects in 13 departments and 12 locations in the Styrian cities of Graz, Stainz, Trautenfels, and Wagna. To reflect this status and its growth over the last two centuries, as well as to present a more recognizable image internationally, the Landesmuseum Joanneum was officially renamed to Universalmuseum Joanneum on 10 September 2009.

Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry, commonly called the Bosniaken, were a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Army. Recruited from outside the Austrian and Hungarian regions of the Dual-Monarchy, with a significant proportion of Muslim personnel (31.04%), these regiments enjoyed a special status. They had their own distinctive uniforms and were given their own numbering sequence within the Common Army (KuK).

Guido Dessauer German art collector and academic

Guido Dessauer was a German physicist, specialized in paper engineering, a business executive, writer, art collector, patron of arts, and academic. Born into a family of paper industrialists, he worked as an aerospace engineer during World War II and was an executive of the family's coloured paper factory in Aschaffenburg from 1945. He was an honorary citizen of Austria for saving 300 jobs in Styria in the 1960s. He earned a Ph.D. from the Graz University of Technology in his late 50s and became an honorary professor there. Interested in art, he collected bozzetti for 50 years and initiated the career of Horst Janssen as a lithographer.

Imperial-Royal Landwehr

The Imperial-Royal Landwehr, also called the Austrian Landwehr, was the territorial army of the Cisleithanian or Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1869 to 1918. Its counterpart was the Royal Hungarian Landwehr. The two Landwehrs, together with the Common Army and the Imperial and Royal Navy, made up the armed power of Austria-Hungary.

Corps Franconia Darmstadt fraternity in Darmstadt

The Corps Franconia Darmstadt is a fraternity founded on November 16, 1889 in Darmstadt. It is one of the 59 German Student Corps within the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (WSC), the second oldest federation of classical European fraternal corporations, with roots dating back to the 15th century and fraternities founded in several European countries.

References

  1. "Schlossberg". Graz Tourism. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  2. Festschrift "725 Jahre Privilegiertes, Uniformiertes Grazer Bürgerkorps" Graz 2005, p.30
  3. Handbuch des priv. unif. Grazer Bürgerkorps pages 6-9
  4. Festschrift "725 Jahre Privilegiertes, Uniformiertes Grazer Bürgerkorps" Graz 2005, p.31
  5. Festschrift "725 Jahre Privilegiertes, Uniformiertes Grazer Bürgerkorps" Graz 2005, p.32
  6. Handbuch des priv. unif. Grazer Bürgerkorps pages 9-13
  7. Handbuch des priv. unif. Grazer Bürgerkorps pages 17-19
  8. Handbuch des priv. unif. Grazer Bürgerkorps pages 20-22