German Civil War of 1400–1411
The German Civil War of 1400–1411 was a significant conflict triggered by the political instability surrounding the monarchy of Wenceslas IV, son of the esteemed Emperor Charles IV. Following Wenceslas's increasingly criticized regime, which faced challenges due to his inability to address disputes within the empire and his controversial decisions regarding alliances, a coalition of four electoral princes deposed him in 1400. They elected Rupert III as king of the Romans, yet Wenceslas's refusal to recognize this decision led to ongoing strife. Rupert's reign was fraught with difficulties, including financial constraints and military setbacks, particularly in northern Italy.
As Wenceslas grappled with internal family conflicts and territorial power struggles, his authority waned. His half-brother Sigismund eventually imprisoned him, although Wenceslas managed to escape and attempt to regain control. The death of Rupert in 1410 spurred further electoral disputes, ultimately confirming Sigismund as king of the Romans. Throughout this tumultuous period, Wenceslas's inability to solidify his power allowed growing dissent, culminating in revolts influenced by followers of John Hus by the end of his life. The civil war exemplified the complex political landscape of the Holy Roman Empire during this era, marked by shifting alliances and the struggle for authority among the nobility.
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German Civil War of 1400–1411
At issue: Control of the Holy Roman Empire and the Rhine-Main area of Germany
Date: August 20, 1400–1411
Location: Holy Roman Empire
Combatants: Bohemians and Milanese vs. Palatinate forces vs. League of Marbach
Principal commanders:Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, duke of Milan (1351–1402); Palatinate, Rupert, count palatine and king of the Romans (1352–1410); Marbach, John, count of Nassau and archbishop of Mainz (1360–1419)
Principal battle: Brescia
Result: Wenceslas of Bohemia was victorious, but his power continued to decline, enabling his brother Sigismund to replace him as king
Background
Following the successful monarchy of Emperor Charles IV, ruler of both the kingdom of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire from 1346 to 1378, hopes were high for his son and successor Wenceslas. However, as time went on, the imperial princes increasingly criticized Wenceslas’s regime for its lack of action, especially concerning quarrels between magnates in the empire and the two popes, one in Rome and the other in Avignon. Wenceslas was bogged down in disputes with his relatives and other magnates in Bohemia, to whom he lost most of his power after periods of captivity. The final insult to imperial princes was Wenceslas’s grant of the duchy of Milan to the usurper Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Four of the seven electoral princes deposed Wenceslas on August 20, 1400. The next day, they elected Elector Palatine Rupert III as king of the Romans. Wenceslas and the other three electoral princes, however, refused to recognize these actions.
Action
Rupert was a poor choice for a strong ruler because he lacked the martial resources to enforce his claim. Further, the core of Rupert’s possessions, on the upper Rhine and Main region, lay far distant from Bohemia. Still, Rupert did conquer many of the imperial territories in the Upper Palatinate which Wenceslas’s father Charles IV had previously acquired.
Rupert next asserted his claims to imperial power in northern Italy and even hoped to be crowned Holy Roman emperor in Rome. Lacking any cash, only loans from the Medici of Florence enabled Rupert to make any progress. However, Wenceslas’s ally Visconti stopped Rupert at Brescia (October 21, 1401). His exhausted resources forced him to retreat to Germany.
Back in Germany, Rupert faced a new coalition against him, the League of Marbach, organized in 1405 by his erstwhile elector, the archbishop of Mainz. The archbishop, who was himself a territorial prince, felt threatened by Rupert’s successes in the Rhine-Main region. Although Rupert made some progress against the league, his claims to exercise kingship remained empty.
Meanwhile, Wenceslas’s ongoing quarrels with his relatives restricted the Bohemian’s authority. When Wenceslas decided to try to travel to Rome and be crowned Holy Roman emperor, he made his half-brother Sigismund regent in Bohemia. However, Sigismund then seized Wenceslas and made him a prisoner. Although their cousin Jobst and some of the nobility began to fight Sigismund, Wenceslas escaped on his own from captivity in Vienna. In reestablishing his rule in Prague, he surrendered more of his political prerogatives, leaving him a mere shadow of a king.
Rupert’s death on May 18, 1410, meant a new royal election. Wenceslas’s attempts to reassert his title were mostly ignored. In the fall, different electors chose his two brothers, Jobst and Sigismund. Jobst’s death a few months later led Sigismund and Wenceslas to reach a compromise. The electors confirmed Sigismund’s election as king of the Romans, while Wenceslas was to go to Rome and be crowned Holy Roman emperor.
Aftermath
Wenceslas remained unable to assert any claims to the imperial title, and he remained in Prague. His incompetent and vacillating policies there allowed the Hus’s followers to grow in authority, until at the end of his life, they broke into open revolt and warfare.
Bibliography
DuBoulay, F. R. H. Germany in the Later Middle Ages. London: St. Martin’s, 1983.
Gravett, Christopher. German Medieval Armies 1300–1500. London: Osprey, 1993.
Leuschner, Joachim. Germany in the Late Middle Ages. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1980.