The siege of Eltville (or battle of Eltville) in May 1349 was the military engagement by which
Charles IV secured the throne 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 ...
against his rival,
Günther of Schwarzburg. It was the third time a disputed succession in the Empire had been decided by battle.
Charles IV
had been elected king in 1346 in opposition to the Emperor
Louis IV, who died the following year. On 30 January 1349, Charles's opponents elected Günther king. The latter moved on
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, where he was crowned on 6 February. Charles then led a large army to the Rhine and encamped at
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
. The sources do not provide details of his operations. Günther apparently ensconced himself in
Eltville
Eltville am Rhein (from ''Alta Villa'', Latin for "high estate, high town", corrupted to ''Eldeville'', ''Elfeld'' and later Eltville, ) is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It lies on ...
, which, according to
Matthias von Neuenburg, was a fortified town with a castle (''oppidum cum castro''). Charles induced Louis IV's son,
Louis V of Bavaria, to abandon Günther.
Defeated, Günther agreed to a treaty with Charles on 26 May.
[; , says that the treaty was negotiated for Günther by Louis V and signed on 7 June.] On 29 May, he renounced his royal title. In return his supporters received an amnesty and he received a payment of 20,000
marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
raised by pawning
imperial demesnes. The ill Günther died at Frankfurt on 19 June, possibly poisoned during the siege.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eltville, Siege of
Conflicts in 1349
1340s in the Holy Roman Empire
1349 in Europe
Sieges involving Germany