The Cologne Diocesan Feud (german: Kölner Stiftsfehde, or ''Stiftsfehde zu Köln''), also called the Neuss War (''Neusser Krieg'') or Burgundian War (''Burgundischer Krieg''), was a conflict, which began in 1473, between the
Archbishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Pala ...
,
Ruprecht of the Palatinate and the ''
Landstände
The ''Landstände'' (singular ''Landstand'') or ''Landtage'' (singular ''Landtag'') were the various territorial estates or diets in the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages and the early modern period, as opposed to their respective territorial ...
'' of his
archbishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
. As a result of the involvement of
Charles the Bold
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477.
...
of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former Regions of France, administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11 ...
and, eventually, the
Holy Roman Empire the matter at times assumed a European dimension. It finally ended when Ruprecht died in 1480.
Background
After the death of , the estates in the secular dominion ("Archbishopric") of the Archbishop of Cologne banded together to form so-called "hereditary estate agreements" (''Erblandesvereinigungen''). The ''Erblandesvereinigung'' in the Diocese itself also joined the ecclesiastical territory of
Vest Recklinghausen. In the
Duchy of Westphalia the estates agreed their own ''Erblandesvereinigung''. These agreements had henceforth to be sworn by new archbishops in their role as territorial rulers. The ''Erblandesvereinigung'' envisaged that, in this case of important fiscal and public policy issues, the sovereign had to seek the permission of estates or ''
Landstände
The ''Landstände'' (singular ''Landstand'') or ''Landtage'' (singular ''Landtag'') were the various territorial estates or diets in the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages and the early modern period, as opposed to their respective territorial ...
''. Although Ruprecht came from the centre of 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. In ...
, it was not long before he ignored the ''Erblandesvereinigung'' he had sworn. Instead he hired mercenaries from the Palatinate, with whom he intended to recapture the estates enfeoffed by previous archbishops. When he let a dispute occur over the raising of a poll and hearth tax on the town of
Zons, which was enfeoffed to the cathedral chapter, the conflict broke out openly. He also tried to take the town of
Neuss by force. The ''Landstände'' saw the actions of the Archbishop as an infraction of ''Erblandesvereinigung'', relied on their right to opposition and deposed Ruprecht. In his place, in the spring of 1473, they elected
Hermann of Hesse as the administrator (''Stiftsverweser'') of the Diocese. The estates had strong support from the cities of Cologne and Neuss.
Course
Ruprecht did not accept this and was also supported by the small and middle-ranking estates. In 1473, Hessian troops under
Johann Schenk zu Schweinsberg, sent to support the administrator, failed in their attempt to capture the town of
Brilon
Brilon (; Westphalian: ''Brailen'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis.
Geography
Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the ...
in the Duchy of Westphalia, but then played an important role in the defence of Neuss. Ruprecht's situation improved as a result, because he was able to win the backing of Charles the Bold. The latter was even appointed as the "hereditary advocate" (''Erbvogt'') of the Diocese.
For his part, Charles the Bold saw a favourable opportunity to extend his power at the expense of the Diocese. The majority of the neighbouring territories were already in Burgundian hands. In addition, the
Duchy of Cleves belonged to the allies. In 1473 after Charles the Bold also came into possession of the
Duchy of Guelders, the existence of the Diocese became threatened. The same year there was an attempt at the "Trier Meeting" (''Trierer Treffen'') to clarify the position of Charles the Bold and the Emperor and the prince-electors. This attempt at negotiation proved unsuccessful. In April and May 1474,
Ahrweiler
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of the ...
was besieged by troops sympathetic to Ruprecht. The town walls and guns fended the attacks off.
Charles the Bold marched out with an army that was one of the largest and best equipped of its time. In his support was
Frederick the Victorious of the Palatinate, brother of Archbishop Ruprecht, and the dukes of
Guelders and
Cleves
Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
. The allied troops jointly numbered about 13,000 to 20,000 men. Instead of marching on
Cologne as Ruprecht had thought, the army advanced on Neuss, a town defended by Hermann of Hesse and his 4,000-man body of troops. Neuss was besieged in 1474/75 by the enemy forces (see the
Siege of Neuss). The siege was ended by the delivery of an
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
by Emperor
Frederick III. This ended the Neuss War, but not the diocesan feud.
After the withdrawal of Burgundian troops, Ruprecht of the Palatinate still had available several supporters in the Upper Diocese (''Oberstift'') and in the Duchy of Westphalia. So he did not give up. However, his position was severely weakened by the death of Frederick the Victorious in 1476 and Charles the Bold a year later. In the territory of the Diocese itself he was now only able to control
Kempen and
Altenahr
Altenahr () is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative centre for the eponymous collective municipality, to which it belongs. Altenahr is a state-recognised tourist resort and is ...
whilst, outside, he still had several Westphalian estates. In 1478, he was taken prisoner by Hessian troops. However, initially the Hessians were unable to make gains in Westphalia. The Duke of Cleves, who fought on Ruprecht's side, was even able to occupy
Arnsberg
Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...
and
Eversberg
Eversberg is a town with about 2000 inhabitants in the county of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The history of the town goes back to the 11th century when Count Eberhard von Arnsberg founded the castle Eversberg. The castle today is a ruin. T ...
for a time.
After his capture, Ruprecht announced he was prepared to give up the office of archbishop. However, confirmation from the Pope in light of the difficult church legal situation - Ruprecht was not just the sovereign, but first and foremost a bishop - was taking a long time to arrive. Ruprecht's renunciation of the archbishop's office was also questionable, because he had come under external pressure. The death of Ruprecht on 26 July 1480 ended this tricky situation.
See also
*
Burgundian Wars
The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in t ...
, of which this was a part.
*
Siege of Neuss.
References
Literature
*Monika Storm: ''Das Herzogtum Westfalen, das Vest Recklinghausen und das rheinische Erzstift Köln: Kurköln in seinen Teilen''. In: Harm Klueting (ed.): Das Herzogtum Westfalen. Vol.1: Das kölnische Herzogtum Westfalen von den Anfängen der kölner Herrschaft im südlichen Westfalen bis zur Säkularisation 1803. Münster, 2009, pp. 350–352
* Ferdinand Schmitz: ''Der Neusser Krieg 1474 - 1475.'' Sonderdruck aus den Rheinischen Geschichtsblättern. Bonn, 1896
External links
Alfred Oppenhoff: ''1100 Jahre Ahrweiler''* Jens Metzdorf: "Bedrängnis, Angst und große Mühsal." Die Belagerung von Neuss durch Karl den Kühnen 1474/75
digitalised{Dead link, date=July 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Web page of a living history project, that reconstructs the relief army of Frederick III at the Siege of Neuss. With further information on equipment, clothing and tactics
Diocesan feuds
15th-century conflicts
Electorate of Cologne
History of the Rhineland
History of the Palatinate (region)