The Battle of Näfels was fought on 9 April 1388 between the
Canton of Glarus
The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.
The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.
The majority of ...
, supported by its allies of the
Old Swiss Confederation
The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...
, and the
Duchy of Austria
The Duchy of Austria (german: Herzogtum Österreich) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1156 by the ''Privilegium Minus'', when the Margraviate of Austria (''Ostarrîchi'') was detached from Bavaria and elevated ...
ruled by the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
. It was a decisive victory for Glarus, which achieved independence from Habsburg rule.
. The battle was the last of the of the Swiss-Austrian conflicts that stretched through most of the 14th century.
Background
A few weeks after the
Battle of Sempach
The Battle of Sempach was fought on 9 July 1386, between Leopold III, Duke of Austria and the Old Swiss Confederacy. The battle was a decisive Swiss victory in which Duke Leopold and numerous Austrian nobles died. The victory helped turn the lo ...
on 9 July 1386, the Swiss Confederation attacked and besieged the Habsburg village of
Weesen on the
Walensee
The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from Walenstadt, is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, with about two thirds of its area in the Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the Canton of Glarus. Other towns an ...
.
The following year,
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in S ...
rose up against the Habsburgs and destroyed Burg Windegg. Then, on 11 March 1387, the valley council declared itself free of Habsburg control.
In response, on the night of 21–22 February 1388, an Austrian army attacked the village of Weesen and drove off the Swiss forces.
[ In the beginning of April, two Austrian armies marched out to cut off Glarus from the rest of the Confederation. The main army, with about 5,000 men, marched toward ]Näfels
Näfels is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Näfels is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord.
History
Näfels is first mentioned in 1240 as ''Nevels''.
In 1388, the Swiss Confederate ...
under the command of Count Donat von Toggenburg
Toggenburg is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the river Thur and that of its main tributary, the Necker. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (''Wahlkreis'') of the canton of St. Gallen ( S ...
and Knight Peter von Thorberg. A second column, with about 1,500 men under the command of Count Hans von Werdenberg-Sargans
Sargans is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Sargans is known for its castle, which dates from before the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. Sargans was also ...
, advanced through the Kerenzerberg Pass
Kerenzerberg Pass (el. 743 m.) is a mountain pass in the Alps in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland.
It connects Mollis and Mühlehorn above the Walensee.
The pass road was built in 1848 and has a maximum grade of 10 percent. Two tunnels have ...
.[
]
Battle
On 9 April 1388 the main army, under Toggenburg and Thorberg, attacked and captured the fortifications (''letzi
A ''Letzi'' (plural: ''Letzinen'', also known in German as a ''Talsperre'' in the sense of a fortification, not a dam) or ''Letzimauer'' refers to defensive barriers whose purpose is to protect the entrance into a valley. The term is Swiss, and ...
'') around Näfels.[ The garrison, comprising about 400 Glarner troops and a few dozen troops from both ]Schwyz
The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the '' ...
and Uri Uri may refer to:
Places
* Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland
* Úri, a village and commune in Hungary
* Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India
* Uri (island), an island off Malakula Islan ...
, held out for a short time, but was forced to withdraw into the hills.[ As they retreated, the Austrian army spread out to plunder the villages and farms.][ The Glarners then emerged from the snow and fog to take the Austrians by surprise as they were preoccupied with looting.]
Following a brief battle, the disorganized Austrians broke and fled toward Weesen, but the collapse of the bridge over the ''Maag'' or ''Weeser Linth
The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length.
The water power of the Linth ...
'' dropped much of their army into the river where they drowned. Seeing the destruction of the main column, Werdenberg-Sargans' army retreated to the village of Beglingen (now in the municipality of Mollis
Mollis is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Mollis is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord.
History
Mollis is first mentioned in 1288.
Geography
Mollis has an area, , of . Of this ...
).[ The Swiss had 54 men killed, who were buried at the ]parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of Mollis.[ Habsburg losses are less well known, though are estimated to be between several hundred killed][ and 1,700.][ On 29 November 1389, the Abbot Bilgeri had about 180 bodies moved from the battlefield and reburied at ]Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following:
*Rüti, Glarus in Glarus
*Rüti, Zürich in Zürich
*:Rüti Reformed Chu ...
in the choir of the present Rüti Reformed Church
Reformierte Kirche Rüti (native German name, literally: Rüti Reformed Church) is an Evangelical Reformed church in the Swiss municipality of Rüti in the Canton of Zürich. It was built between 1214 and 1219 AD as the Romanesque style church of ...
.[
]
Aftermath
In 1389, a seven-years' peace was signed at Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, leaving the Confederation in undisputed possession of all the territory it had acquired in the recent war. In the same year, the first ''Näfelser Fahrt'', a pilgrimage to the site of the battle was held. This pilgrimage, which still occurs, happens on the first Thursday in April and is in memory of the battle. The pilgrimage played an important role in the creation of the unified canton of Glarus.[
]
See also
*Battles of the Old Swiss Confederacy
List of battles fought by the Old Swiss Confederacy, 1315–1799.
The Battle of Morgarten of 1315 is famous as the first military success of the Confederacy, but it was an ambush on an army on the march rather than an open field battle.
The Ba ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nafels, Battle of
Nafels 1388
Nafels 1388
1388 in Europe
Battles of the Middle Ages
Conflicts in 1388
14th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy
1380s in the Holy Roman Empire
Canton of Glarus