On this date in 1151, Konrad von Freistritz, the nobleman who built Henneburg castle, was beheaded for treason along with his brother Adalram.
The few Germanic sources for this event do not appear to preserve the particulars of his misbehavior, although his situation as a descendant of the recently diminished Aribonen dynasty suggests a probability.
Ruins of his former fortress persist in Styria (present-day Austria), not to be confused with the far more picturesque Bavarian Henneburg castle, adjacent to Stadtprozelten — nor with the Henneberg ruin in Thüringen.
As with its builder’s biography, not a whole hell of a lot of the castle remains, but some photos of mossy rubble can be perused here.
On this day..
- 1928: Jim Moss, former Negro League ballplayer
- 1599: Elisabeth Strupp, Gelnhausen witch
- 1829: John Stacey, in Portsmouth town
- 1546: Etienne Dolet, no longer anything at all
- 1795: Jerry Avershaw, contemptuously
- 1530: Francesco Ferruccio, victim of Maramaldo
- 1949: Jacob Bokai, the first Israeli spy executed
- 1788: Not Jean Louschart, rescued by the crowd
- 1573: William Kirkcaldy of Grange, former king's man
- 1976: Valery Sablin, Hunt for Red October inspiration
- 1726: Mary Standford, shunning convict transportation
- 1916: Sir Roger Casement