Ludwig Schafenweide

Ludwig Schafenweide (1650–1720) was a business tycoon from Sankt Ludwigshafen, who inherited the rights to Osthügel Motorenwerke after his father-in-law, Ayreon Friedrichssohn, passed away during the horror winter of 1696 in Neu Ludwigshafen. Under his leadership, the company was able to restart production in Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen, but business with vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine was difficult with the republic being extremely hesitant in the construction of roads and petrol stations. In 1701 the company expanded its business to also build steam engines, which could be fired with firewood that was available throughout the republic. The extremely powerful OMW Große Dampfzugmaschine, which enabled a train weight of 50 tonnes on dirt roads, was licensed to Stonetree Engineering Group and prevented the company from having to file for bankruptcy. In 1712 the company was asked to develop the first armoured vehicle for the Army of the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald, but the army turned out to be unable to bear the high costs of this development and the republic fell apart after unpaid soldiers staged the 1715 Lanzerwaldian Mutiny. After the mutiny, the Lanzerwaldian successor state, the Realm of the Sovereign Lanzerwald banned motorised vehicles altogether, prompting Ludwig Schafenweide to stage a rebellion. With allies in politics and business, he was able to overthrow the Lanzerwald and restore the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen in the 1716 Ludwiggian Restoration. While previously a devout Nazarene, following the condemnation by the Ludwiggian Reformed Church of his actions during the Ludwiggian Restoration, he tried to find a new spirituality, and like many Ludwiggians he advocated a return to the Restored Church of Ludwigshafen. Because of his brutality during the civil war, he was arrested and only released under the condition that he would retire from politics. His son Simon Schafenweide became the first stadtholder of the restored republic.