Agnes von der Vierbecke
medieval German woman (c.1341–1378)
Agnes von der Vierbecke, also Agneta (c. 1341 in Hengsen (today Holzwickede) – 4 October 1378 in Dortmund) is the only medieval woman from Holzwickede and Dortmund to be documented in the historical record. Agnes is known for her participation in the feud between the Dortmunders and Count Dietrich von Dinslaken, a brother of Count von der Mark.
Early life
Agnes was born and raised on the noble estate of Haus Vierbecke in Hengsen. She married a Dortmund patrician named Sudermann and had a son with him, Arnold (or Arnt) Sudermann.
Attempt to smuggle Dinslaken's soldiers into Dortmund
After she was widowed, Agnes became a friend of Count Dietrich von Dinslaken. She is alleged to have become involved in Dinslaken's attempt to take over the town of Dortmund. According to tradition, Agnes agreed to help smuggle Count Dietrich's soldiers into the heavily fortified town of Dortmund on 4 October 1378, the Sunday after Michaelmas.
A troop of soldiers hid in one of Agnes' hay wagons, along with a load of wood, and Agnes drove the wagon to Dortmund's Wißstrasse Gate. Her son Arnold accompianied her with a second hay wagon. Hidden in the bushes in front of the gate was young Count Conrad von Dortmund with his armed men, waiting to assist in an attack.
“Agnes von der Vierbecke” enters the record as medieval German woman (c.1341–1378). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Agnes, Vierbecke and medieval can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Agnes von der Vierbecke” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Agnes, Vierbecke and medieval provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q394804. VIAF identifies the subject as 232237292. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1341 and 1378.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Agnes von der Vierbecke”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Agnes von der Vierbecke primary sources, Agnes von der Vierbecke archive and Agnes research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Agnes von der Vierbecke”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Agnes von der Vierbecke” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.