Niklaus the Noble | |
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Portrait of Niklaus, 1522 | |
Born | 14 August 1488 Erfurt, Thuringia, Holy Roman Empire |
Died | 9 March 1523 Near Wieden, Bayreuth, Holy Roman Empire |
House | House of Jenagotha |
Father | Thin White Duke |
Mother | Christina de la Marck |
Religion | Jungism (1506-) Roman Catholicism (-1506) |
Niklaus the Noble (14 August 1488 - 9 March 1523) was a Thuringian knight and military commander. Niklaus was a son of the Thin White Duke via his controversial forced marriage to Christina de la Marck, one of many Saxon women he captured and polygamously married in secret. Like many of the other offspring of the Saxon marriages, Niklaus was initially neglected and fought with his siblings growing up. Nonetheless he proved to be a smart mind and of admirable character, being inspired by tales of his late brother William of Talstein to pursue a life of chivalry. Niklaus trained under Gerhard von Coburg, a bastard son of the Thin White Duke who was later appointed to the Imperial Guard. Niklaus would prove himself capable and useful during the Wolfen War and later the War of Bavarian Succession, which he served in as a lowly soldier. Nonetheless he showed bravery in combat and eventually earned a minor role as an advisor of the Duke's war council.
Niklaus would be called naïve by some of his other brothers, as he did little to prepare for the Thin White Duke's eventual death. When it became clear that sides would be drawn between Hugh the Heir and Henry IX, Niklaus supported Henry as the elder claimant and defended his family out of a sense of honor. However, he recommended clemency and negotiation, and was against cruelty on either side. When the conflict ended Niklaus attempted to serve Hugh all the same, but it soon became clear that Hugh would never trust him. Niklaus resigned from the war council of Thuringia and returned to the lowly ranks, and was ordered to serve in the subsequent wars in Bayreuth that Hugh orchestrated. Less than a year later Niklaus would be slain, with rumors afloat that Hugh had ordered his assassination to tie up loose ends.
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