law (Lehnsrecht), legal disputes involving feudal matters were handled by the burgrave. The noblemen of the Burgmannschaft were often supported in their work by common staff such as gatekeepers (Torwarte) and watchmen (Türmer). Decline of Use The residence requirement of the Burgmannen was superseded by the introduction of armed servants or Knechte. With the introduction of such non-aristocratic castle contingents and the move from castles to fortifications in the late Middle Ages, the Burgmann system disappeared, and the Burghut was discharged by Kriegsknechte and mercenaries. See also German nobility German comital titles References Literature Arnold, Benjamin. German Knighthood 1050-1300. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985. Freed, John B. "Nobles, Ministerials and Knights in the Archdiocese of Salzburg" Speculum 62:3 (July 1987) pp. 575–611 Freed, John B. Noble Bondsmen: Ministerial Marriages in the Archdiocese of Salzburg, 1100-1343 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995). Horst Wolfgang Böhme, Reinhard Friedrich, Barbara Schock-Werner (ed.): Wörterbuch der Burgen, Schlösser und Festungen. Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart, 2004, , pp. 100–101. Lexikon des Mittelalters. Vol 2. dtv, Munich, 2002, , col. 965–966, 1055. External links Burgmannen in the glossary at regionalgeschichte.net Noble titles Titles of nobility of the Holy Roman Empire Warfare of the Middle Ages