BERLICHINGEN, GOETZ or GOTTFRIED, VON (148o-1562), called "Goetz of the Iron Hand," German knight, was born at the castle of Jagsthausen now in Wurttemberg. In he entered the service of Frederick IV., margrave of Bran denburg-Ansbach, and in 1498 fought for the emperor Maximilian I., in Burgundy, Lorraine and Brabant, and next year in Switzer land. About 150o he raised a company of freelances, and at their head took part in various private wars. In 1505, while assisting Albert IV., duke of Bavaria, at the siege of Landshut, his right hand was shot away, and an iron one was substituted which is still shown at Jagsthausen. In spite of this, "Goetz of the Iron Hand" continued his feuds, their motive being mainly booty and ransom. In 1512 an attack near Forchheim on merchants returning from Leipzig fair, caused him to be put under the ban of the empire by Maximilian, and he was only released from this in 1514 upon a promise to pay 14,00o gulden. In 1516 he raided Hesse and held to ransom Philip IV., count of Waldeck, and in 1518 was again placed under the ban. He fought for Ulrich I., duke of Wurttemberg, when he was attacked by the Swabian League in 1519. In violation of the terms of capitulation of Mockmuhl, he was held prisoner and handed over to the citizens of Heilbronn, but owing to the efforts of Sickingen and Georg von Frundsberg, was released in 1522. When the Peasants' War broke out in 1525 Goetz was compelled by the rebels of the Odenwald district to act as their leader. For his part in the rebellion he was acquitted by the imperial chamber (Oct. 17 15 26) . But the Swabian League seized the opportunity of paying off old scores against him. Lured to Augsburg under promise of safe conduct, he was treacherously seized (Nov. 28 1528) and kept a close prisoner for two years. In 153o he was liberated. He appears to have remained quietly at his castle of Hornberg on the Neckar until 154o. In 1542 he fought against the Turks in Hungary and in accompanied Charles V. when he invaded France. He re turned to Hornberg where he died on July 23 1562. He was twice married and left three daughters and seven sons. The counts von Berlichingen-Rossach, of Helmstadt near Heidelberg, one of the two surviving branches of the family, are his descen dants. The other branch, that of the Freiherrn von Berlichingen Jagsthausen, is descended from Goetz's brother Hans. Goethe's play "Goetz von Berlichingen" marked an epoch in the history of German drama.
See R. Pallmann, Der historische Goetz von Berlichingen (1894) ; F. W. G. Graf von Geschichte des Ritters Goetz von Berlichingen and seiner Fatnilie (Leipzig, 1860. Goetz's Auto biography, valuable as a record of his times, was first published by Pistorius at Nuremberg 0731), and again at Halle (1886) .