Erik Himmelreich
Erik Ambrosius Himmelreich (March 19, 1681 – November 2, 1739) was the Supreme Custodian of the County of Collinebourg from 1720-1728, best remembered for his ill-fated attempt to direct firefighting during the Great Fire of Collinebourg whilst in a drunken state. His title "Supreme Custodian" has been lampooned as "Supreme Drunkard" since he was still in office, and Himmelreich is still identified with the monicker today.
Erik Himmelreich | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Erik Ambrosius Himmelreich |
| Nickname(s) | Supreme Drunkard |
| Born | March 19, 1681 Collinebourg, Yonderre |
| Died | November 2, 1739 (aged 58) Gabion, Yonderre |
| Allegiance |  Yonderre |
| Service |  Grand Ducal Army Custodes Yonderre |
| Years of service | 1696-1728 |
| Spouse(s) | Hilda (née Matthäustochter)
( m. 1699; died 1701)Anna (née Friedhelmstochter)
( m. 1704; div. 1709) |
| Children | 2 |
Himmelreich was born Erik Ambrosius Himmelreich in Collinebourg on March 19, 1681. Church records show he was baptized May 1, 1681. His parents were merchant Konrad Himmelreich and his wife Karlotta. Erik Himmelreich enrolled in the Grand Ducal Army in 1696. Church records show he married Hilda Matthäustochter (born 1682) 21 October, 1699, and that she died in childbirth in 1701 aged 18 or 19. Himmelreich later married Anna Friedhelmstochter in 1704 with whom he had two children before divorcing in 1709.
It is unknown when Himmelreich joined the Custodes Yonderre. Custodes records show that he solved many "mysteries" during the 1710s, which some historians have interpreted as meaning, amongst other things, cold cases. Custodes records also show that Himmelreich had a number of disciplinary actions taken against him due to "Gambrinous gluttony", a period euphemism for drunkeness. In spite of his Gambrinous gluttony, Himmelreich was made Supreme Custodian of Bourgville, the central medieval quarter of Collinebourg, in 1717. By 1720, Himmelreich was made Supreme Custodian of the County of Collinebourg, aged 39. Himmelreich's drinking appears to have reached new heights in the 1720s, but holding one of the highest offices in Yonderre held him above criticism, public murmuring notwithstanding.
On the evening of the Great Fire of Collinebourg, October 20, 1728, Himmelreich had played dice and enjoyed alcohol with two Life Guards of Foot in his home in Bourgville when he was alarmed of the fire by the sounding of the church bells. Himmelreich soon appeared at the scene of the fire highly intoxicated and attempted to direct the firefighting effort. When he saw that his work was in vain, Himmelreich fell back to his home in the afflicted neighbourhood to recover what furniture was possible. Ultimately, Himmelreich was discovered in the wash house of a brothel the next morning, reaking of booze. Himmelreich partook more succesfully in the firefighting in the following days, but an eqnuiry was nevertheless launched by Collinebourg's 45 men to determine his culpability, spurred on by a furious Collinebourg public.
In a hearing overseen by Grand Duke of Yonderre Giles IV de Mortain in November 1728, Himmelreich was condemned for gross negligence in carrying out his office, not based purely on his performance on October 20 (Himmelreich was conversely praised for his work in the days after), but rather based on his entire period in office. Himmelreich was struck from the rolls of the Custodes Yonderre and forbidden from holding public office for life. A lengthy prison sentence was commuted to a ban from entry into Collinebourg for ten years. As a token of good will, and to protect him from public retaliation, an unknown member of the 45 Men secured Himmelreich anonymous passage by boat to Gabion. Erik Himmelreich lived out the remainder of his life in Gabion as a labourer before dying in 1739 aged 58. His body was returned to Collinebourg and is buried in an unmarked grave in the graveyard of the Church of Glorious Salvation.