The Soest Feud (german: Soester Fehde), or Feud of Soest, was a

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

that took place from 1444 to 1449 in which the town of Soest claimed its freedom from Archbishop Dietrich of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

(1414–1463), who tried to restore his rule. The town of Soest opposed this attempt on 5 June 1444 by accepting a new suzerain, John I, the Duke of Cleves-Mark, who guaranteed the town its old rights as well as new ones. As a result Emperor Frederick III imposed the

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 th ...

on the town. The victory of the town (as a result of the Archbishop of Cologne abandoning his attempt) meant that Soest had ''de facto'' more freedom than a

free imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

until it was annexed by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, but at the same time it had to forfeit its economic power because it was now an enclave within Cologne's territory.

References

Sources

* Joseph Hansen (ed.): ''The Chroniken der deutschen Städte vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert,'' Bd. 21: ''Soest.'' Leipzig, 1889 eprint: Stuttgart, 1969 incl: Kriegstagebuch der Soester Fehde (pp. 1–171), Werler Reimchronik der Soester Fehde (pp. 277–336), Lippstädter Reimchronik der Soester Fehde (pp. 173–275). * Franz Winter: ''Quellenchronik zur Soester Fehde'' (= ''Veröffentlichungen des Stadtarchivs Soest,'' Vol. 20, ). Stadtarchiv Soest, Soest, 1997. *

Bartholomäus van der Lake Bartholomäus van der Lake (died 1468) was a German clergyman and author of a chronicle of the city of Soest. References 1468 deaths Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire Year of birth unknown 15th-century German historians People f ...

: ''Geschichte der Soester Fehde''This is another title of the war diary of the Soest Feud as printed by Hansen. ''(„Historia der Twist Veede und Uneinicheit tuschen dem Hochwerdigesten in Got Vader, edelem wolgeboren Fursten und Heren, Heren Dyderyck ietrich von MoersErtzbyschop tho Collen, des hylligen romischen Rykes dorch Italien Ertzkentzeler Churfurst, Administrator des Stichtes Paderborne, Hertoge tho Engern und Westvalen, Grave tho Möerße an einer und der ersam und erlicken Stadt Soyst an ander Syden. Begint clarlich van Byschop Dyderyck.“)'' Soest

hne Jahr The ''hne'' ( my, နှဲ; also spelled ''hnè'') is a conical shawm of double reed used in the music of Myanmar. Etymology The earliest extant written occurrence of the word ''hne'' dates to 1491 AD and is likely a Mon language, Middle Mon l ...

br>Access to digital version
. * J. A. A. Moeller: ''The soestische Fehde oder Krieges-Geschichte des Erzbischofs Diederich zu Koeln mit der Stadt Soest : Aus einem original alt plattdeutschen Kriegstagebuch uebersetzt und mit Anmerkungen und Zusaetzen begleitet''. Lippstadt, 1804
digital version
. * Tobias Daniels: ''Die Soester Fehde im diplomatischen Wirken und den historiographischen Werken des Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Papst Pius II.)''. In: ''Soester Zeitschrift'' 124 (2012), pp. 35–53. * Wolf-Herbert Deus: ''Die Soester Fehde. Festschrift der Stadt Soest zum 500. Jahrestage der Beendigung der Soester Fehde am 27. April 1949'' (= ''Soester wissenschaftliche Beiträge,'' Bd. 2, ). Ritter (in Kommission), Soest, 1949. * Heinz-Dieter Heimann: ''Die Soester Fehde. Geschichte einer erstrittenen Stadtfreiheit.'' Westfälische Verlags-Buchhandlung Mocker & Jahn, Soest, 2003, . * Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Uwe Tresp (ed.): ''Thüringische und böhmische Söldner in der Soester Fehde. Quellen zum landesherrlichen Militärwesen im 15. Jahrhundert aus thüringischen und sächsischen Archiven'' (= ''Quellen und Studien zur History und Kultur Brandenburg-Preußens und des Alten Reiches''). Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg, Potsdam, 2002, . * Heinz-Dieter Heimann: ''Die Soester Fehde (1444–1449)''. 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. 321–342.

External links

Juni 1444 – The start of the Soest Feud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soest Feud Electorate of Cologne Feuds in Germany Soest (district) 1440s in the Holy Roman Empire 15th-century conflicts County of Mark 1440s conflicts