Lüneburg War of Succession
Encyclopedia
The Lüneburg War of Succession was a conflict that broke out in 1370 in north Germany and lasted, with interruptions, for 18 years. The war was over the line of succession to the Principality of Lüneburg
. Due to a serious illness in 1388, possibly a result of poisoning, one of the combatants could no longer prosecute the war, and hostilities ended.
died in 1369 without a male heir, the Old House of Lüneburg died out. In accordance with the rules of the House of Welf and William's wishes, Magnus Torquatus of Brunswick (Magnus II) was the rightful heir. But the Emperor, Charles IV
, considered that the imperial fiefdom
(Reichslehen) fell to the Empire and enfeoffed Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
and his uncle Wenceslas with the principality, thus precipitating the Lüneburg War of Succession.
(Magnus Torquatus) could not assert his claim to the Welf Duchy of Lüneburg by peaceful means, he initiated hostilities and seized Lüneburg with 700 knights and their pages. In the fight that now ensued, which Magnus now prosecuted principally through the Ascanian
Duke, Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
(who was promised Lüneburg), the towns of Lüneburg, Harburg, Winsen an der Luhe, Uelzen and Hanover went over to Albert. Fighting then shifted to the vicinity of Wolfsburg Castle. By 1371/72 the Brunswick duke had had Neuhaus Castle built as a siege castle. On 24 June 1372 the opposing forces clashed on the field of battle
near the village of Heßlingen, but the outcome was undecided. In 1906, a mass grave with 72 dead was discovered in the village. In 1373, Duke Magnus was killed in a battle near Leveste am Deister
on 25 July.
as his home, which he made a residence in 1378. The two still underage sons also married into the House of Ascania in 1386. Duke Frederick of Brunswick-Lüneburg
married Duchess Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
a daughter of Prince-Elector Wenceslas, and Duke Bernard of Brunswick-Lüneburg
was wedded to Duchess Margaret of Saxony, also a daughter of Wenceslas.
s of Mandelsloh were based, was besieged. When a catapult
hurled a mighty boulder at the forces of Duke Albert, he was struck by it and died as a result on 28 June 1385.
Magnus' sons now took over the reins of power in Lüneburg. Prince-Elector Wenceslas, who held the title according to imperial law, tried to enlist his son-in-law, Bernard, to his cause. But the latter's brother, Duke Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, did not support his ruling and after fruitless attempts at an agreement the war flared up again in spring 1388. Wenceslas had put an army together by himself, in the absence of Bernard, in which he was supported by the town of Lüneburg. Leaving Winsen an der Aller
he planned to attack Celle, which was held by Henry and his mother. During the preparations Wenceslas became seriously ill. Legend has it that he was probably poisoned. Either way, he could not continue the war, so that on 28 May 1388 Henry was finally victorious.
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
. Due to a serious illness in 1388, possibly a result of poisoning, one of the combatants could no longer prosecute the war, and hostilities ended.
Background
After William II of LüneburgWilliam II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1330 to 1369.- Life :William was born around the year 1300 as the fourth child of Otto the Strict and his wife, Matilda of Bavaria....
died in 1369 without a male heir, the Old House of Lüneburg died out. In accordance with the rules of the House of Welf and William's wishes, Magnus Torquatus of Brunswick (Magnus II) was the rightful heir. But the Emperor, Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, considered that the imperial fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
(Reichslehen) fell to the Empire and enfeoffed Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
Saxe-Wittenberg
The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...
and his uncle Wenceslas with the principality, thus precipitating the Lüneburg War of Succession.
The fighting
Because Magnus II of BrunswickMagnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Magnus , called Magnus with the Necklace or Magnus II, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruling the Brunswick-Lüneburg principalities of Wolfenbüttel and, temporarily, Lüneburg....
(Magnus Torquatus) could not assert his claim to the Welf Duchy of Lüneburg by peaceful means, he initiated hostilities and seized Lüneburg with 700 knights and their pages. In the fight that now ensued, which Magnus now prosecuted principally through the Ascanian
Ascanian
The House of Ascania was a dynasty of German rulers. It was also known as the House of Anhalt, after Anhalt, its longest-held possession.The Ascanians are named after Ascania Castle, which is located near and named after Aschersleben...
Duke, Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg, Duke of Lüneburg
Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg was born as the son of Otto , a younger son of the prince-elector Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg, and his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Duke William II of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
(who was promised Lüneburg), the towns of Lüneburg, Harburg, Winsen an der Luhe, Uelzen and Hanover went over to Albert. Fighting then shifted to the vicinity of Wolfsburg Castle. By 1371/72 the Brunswick duke had had Neuhaus Castle built as a siege castle. On 24 June 1372 the opposing forces clashed on the field of battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
near the village of Heßlingen, but the outcome was undecided. In 1906, a mass grave with 72 dead was discovered in the village. In 1373, Duke Magnus was killed in a battle near Leveste am Deister
Gehrden
Gehrden is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. southwest of Hanover.- References :...
on 25 July.
Settlement
After the death of Magnus II, an arrangement was agreed between Prince-Elector Wenceslas und his nephew, Albert, on the one hand and the widow of Magnus II and her sons on the other. It was agreed that the land would belong, undivided, to the two Ascanians from Wittenberg and, after their deaths, would be transferred to the sons of the fallen duke, Magnus II. And that it should continue to alternate after the deaths of the Welfs, i.e. the succession would pass to the Ascanians again. In order that this plan could also be reinforced by family ties, in 1374 Albrecht of Saxe-Lüneburg married the widow of Magnus II, Catharina and chose CelleCelle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
as his home, which he made a residence in 1378. The two still underage sons also married into the House of Ascania in 1386. Duke Frederick of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Frederick , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was ruler of the Principality of Brunswick from 1373, and, according to some sources, briefly German king-elect in opposition to Wenceslaus in 1400....
married Duchess Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg was a member of the House of Ascania and the wife of Duke Frederick I of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a German antiking....
a daughter of Prince-Elector Wenceslas, and Duke Bernard of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Bernard , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruled over several principalities of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the genealogy of the House of Welf, he is considered the first member of the Second House of Lüneburg....
was wedded to Duchess Margaret of Saxony, also a daughter of Wenceslas.
Continuation and end of hostilities
But trouble flared up time and again in the land and violaters of the peace treaty rampaged through the duchy, killing and burning. In 1385 Ricklingen Castle, where the robber baronRobber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
s of Mandelsloh were based, was besieged. When a catapult
Catapult
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...
hurled a mighty boulder at the forces of Duke Albert, he was struck by it and died as a result on 28 June 1385.
Magnus' sons now took over the reins of power in Lüneburg. Prince-Elector Wenceslas, who held the title according to imperial law, tried to enlist his son-in-law, Bernard, to his cause. But the latter's brother, Duke Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Henry the Mild, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called Henry the Mild, was prince of Lüneburg from 1388 to 1409 jointly with his brother Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, from 1400 to 1409 also of Wolfenbüttel, and from 1409 until his death sole prince of Lüneburg.Henry was the...
, did not support his ruling and after fruitless attempts at an agreement the war flared up again in spring 1388. Wenceslas had put an army together by himself, in the absence of Bernard, in which he was supported by the town of Lüneburg. Leaving Winsen an der Aller
Winsen (Aller)
Winsen an der Aller or Winsen is a town in the district of Celle in the German state of Lower Saxony.-Geography:Winsen has around 12,900 inhabitants and lies on the southern perimeter of the Lüneburg Heath, on the banks of the Aller, somewhat to the west of its tributary, the Örtze and about...
he planned to attack Celle, which was held by Henry and his mother. During the preparations Wenceslas became seriously ill. Legend has it that he was probably poisoned. Either way, he could not continue the war, so that on 28 May 1388 Henry was finally victorious.
Sources
- Wilhelm Havemann: Geschichte der Lande Braunschweig und Lüneburg. 3 Bände. Nachdruck. Hirschheydt, Hannover 1974/75, ISBN 3-7777-0843-7 (Originalausgabe: Verlag der Dietrich'schen Buchhandlung, Göttingen 1853-1857)
- Hans Patze (Begr.): Geschichte Niedersachsen. 7 Bände. Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 1977- (Publications by the Historic Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen