Middle Ages The name "Scherzheim" derives most likely from a personal name from the
Merovingian dynasty, in which Scherzheim meant "Home of Scarto" (
"Heim des Scarto"). A connection with the nearby village of Ulm, which is now also a part of Lichtenau, has been documented since 1145. At that time, Scherzheim belonged to the Schwarzach Abbey. In 1335, the middle and younger branches of the House of Lichtenberg carried out a division of their territories, by which the district of Lichtenau, and by extension Scherzbehim, went to
Ludwig III. of Lichtenberg, founder of the younger branch of the house. Anna von Lichtenberg (* 1442; † 1474), the daughter of Ludwig V. of Lichtenberg (* 1417; † 1474) was one of two heiresses with claims to the Lordship of Lichtenberg. In 1458, she married Count
Philipp I. of Hanau-Babenhausen (* 1417; † 1480), who received a small
Secundogeniture from the holdings of the
County of Hanau in order to be able to marry her. Through the marriage, the
County of Hanau-Lichtenberg was created. In 1480, following the death of Anna's uncle and last Lichtenberger
Jakob von Lichtenberg, Philipp I. the Elder received half of the Lordship of Lichtenberg. The other half went to his brother-in-law Simon IV. Wecker of
Zweibrücken-Bitsch. The district of Lichtenau belonged to the part of Lichtenberg that was inherited by the descendents of Philipp and Anna.
Early Modern Period Philipp IV. of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1514–1590), upon taking office in 1538, implemented the
Reformation in the county, making it
Lutheran wurde. During the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, Scherzheim was repeatedly plundered and destroyed. For example, at the end of the 17th century, after the passage of French general
Ezéchiel de Mélac during the
Nine Years' War (1688–1697), only 3 houses remained in the village. After the death of the last Count of Hanau,
Johann Reinhard III., in 1736, the inheritance, and with it the Lichtenau District (including Scherzheim), was passed to the Landgrave
Ludwig (IX.) of
Hesse-Darmstadt, the son of his only daughter,
Charlotte von Hanau-Lichtenberg. By this time, Scherzheim was already an administrative part of Lichtenau.
Modern Period As a result of the
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the district and Scherzheim were assigned in 1803 to the newly formed
Electorate of Baden.On January 1, 1972, Scherzheim was incorporated into the municipality of Lichtenau as part of the Baden-Württemberg municipal reforms. It was thus the first independent municipality to become part of Lichtenau in this way. Until December 31, 1972, Scherzheim belonged to the Kehl District (
Landkreis Kehl). Following the district reforms, Scherzheim, by then a part of Lichtenau, was assigned to the newly created
Rastatt District. == Demographics ==