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Holding the Stirrup
Baroness Elisabeth von Guttenberg tells of her life in pre-post-WWII Germany. Her life was one of peace and happiness in which she and her husband served faithfully their people. When World War I comes, her quiet world is shattered and, following the Treaty of Versailles, nothing is the same for her or for her beloved country as economic and political upheavals threaten and destroy the customs of ages.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 4, 2013
Baroness Elisabeth von Guttenberg's poignant biography and love story. Devout Catholic, loving wife and mother, born into privilege, money and the old German aristocracy, this brave lady, saw the country she loved brought to ruin under a man (Hitler) and system (The Third Reich) she despised and lost much of what was dear to her -- except her faith and sense of decency.
An insider's look at what happened to the family of Claus von Stauffenberg - the man who tried to kill Hitler on the 20th of July, 1944. Baroness Guttenberg was related to the Stauffenbergs. Her own husband was involved in similar failed plots to prevent and fight the rise of the Nazi menace long before 1944.
This book covers the time period from her youth through her early married life during the 1920s and 30s until a few years after the end of World War II. More than just three stars for sure. My only criticism of it being its sweetly sentimental overtones, characteristic no doubt of the ladylike upbringing of the gentle author and manner/style of expression which takes some getting used to. It's probably something I'd appreciate more if I made the effort to do so--the shortcoming being a reflection on the reader and not the author.
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There's an elderly gentleman from our church who likes to bring me books. This one is an original edition signed by the author and it's in amazing condition!
I fell in love with it from the very first page...!
An insider's look at what happened to the family of Claus von Stauffenberg - the man who tried to kill Hitler on the 20th of July, 1944. Baroness Guttenberg was related to the Stauffenbergs. Her own husband was involved in similar failed plots to prevent and fight the rise of the Nazi menace long before 1944.
This book covers the time period from her youth through her early married life during the 1920s and 30s until a few years after the end of World War II. More than just three stars for sure. My only criticism of it being its sweetly sentimental overtones, characteristic no doubt of the ladylike upbringing of the gentle author and manner/style of expression which takes some getting used to. It's probably something I'd appreciate more if I made the effort to do so--the shortcoming being a reflection on the reader and not the author.
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There's an elderly gentleman from our church who likes to bring me books. This one is an original edition signed by the author and it's in amazing condition!
I fell in love with it from the very first page...!
March 21, 2023
I just loved this memoir of a German baroness. I have never read about the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazism from the perspective of the Catholic German nobility. So much I did not know about the brave men and women who sacrificed everything to oppose this evil in their country. This is both a spiritual and historical read and hits every mark for both.
June 19, 2021
One of the most inspiring books I have ever read. The true story of a family who grew closer to God through joy, through, suffering, through family, through friendship, through patriotism, through every experience they had together and individually.
August 10, 2016
This book jumped into my hands at the bookstore. Seemed fairly interesting, almost didn’t buy it and then decided…well, it DOES want to be read. This was an amazing book. Amazing. Incredible. This woman was an astounding human being as were the people in her life. While I thought the interesting aspects of this book would be a glimpse into a long lost way of aristocratic life (got hooked on the “holding the stirrup” line not because that sounded particularly intriguing in itself, but for the broader promise of more along those lines, especially I suppose, knights preparing for war). It was anything but that. This was a look into the heroic virtue that blooms within the heart and spirit of human beings who are aligned with a very deep connection to a truth that springs from tradition and honor. Because she was well acquainted with the Stauffenberg family, readers get to see the material from which these virtues were constructed in a man like von Stauffenberg. As the heat is turned up in Nazi Germany, the people the reader gets to know become extraordinary as the world becomes more twisted around them. The glimpses of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg intrigued me so much that I had to find a biography so that I could know a little of what formed and informed him. Learning that he had a great love for art and poetry was probably the one detail I latched onto. I have a penchant for heroes that love art and poetry. I like to see how they navigated the world and what gave them inspiration to be wholly courageous and honorable. I was happy to know that Stauffenberg was conflicted about the morality of killing Hitler. That question alone has kept my brain somewhat busy when I have time.
There is one episode Elizabeth Guttenburg relates, well, a lot more than one, but the one which continues to come back to my thoughts is her recollection of kneeling next to her son for Holy Communion the evening before he leaves to return to his post at Stalingrad. It is an artistic depiction which can only be rendered in words. Through the entirely of her life, to include her eternal existence, that moments inhabitable capability is never lost. Experiencing something eternal in a temporal state does provide a measure of intersection-it must.
Her story is so timely and such a wonderful example of Reality and meaningful order of life even when all seems lost. Living in Germany during that time revealed the heart’s true condition, for better or worse. I have long been fascinated by mind-boggling strength revealed in everyday people through nightmarish circumstances (Father Kapaun, Joan of Arc, Sophie Scholl, St Maximillian Kolbe, Thomas Moore, Edmund Campion, or even those who lived heroically despite their singularly imposed nightmarish circumstances…making the most of very very little...who, at the end of the day, sing a song to the Lord and love their neighbors. I think they did not begin life thinking about sacrifice, or having to sacrifice their very life for a larger, more important truth to which they had attached themselves. As for me, it gives me hope as I have long suspected that a cowardly shrimp lurks within since I routinely fold in the face of only mildly difficult circumstances (comparatively speaking). As the atmosphere changes and the air is charged with the electricity of something blowing in on the horizon, I realize that it is time to exercise virtue in order that I might not disintegrate at the first outpouring. Time is so short. Even shorter for some than others I know, but I know now I can never assume any tomorrows as what I really have to give is the right now. I give so little and He gave everything. It is amazing to think my little is something anyways. It’s strange and awesome how our short lives are poetic expressions of a much grander, infinite picture. It is wonderful, a book that can do this to my thoughtscape.
There is one episode Elizabeth Guttenburg relates, well, a lot more than one, but the one which continues to come back to my thoughts is her recollection of kneeling next to her son for Holy Communion the evening before he leaves to return to his post at Stalingrad. It is an artistic depiction which can only be rendered in words. Through the entirely of her life, to include her eternal existence, that moments inhabitable capability is never lost. Experiencing something eternal in a temporal state does provide a measure of intersection-it must.
Her story is so timely and such a wonderful example of Reality and meaningful order of life even when all seems lost. Living in Germany during that time revealed the heart’s true condition, for better or worse. I have long been fascinated by mind-boggling strength revealed in everyday people through nightmarish circumstances (Father Kapaun, Joan of Arc, Sophie Scholl, St Maximillian Kolbe, Thomas Moore, Edmund Campion, or even those who lived heroically despite their singularly imposed nightmarish circumstances…making the most of very very little...who, at the end of the day, sing a song to the Lord and love their neighbors. I think they did not begin life thinking about sacrifice, or having to sacrifice their very life for a larger, more important truth to which they had attached themselves. As for me, it gives me hope as I have long suspected that a cowardly shrimp lurks within since I routinely fold in the face of only mildly difficult circumstances (comparatively speaking). As the atmosphere changes and the air is charged with the electricity of something blowing in on the horizon, I realize that it is time to exercise virtue in order that I might not disintegrate at the first outpouring. Time is so short. Even shorter for some than others I know, but I know now I can never assume any tomorrows as what I really have to give is the right now. I give so little and He gave everything. It is amazing to think my little is something anyways. It’s strange and awesome how our short lives are poetic expressions of a much grander, infinite picture. It is wonderful, a book that can do this to my thoughtscape.
January 29, 2014
A Bavarian noblewoman’s account of life in Germany through two world wars. Nothing new really but engagingly written with some poignant moments and a portrait of unshakeable faith. The peculiar title refers to the ancient Teutonic custom of a woman holding her husband’s stirrup when he mounted to depart for war, a promise of her fidelity and courage. The baroness displayed both as her family fought the Nazi horrors with great sacrifice and personal loss.
March 14, 2014
One of the most fantastic autobiographies I've read. Thoroughly Catholic and an excellent example of forgiveness, fortitude, and above all, charity.
December 5, 2020
Elizabeth von Guttenberg was a Bavarian noblewoman who lived during the first half of the twentieth century. Her memoir, "Holding the Stirrup," is a fascinating and touching window into the bygone age of European Catholic nobility -- a world of tradition, social hierarchy, noblesse oblige, and chivalric virtues.
The Bavaria of her birth was a Catholic monarchy inside the German Empire. As a child, she recounts the beautiful world of European aristocracy that most moderns will find difficult to comprehend. Her family had deep roots in Bavaria and Franconia and personified many of the Germanic peoples' best qualities. Tradition, beauty, virtue, art, literature, the family, and above all, religion were central to their lives. Society was hierarchical and harmonious, with manly men serving and protecting their families and -- when the need arose -- marching off to war in beautiful uniforms, while elegant and feminine women served their husbands and children in the home.
This is the origin of the title. When a knight would leave his castle to go off to war, his wife would hold his stirrup as he mounted, symbolizing her devotion and fidelity in his absence and keeping a vigil until his return.
The von Guttenbergs had intimate social ties to the common people of the villages where they owned lands and properties. For example, Elizabeth would organize Christmas parties and other public celebrations for the village families, give presents to each of the village children, serve as godparents, and help local families when they fell on hard times. Local peasants had almost a right to ask the von Guttenbergs for assistance. In short, her family at the turn of the twentieth century still retained much of the feudal relationship that characterized the life of the nobility since the Middle Ages.
Elizabeth von Guttenberg was a devout Catholic. Her Faith shone in everything she did and was a central theme of her memoir. Her Faith helped her endure the terrible suffering that was in store for Europe.
She lived in a time of terrible social and political upheaval. World War I, the many Communist revolutions in central and eastern Europe post-1918 (including a brief one in Munich), the Weimar Republic, the Great Depression, the Nazi era, and of course, World War II destroyed what remained of the old social order. Many family members were killed in the wars, including her own son on the Eastern Front in World War II. She also witnessed the utter devastation of her homeland by the Allied bombing campaign.
Most interesting is her recounting of the German resistance to Hitler, in which her family was heavily involved. Claus von Stauffenberg -- who placed the bomb that nearly killed Hitler and was afterwards executed -- was her husband's cousin. Her memoir provides an inside view of this often-forgotten chapter of World War II.
However, as fascinating as her memoir is from a historical and social perspective, Elizabeth von Guttenberg's style is very sentimental and, at times, overly emotional, which might turn off some readers. She also makes her memoir somewhat of a love story with her husband, Georg Enoch Freiherr von Guttenberg. This is more a matter of personal taste than the book's quality, but that is why I gave it four stars.
"Holding the Stirrup" is an excellent memoir from a much happier and beautiful age of nobility, chivalry, and Faith that was so tragically destroyed by our century.
The Bavaria of her birth was a Catholic monarchy inside the German Empire. As a child, she recounts the beautiful world of European aristocracy that most moderns will find difficult to comprehend. Her family had deep roots in Bavaria and Franconia and personified many of the Germanic peoples' best qualities. Tradition, beauty, virtue, art, literature, the family, and above all, religion were central to their lives. Society was hierarchical and harmonious, with manly men serving and protecting their families and -- when the need arose -- marching off to war in beautiful uniforms, while elegant and feminine women served their husbands and children in the home.
This is the origin of the title. When a knight would leave his castle to go off to war, his wife would hold his stirrup as he mounted, symbolizing her devotion and fidelity in his absence and keeping a vigil until his return.
The von Guttenbergs had intimate social ties to the common people of the villages where they owned lands and properties. For example, Elizabeth would organize Christmas parties and other public celebrations for the village families, give presents to each of the village children, serve as godparents, and help local families when they fell on hard times. Local peasants had almost a right to ask the von Guttenbergs for assistance. In short, her family at the turn of the twentieth century still retained much of the feudal relationship that characterized the life of the nobility since the Middle Ages.
Elizabeth von Guttenberg was a devout Catholic. Her Faith shone in everything she did and was a central theme of her memoir. Her Faith helped her endure the terrible suffering that was in store for Europe.
She lived in a time of terrible social and political upheaval. World War I, the many Communist revolutions in central and eastern Europe post-1918 (including a brief one in Munich), the Weimar Republic, the Great Depression, the Nazi era, and of course, World War II destroyed what remained of the old social order. Many family members were killed in the wars, including her own son on the Eastern Front in World War II. She also witnessed the utter devastation of her homeland by the Allied bombing campaign.
Most interesting is her recounting of the German resistance to Hitler, in which her family was heavily involved. Claus von Stauffenberg -- who placed the bomb that nearly killed Hitler and was afterwards executed -- was her husband's cousin. Her memoir provides an inside view of this often-forgotten chapter of World War II.
However, as fascinating as her memoir is from a historical and social perspective, Elizabeth von Guttenberg's style is very sentimental and, at times, overly emotional, which might turn off some readers. She also makes her memoir somewhat of a love story with her husband, Georg Enoch Freiherr von Guttenberg. This is more a matter of personal taste than the book's quality, but that is why I gave it four stars.
"Holding the Stirrup" is an excellent memoir from a much happier and beautiful age of nobility, chivalry, and Faith that was so tragically destroyed by our century.
February 22, 2015
love it!
May 16, 2018
What I read was ok, but I didn't get into it. lots of details that bogged down the story, I think. just not the right time for me? maybe I'll try again sometime.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews