Less than fifty years after the last relative of the monastery's founder, Rudolph Palgrave of Tübingen, had been buried in Bebenhausen, those in the palgrave's house seemed to be clear about the location of the graves and those buried in them, and turned to the monastery for assistance. The following letter was received from the abbot and the convent in 1360:
”Most gracious Lord, as your Grace wishes a written report as to how many of your Grace's ancestors (who were) palgraves of Tübingen lie buried here and their names, we inform your Grace that we hold a mass each year in memory of the lords and ladies of Tübingen named in the following, and that we do this in public in our Chapter in accordance with the customs of our Order. Firstly, the donator of our monastery, Master Rudolff, Palgrave of Tübingen, on 9 April. And secondly, his wife Mechtild, Palgravine of Tübingen, donator of our church, on 13 January. (...)
The ”offences of the pupils” from the time when one of the four Protestant monastery schools was located at Bebenhausen (1556-1806), which prepared for the profession of clergyman, fill long lists of abbots, provosts and professors. A small excerpt paints a vivid picture of the schoolboys (and later pastors).
There are entries on superstition, mischief in class, forbidden bathing, speaking German, theft of fruit and geese, climbing on rocks, swearing, illegible handwriting, brewing coffee, playing cards, play-acting, sacrilege, luxury in clothing, telling stories about girls, masquerading, powdering, throwing snowballs, school strikes, smoking tobacco, practicing exorcism, drunkenness, laziness, extending absences and carousing...
Under King Friedrich I a magnificent hunting celebration, the Celebration of Diana took place in 1812. The Württemberg Court Poet, Friedrich Matthisson, was present as a chronicler and describes the elaborate architecture and the course of the celebration in hymnic words. Numerous songs are spread through the description:
Hoch tön´, o stolzer Hörnerklang!
Schon blich der Morgenstern.
Erwecke, froher Jagdgesang,
den König, unsern Herrn!
Bis in die Wolken schwinge sich
Ein jubelnd: Vivat Friderich! (...)"
The Württemberg poet, lawyer, professor and representative of the Frankfurt National Assembly and of the "Oberamt" in Tübingen is the most important representative of the so-called Swabian Romantic. He also erected a literary monument to Bebenhausen which is based on the following situation. When Tübingen was sold to Duke Ulrich von Württemberg in 1342, the palgraves of Tübingen had at first retained the hunting rights in Schönbuch for themselves, requiring the (hunting) dogs to be fed and cared for in Bebenhausen. These obligations were very expensive for the monastery.
| Der letzte Pfalzgraf | ||
| Ich Pfalzgraf Götz von Tübingen verkaufe Burg und Stadt Mit Leuten, Gülten, Feld und Wald; Der Schulden bin ich satt Zwei Rechte nur verkauf´ich nicht, Am Kloster schenkten wir uns arm |
Im Schönbuch, um das Kloster her, da hab ich das Gejaid; Behalt´ich das, so ist mir nicht Um all mein andres leid. Und hört ihr Mönchlein eines Tags Begrabt mich unter breiter Eich´ |