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The Battle of Hausbergen was a military engagement in northeastern France which took place on 8 March 1262 and marked the release of
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...
from episcopal authority. The
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...
defenders of the town defeated the combined forces of the
Bishop of Strasbourg {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 These persons were bishop, archbishop or prince-bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (including historically Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg): Bishops and prince-bishops * Amandus *Justinus ...
, .


Background

The relations between the Strasbourgers and their bishop, which were already strained, deteriorated in 1260. When he was installed on the episcopal throne, launched a manifesto of grievances against the citizens, stating his intention to re-establish his temporal rights as Count-Burgrave of Strasbourg. To do so, he threatened to use all the means of constraint conferred on him by his episcopal authority, foremost among which were prohibition and excommunication. Incidents between the bishop and the city grew in frequency until conflict became inevitable.


Preparations for war

Geroldseck sought reinforcements, and 1,500 men were sent by the
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of
Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
with others from the abbots of St Gall and Murbach. Geroldseck's main ally was Count Rudolf of Habsburg. Geroldseck made a demonstration of strength in front of the city, which turned to his disadvantage. He then put Strasbourg under blockade, while the Strasbourgers tried in vain to break through. The year 1261 proved a turning point. During a truce for the harvest, Rudolf of Habsburg changed sides and joined the Strasbourgers who proclaimed him the ''gonfalonier'' of their army on 18 September 1261. On Christmas Day 1261, a sortie by the Strasbourgers with their new ally in the direction of Dachstein did not resolve the conflict as Geroldseck avoided a clash with Rudolf. He avenged himself by plundering Rudolf's possessions in
Upper Alsace Upper Alsace (southern Alsace) was a landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire centred on Ensisheim and Landser, north of the County of Ferrette (Pfirt). The counts of Habsburg ruled the territory from the 1130s down to its cession to France in th ...
.


The battle

On 8 March 1262, Reimbold Liebenzeller led half of the Strasbourg garrison to
Mundolsheim Mundolsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes coopera ...
, at the northern end of the
Hausbergen Hausbergen is a natural region and historic territory in Alsace now divided between three communes of Greater Strasbourg intercommunal structure: * Niederhausbergen (lower Hausbergen) * Mittelhausbergen (middle or central Hausbergen) * Oberhausberg ...
hill, to capture the bell tower which was thought to be a lookout post for Geroldseck's blockade. The bishop, after being warned, set out from
Molsheim Molsheim () is a commune and a subprefecture in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
with his army of 300 knights and 5,000 infantrymen. Sighting the enemy approaching, Liebenzeller sent messengers to Strasbourg to call for help. He then climbed the hill of Hausbergen and awaited the troops, led by his colleague Nicolaus Zorn. When Zorn arrived, the combined force fell back toward the village of
Oberhausbergen Oberhausbergen is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is a northwestern suburb of Strasbourg. Population See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 commun ...
. Geroldseck, observing this, thought the army was trying to return to Strasbourg. Thinking to crush them with his cavalry before they escaped, he led his horsemen in a rapid advance, leaving his infantry to catch up as best they could. The Strasbourgers were not in flight, however, and deployed to face the bishop's men in good order.Delbrück (1990), p. 370. The battle began with a challenge to single combat by the knight Marcus of Eckwersheim from the army of Strasbourg. This was accepted by a knight called Beckelar of the episcopal army. Both parties were unhorsed but Eckwersheim was rescued by his comrades and Beckelar was killed. Immediately after this, the cavalry of the two sides clashed. Liebenzeller led forward the militia, armed with spears and Danish axes, and ordered them to attack the horses of the knights. Meanwhile, Zorn had led the 300 crossbowmen out to the flank of the fight to engage the bishop's advancing infantry and prevent them from interfering in the fight with the knights.Bachrach & Bachrach (2017), p. 290. The shooting of the bowmen was so effective that the infantry declined to advance further. Their cavalry was overwhelmed. Sixty knights were killed and another 73 captured. Geroldseck was engaged in the struggle, having two horses killed under him before fleeing from the field on a third. His brother, Hermann, lay among the dead. Geroldseck retired to Molsheim and abandoned his prerogatives over Strasbourg. He died in February 1263.


Consequences

Peace was concluded between the city and the new bishop, Henry of Geroldseck, cousin of the deceased Walter. It confirmed the complete independence of the Council on 21 April 1263. The past and future ducal pretensions of the Bishop of Strasbourg were declared null and void. Strasbourg became a
free city Free city may refer to: Historical places * Free city (antiquity) a self-governed city during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial eras * Free imperial city, self-governed city in the Holy Roman Empire subordinate only to the emperor ** Free City of ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
and its future was entrusted to its Council. In addition, management of the
Notre-Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to th ...
was taken from the bishop and entrusted to the
cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. ...
.


Commemoration

The 750th anniversary of the battle was celebrated in 2012. A comic album was published about the event and a seminar was organised by the
University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...
.


References

{{reflist Conflicts in 1262 History of Strasbourg
Hausbergen Hausbergen is a natural region and historic territory in Alsace now divided between three communes of Greater Strasbourg intercommunal structure: * Niederhausbergen (lower Hausbergen) * Mittelhausbergen (middle or central Hausbergen) * Oberhausberg ...
1262 in Europe