Götz von Berlichingen – The “Iron Hand” of the Renaissance (2019)

From the column editor, The Renaissance-era German mercenary Gottfried “Götz” von Berlichingen defied the odds by surviving both a significant battle wound to his right arm and an upper extremity amputation at a time when few survived either. Ambroise Paré’s discovery that surgical patients were more likely to survive their operation without cauterization would not occur for another 30 years. The invention of the tourniquet did not occur for another century.

However, von Berlichingen did survive, only to be confronted with a problem that is still relevant 500 years later. Indeed, despite 21st century silicone chip microprocessors, miniature electric motors, sensors, and myoelectric controls, developing an upper extremity prosthesis with suitable functionality remains a remarkably difficult problem to solve.

But in the guest ArtiFacts column that follows, Berardo Di Matteo and his research group from Milan, Italy use their established expertise in the field of orthopaedic history [3, 4] to detail how, with the help of a local blacksmith, von Berlichingen managed to successfully wear and operate a functional iron prosthesis capable of wielding a sword in multiple battles, earning him the nickname “Götz of the Iron Hand.”

— Alan J. Hawk BA

The Renaissance contributed more than just art and architecture, and more even than the science of Kepler and Galileo. Then [1] as now [6], war and bloodshed advance the art and science of medicine, and wars were a part of life during the Renaissance. An innovation arising from one of those wars—a genuine representation both of the artistic and medical ingenuity of the time—is the extraordinary case of the “iron hand” of the 16^th century German knight and mercenary Gottfried “Götz” von Berlichingen.

Born into a wealthy German family in 1480, von Berlichingen was drawn to the battlefield at an early age. Before his 17th birthday, he enlisted into the Brandenburg-Ansbach army, where he served the Holy Roman Empire, before leaving to form his own mercenary squad at the age of 20 [7]. A skilled and fierce mercenary and commander, von Berlichingen’s impressive 47-year military career [7] spanned numerous German civil wars, including the German peasants’ war (1524 to 1525), as well as bloody European battles against the French and the Ottomans [1, 10].

While invading the city of Landshut as a mercenary in 1504 [11], enemy cannon fire jolted von Berlichingen’s blade against himself, maiming his right arm at the elbow. German doctors amputated his hand and wrist, seemingly putting an end to his military career. But von Berlichingen commissioned a local blacksmith to forge and engineer an iron prosthesis capable of wielding a sword. The blacksmith constructed a modest prosthetic hand composed of four fingers and a thumb attached to a glove. Two hinges on the upper edge of the prosthesis’ palm would rotate the four fingers inwards, allowing von Berlichingen to grasp and use his sword. The fingers could be moved in pairs of two. Moving the left finger block (consisting of the index and middle fingers) automatically caused the thumb to move in the opposite direction through the action of a lever mechanism. By pressing a button on the back of the hand, all fingers would spring back to the stretched starting position [10]. From then on, von Berlichingen would be known as “Götz of the Iron Hand”.

After wearing the “iron hand” through several conflicts, von Berlichingen desired a more-functional prosthesis. His second iron hand extended just below the elbow and was secured with a leather strap. He had a blacksmith construct three individually articulated joints on each of the four main fingers and two on its thumb, providing better grip (Fig. ). Additionally, the position of each digit could also be locked into place using spring-loaded mechanisms built directly into the prosthesis. Two buttons were used to reset the thumb and the four fingers back to their normal position (open hand). A third button would also angle the wrist by about 15° as a way, we believe, to further increase the number of actions achievable by the upper extremity prosthesis [9]. Still, von Berlichingen could fine-tune the position of his right hand and fingers, allowing him to grip a variety of objects such as his sword, quill, or even the reins of his warhorse. The complex mechanical structure of the prosthesis accompanied Gotz for his entire military career—another 15 years of hard fighting—and perhaps even until the end of his life in 1562.

Both iron hands are now displayed at the Jagsthausen castle museum, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (located near Berlichingen’s hometown), and are still regarded as some of the finest examples of Renaissance biomedical engineering [2].

Although not a world-renowned Renaissance figure, with his extraordinary military feats [7], compelling life story [5], and legendary iron hand prosthesis, von Berlichingen is deeply associated with Renaissance lore. Indeed, some 200 years after von Berlichingen’s death, the famed German playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe penned a play based on the charismatic mercenary’s autobiography [5]. In the play, Goethe includes a line that has been tied to von Berlichingen for centuries (Fig. ). It is believed that, in response to a surrender ultimatum during a siege, von Berlichingen muttered, “Er aber, sabs ihm, er kann mich am Arsch lecken,” or, roughly, “Tell him he can kiss my ass” [8].

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