German Civil War of 1314–1325
The German Civil War of 1314–1325 was a significant conflict arising from a power struggle between two principal claimants to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire: Duke Ludwig IV of Bavaria and Duke Frederick the Handsome of Austria. Following the death of Emperor Henry VII in 1313, the election of a new king led to a dual election due to divisions among the electoral princes, with Ludwig crowned in Aachen and Frederick in Bonn. The war featured various military engagements, notably the Swiss victory at Morgarten in 1315, which diminished Habsburg influence in Switzerland. A critical battle near Mühldorf in 1322 saw Ludwig decisively defeat Frederick, who was subsequently imprisoned.
Despite internal conflicts and the excommunication of Ludwig by the pope in 1324, negotiations between Frederick and Ludwig culminated in a treaty in September 1325, recognizing Frederick as co-king. The aftermath of the war saw a shift in power dynamics, with the Habsburgs retreating to their Austrian territories. Although initial adversaries seemed subdued, Ludwig faced ongoing challenges, including further opposition from the pope and eventual rebellion from Charles IV. This period marked a crucial phase in the relationships between noble families and the evolving nature of governance in the Holy Roman Empire.
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German Civil War of 1314–1325
At issue: Control of the Holy Roman Empire
Date: October, 1314-September 5, 1325
Location: Southern Germany and Switzerland
Combatants: Wittelsbachs and the Swiss Confederation vs. Habsburgs
Principal commanders:Wittelsbach, Ludwig IV, duke of Upper Bavaria (1282–1347); Habsburg, Leopold I (1293–1326), Frederick the Handsome (1298–1330)
Principal battles: Morgarten, Mühldorf
Result: Wittelsbach victory; the Habsburgs were confined to their Austrian possessions
Background
The Swiss Confederation had proclaimed its independence from the Austrian Habsburgs in 1291. Likewise the Habsburgs quarreled with the Bavarian Wittelsbachs over the borders of their adjoining territories on the Inn and Danube rivers. They fought intermittent skirmishes and sieges between 1309 and 1311. In 1313, Duke Ludwig IV united the different branches of his family and defeated the Austrians at Gammelsdorf (November 13, 1313). The Austrian alliance with the Bohemian Luxembourgers, however, brought both sides to compromise.
Also in 1313, the Holy Roman emperor Henry VII died in Italy. The seven electoral princes were then responsible for choosing the next king of the Romans who could become Holy Roman emperor. The two leading candidates were Duke Ludwig IV of Upper Bavaria and Duke Frederick the Handsome of Austria. Divisions among the electors, with two claimants each to exercise the votes of Saxony and Bohemia, led to a dual election and war between the rivals.
Action
To forestall the election of his rival, Frederick tried to besiege the traditional place of voting, Frankfurt. Lack of supplies forced him to withdraw to nearby Sachsenhausen. There, on October 19, 1313, one group of electors chose him as king. The next day, the other group in Frankfurt elected Ludwig. Soon, the correct prelate, the archbishop of Cologne, crowned Frederick king in Bonn with the actual crown jewels; however, the more prestigious archbishop of Mainz crowned Ludwig in the correct location, namely Charlemagne’s church in Aachen.
Duke Leopold I then took the initiative. He moved against the Swiss to restore Habsburg authority there and to weaken their alliance with Ludwig. Unfortunately, the Swiss ambushed his army on a narrow mountain pass near Morgarten (November 15, 1315). Duke Leopold’s armored knights suffered extreme losses from the Swiss peasants with their halberds. This defeat drove the Habsburgs from the region.
Much of the other military action consisted of ravaging the enemy’s lands. A decisive battle, however, took place along the Inn near Mühldorf (September 28, 1322). Ludwig, supported by John von Luxembourg, confronted an army under the command of Frederick. Rather than wait for his brother Leopold’s reinforcements, Frederick joined battle and lost. Ludwig imprisoned Frederick in the castle Trausnitz near Bohemia.
Although many contemporaries considered Frederick’s defeat a divine judgment, Frederick’s brother Leopold continued his opposition. He rebuilt an alliance with the Luxembourgers and drew in France. Ludwig’s quarrels with his own family and with the pope further weakened his position. The pope, fearing Ludwig’s domination of Italy, excommunicated him in March, 1324, and in July took away his royal authority. At Easter, 1325, after Frederick had agreed to renounce the crown, Ludwig released him. Yet when Frederick’s brother Leopold refused to quit fighting, Frederick honorably surrendered himself to Ludwig in Munich. There Frederick and Ludwig negotiated. On September 5, 1325, Frederick and Ludwig signed an unusual treaty by which Frederick was recognized as co-king, and both would share rule in the empire.
Aftermath
The death of Leopold in 1326, who opposed the agreement with the Wittelsbachs, robbed Frederick of his strongest support. Thereafter, he largely withdrew from affairs. Thus the Habsburgs were confined to their Austrian possessions, where they slowly rebuilt their position as a powerful dynasty. For the short term, Ludwig’s enemies seemed defeated. However, he would continue to face difficulties in the empire, as the pope declared him a heretic and preached a crusade against him, leading to another rebellion by Holy Roman emperor Charles IV.
Bibliography
Bérenger, Jean. A History of the Habsburg Empire 1273–1700. London: Longman, 1994.
Gravett, Christopher. German Medieval Armies 1300–1500. London: Osprey, 1993.
Leuschner, Joachim. Germany in the Late Middle Ages. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1980.