Digression: Rudolf von ErlachTo illustrate the events in the following chapter, we will use the
Erlacher Chronik, which was published in 2484/5. The Erlachs were a noble family in possession of the town of Erlach, in the south-west corner of the Wasteland (see map above), and known for its gold mines. It was Rudolf of Erlach who commissioned this historiography, to glorify himself and his family. At the time of the commission, he had risen to become Staadthouder of Marienburg, indeed, he first Staadthouder not to belong to one of the Great Families. This caused some resentment in certain quarters , and, in all probability, the
Erlacher Chronik was intended to strengthen his position by underscoring the achievements of the Erlachs for Marienburg throughout the ages.
Not surprisingly, the Chronik is introduced by Rudolf’s Wappentafel: around the central coat of arms of Rudolf of Erlach the blazons of his female ancestors, emphasising his national and international background.
1.
1. Bottom right (heraldic left): Adelheid Haller van Rothemuur (one of the Great Families), wife of Petermann von Erlach (Rudolf’s mother and father).
2. Bottom left: Margaretha de Grasgar, wife of Johann von Erlach (Rudolf’s grandmother and grandfather). The Bretonnian Grasgar family was related to the Dukes of l’Anguille. During the Errantry Wars, the Grasgar died out in the main line, and Grasgar Castle fell to those same Dukes of l’Anguille, who used it as a hunting lodge, until Duke Taubert made it his main castle and transformed it into a formidable fortification.
3. Top right: Anna de Roelef (one of the Great Families), wife of Ulrich II von Erlach (Rudolf’s great-grandmother and great-grandfather).
4. Top left: N.N. von Kluck (originally Glück,
i.e. Luck, hence the shamrock); wife of Burkhart von Erlach, second son of Ulrich I, first Castellan of Erlach. The Counts of Kluck belonged to the High Nobility of the Empire, and Alexander of Kluck led the third Marienburg Campaign. As we shall see, the inclusion of this great-great-grandmother is no accident, but serves to emphasise the loyalty of the Erlach family to Marienburg.
At the top, there is an acronym,
I A E L, which is usually read as
In alto est lux (On high, there is light). Some scholars, referring to Marienburg's trade and commerce, have suggested
In alto est lucrum (There is profit on the high sea). However, if we consider the fact that the Erlach wealth was primarily based on their gold mines, the interpretation
In auraria est lucrum (There is profit in a goldmine) seems more likely.
In summary, the Wappentafel depicts on the one (right) hand the Erlach blood relations with the Great Families, and on the left those with Bretonnia and the Empire, the three elements Marienburg’s wealth depended on.
1. Diebold Schilling, Spiezer Chronik , p.29 (1484/5), Mss.h.h.I.16, Burgerbibliothek, Bern