CUNZ UND CLAUS SCHUTTENHELM- OUR 2ND GENERATION

CUNZ UND CLAUS

 The 2nd Generation of Our Family

                                                                   

      The world in the 15th century was filled with the same sort of breakthroughs and tragedies that we experience today. It was good and evil. It was filled with political intrigue as powerful ruling families struggled to grasp or maintain control, or there were also class struggles as peasants and an emerging "middle class" fought for a greater share of wealth. There were too many battles to recount or even keep track of and there were significant economic and social changes as well.  Cities were growing throughout Europe. Skilled labor was in demand and guilds protected their grip on the markets. Business owners and skilled technicians acquired greater wealth than they had known before and they also began to acquire political power, especially at the local level. Even a cursory glance at the history of the time reminds us that: 1) Jan Hus was ex-communicated by the Church in 1410 for espousing unorthodox views; 2) Constantinople fell to Ottoman forces in 1453, closing a land route to international trade that had been used for centuries; 3) Jews were forced our of Erfurt, Germany (where Luther attended college) in 1458, after their homes were taken from them and sold; and 4) the Gutenberg Bible became the first book printed with moveable type in 1455. It is unlikely that these world events affected the daily lives of our ancestors much- any more than they affect ours today- but it is important and helpful to keep things in context,
      Having said that, we will turn our attention to our family tree. Cunz (Konrad) Schuttenhelm is my 14th great-grandfather and it is not surprising that his father, Heinrich (Haincz) named him Konrad because Henrich and Konrad were two of the most popular first names in the Middle Ages. Konrad died in Nordlingen, Bavaria circa 1436. It appears that he was a successful painter (Mahler) because the record shows that he painted the frescoes in St. Salvador Church in Nordlingen Bavaria (shown below). We don't know that name of Konrad's wife. or the names of many of our distant female ancestors for that matter, because they're lost to history. Therefore, our family tree will not reflect our maternal lines for some time to come.

St. Salvator Church- Nordlingen

      Cunz's brother, Claus, died in Nordlingen some time after his brother did. We don't know what Claus did for a living, but it is likely that, like his father and his brother, he was also involved in one of the trades. Details of their lives are sketchy of course, but it appears that they made comfortable livings within the context of their times.They was tradesmen at a time when tradesmen were in demand. They were in a location where trade was a large part of the economy and the record shows that their children had successful careers of their own.