Memorial for the smith at Sendling (Munich), Lindwurmstraße opposite of Old Sendling Church St. Margareth

The Smith of Kochel is a figure from Bavarian myth. According to this myth, he was a soldier in the Hapsburg-Ottoman Wars (Battle of Vienna). Armed with nothing but a bar, he supposedly stove in the gates of Belgrade. He refused rewards for his heroic deed from the prince electors. The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... The Great Turkish War was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and European powers at the time (joined into a Holy League) during the second half of the 17th century. ... The Battle of Vienna in 1683 (Turkish: Ä°kinci Viyana KuÅŸatması) (as distinct from the Siege of Vienna in 1529) was the first large-scale battle of the Habsburg-Ottoman Wars, yet with the most far-reaching consequences. ... [[Image:|Location of Belgrade]] Mayor Nenad Bogdanović Area 359. ...

Another legend attributed to him is leading the farmer rebellion against the imperial troops of the Hapsburg Emperor Joseph I during the War of Spanish Succession. This was culminated in the Sendlinger Mordweihnacht ("Sendling Christmas Massacre"). In literature, the smith is described as a man of over 70 years of age, yet great in stature and power. For the revolt, he supposedly armed himself with a spiked club of his own making that weighed over 100 lbs (50 kg) . On the night of the massacre, the smith fought in the ranks of the rebels at the Sendling Parish Church. There he died heroicly, the last man to fall. Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Joseph I. Joseph I (July 26, 1678 – April 17, 1711), Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, was the elder son of the emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleanora, Countess Palatine, daughter of Philip William of Neuburg, Elector Palatine. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ...

History

Historical research about the smith of Kochel has shown that he was probably only a legend and not a real person. Possibly to make the defeat of the revolt more beareable. The smith is known as Balthasar with a last name of either Mayer or Riesenberger. A Balthasar Mayer (born January 6, 1644 in Waalkirchen) actually existed, but no evidence of this person being a smith in Kochel could be found. A Balthasar Riesenberger (born in Bach bei Holzolling) took part in the battle in Sendling, but no evidence of his being a smith in Kochel could be found either. The fact that Kochel belonged to the court district of Murnau at the time of the revolt, which did not take part in the Oberländer rebellion, also speaks against the Kochel theory. In memory of the Sendling Christmas Massacre and the Smith of Kochel, there are regular pageants and events in Bavaria January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... Murnau can refer to at least two topics: the director F.W. Murnau the bavarian town of Murnau am Staffelsee This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Source

The German language version of this article is the primary source.