Did you know that Götz, a character from the manga Berserk, is based on a historical figure? He is a reference to Gottfried von Berlichingen (1480–1562), an imperial knight of German origin nicknamed “Iron Fist” (Götz, obviously reminiscent of the name of the comic book character he inspired). 

The son of German nobles, Götz spent his childhood between his father's and mother's castles and then served as a squire to an uncle, even participating in the Imperial Diets of Worms (1495) and Lindau (1497). Upon the death of his family, as he himself stated in his autobiography, he devoted himself to the military profession, admitting: ‘Throughout my childhood, I behaved in such a way that many concluded I would become a soldier or a knight.’ He wandered among various German lords as a soldier and squire, until he served under Emperor Maximilian in 1498. Upon the latter's death, Götz entered the service of a baron with less than noble intentions, carrying out raids until he retired to his family's castles in 1502 to avoid being brought to justice. 

In 1504, while participating in the siege of Landshut, he was hit by a cannonball and lost his right hand. ‘The projectile struck the hilt of my sword, which shattered, and the splinters hit my hand, severing it from my arm at the wrist [...],’ he later recounted in his memoirs. Having made a full recovery in 1505, Götz did not give up the only job he knew how to do: mercenary. He had an iron prosthesis made so that he could use his sword and continued to fight in numerous feuds and serve lords and kings, even being banished by the emperor in 1512. He then returned to legality in 1514 after receiving compensation.

In 1517, he purchased Homberg Castle for over 6,000 florins to make it his home. However, life as a feudal lord did not suit Götz, and so in 1525, forced by circumstances, he joined Thomas Muntzer as one of the leaders in the famous “German Peasants” War' against the Swabian League. Although forced by the peasants, Götz became their captain and distinguished himself for his military courage, but was unable to prevent their defeat. Accused by the peasants and then by the imperial forces of serving the enemy, he was taken prisoner and then placed under house arrest in his castle in 1530. Here he wrote his memoirs, which were used posthumously by artists such as Goethe for compositions dedicated to him. His famous iron hand can still be seen today in Jagsthausen