The Burgdorferkrieg (german: Burgdorf war) or Kyburgerkrieg (german: Kyburg war) was a war in 1383-84 between the counts of Neu-Kyburg and the city of

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

for supremacy in the County of Burgundy in what is now

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

History

The counts of Kyburg were a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

noble family in central and northern Switzerland and

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries they had expanded in power and influence. In 1250/51 the childless Hartmann IV of Kyburg gave the western part of the property with the center of Burgdorf to his nephew Hartmann V. After Hartmann V's death Count Rudolf von Habsburg took over the administration of the western section of the Kyburg lands and eventually reunited them. The family of Neu-Kyburg began to rule the united Kyburg lands as Habsburg vassals. In 1322, the brothers Eberhard II and Hartmann II of Neu-Kyburg started fighting with each other over who would inherit the undivided lands. The fighting led to the "

fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

at Thun Castle" where Eberhard killed his brother Hartmann. To avoid punishment by his Habsburg overlords, Eberhard fled to

. In the following year, he sold the town of

Thun , neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg , twintown = , website = www.thun.ch Thun (french: Thou ...

, its castle and the land surrounding Thun to Bern. Bern granted the land back to Eberhard as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

and the Neu-Kyburgs became connected to Bern, but was often in conflict with the city. In the 14th century, the Neu-Kyburgs became increasingly indebted. On 11 November 1382, Count Rudolf II of Neu-Kyburg, launched a raid against the city of

Solothurn Solothurn ( , ; french: Soleure ; it, Soletta ; rm, ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissens ...

to try and force the city to forgive his debts. For the city of Bern, this attack on an allied represented an excellent opportunity for the city to break its ties with the Neu-Kyburgs. The city prepared by acquiring loans from

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

and weapons from

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

. They convinced the Neu-Kyburg's patron, the Austrian Duke Leopold III of Habsburg to not interfere. They then got promises of military support from

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (Fra ...

and for the first time, based on the Federal Charter of 1353, the Swiss Confederation.

The siege of Burgdorf

Bern began the war by attacking Neu-Kyburg vassals in the Emmental and Oberaargau regions. This was followed in March 1383 by the main attack on the Neu-Kyburg administrative center at the

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

and the town of Burgdorf. The Bernese-Solothurn army was supported with troops from the

Forest Cantons A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, Lucerne, Zurich, Neuchatel and Savoy and were armed with catapults and primitive guns. Because Count Rudolf II had died before the war began, Burgdorf was defended by Rudolf's uncle, Berchtold I. Under Berchtold, Burgdorf withstood a 45-day siege. An attempt to negotiate a cease-fire on 21 April 1383, between Bern and the citizens of Burgdorf against the Neu-Kyburgs was also unsuccessful.

Aftermath

Beset by enormous burdens of war and civil unrest at home, the Bernese Council sought Confederation mediation to end the war. On 5 April 1384, the Neu-Kyburgs agreed to sell the towns and castles of Burgdorf and Thun to Bern for 37,800 guilders. These two towns would allow Bern to expand into the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...

, the Emmental and largest markets in the region. Bern accepted the treaty on 7 April and ended the war. For the Neu-Kyburgs, the loss of Burgdorf and Thun spelled the end of their power. The family was given the rights to

Laupen Castle Laupen Castle (german: Schloss Laupen) is a castle in the municipality of Laupen of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. See also * List of castles in Switzerland This list includes ca ...

, but had limited freedoms. They were not allowed to move freely, had limited military rights and mandatory Confederation arbitration in disputes.

References

{{Authority control Battles involving Switzerland Burgdorf, Switzerland History of Bern 14th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy 1380s in the Holy Roman Empire 1383 in Europe 1384 in Europe Conflicts in 1383 Conflicts in 1384 Wars of the Middle Ages