Saxon Fratricidal War
Encyclopedia
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Sächsischer Bruderkrieg) was a war fought between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
and Duke William III
William III, Duke of Luxembourg
William III of Luxembourg , called the Brave , was Landgrave of Thuringia and Duke of Luxemburg...
over Wettin ruled areas from 1446 to 1451. After a dispute over the division of certain family lands between Frederick II and William III, the Division of Altenburg
Division of Altenburg
The Division of Altenburg was the division of the Meissen lands of Altenburg between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony and Duke Wilhelm III in 1445. The division caused hostilities between Frederick and Wilhelm...
eventually led to growing tensions between the two brothers and an inability to agree on who ruled which areas. After failed attempts at reconciliation, the war broke out and lasted for five years. The war was destructive and had no clear winner before being ended with a peace treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
at Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
. Following the war and subsequent divisions the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
lost much of their former power and influence within the different German states and families.
Background
The House of Wettin and its line of SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
princes gained a large amount of land over the years mainly through inheritance, including the Landgraviate of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, the Margraviate of Meissen, the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
and the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
. Frederick I
Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
Frederick IV of Meissen and Elector of Saxony was Margrave of Meissen and Elector of Saxony from 1381 until his death. He is not to be confused with his cousin Frederick IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, the son of Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia...
was the Elector of Saxony and Margrave of Meissen and ruled over all of the lands except for the lands in Thuringia. Frederick I's cousin Frederick of Thuringia was Landgrave of Thuringia and ruled over those lands. When Frederick I died in 1428, his four sons Frederick II
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
, Sigismund, Heinrich, and William III
William III, Duke of Luxembourg
William III of Luxembourg , called the Brave , was Landgrave of Thuringia and Duke of Luxemburg...
inherited his lands jointly. Heinrich died in 1435, and in 1440 Sigmisund became Bishop of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
and renounced his claims to the land. Frederick, who was the eldest of the two remaining sons, now held the Electorate of Saxony and some land around Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
in his own right, whilst throughout the remainder of the land he ruled together with William. This continued without serious incident for twelve years until, in 1440, Frederick of Thuringia died childless, and the two brothers inherited extensive land within Thuringia as well as the title of Landgrave of Thuringia.
The division of this new land in Thuringia could not be agreed upon, and on 16 July 1445 the two remaining brothers tried to partition the land between them in the Division of Altenburg
Division of Altenburg
The Division of Altenburg was the division of the Meissen lands of Altenburg between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony and Duke Wilhelm III in 1445. The division caused hostilities between Frederick and Wilhelm...
. When Frederick II chose the western part and not the Margraviate of Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
on September 26, 1445 in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, William rejected the division. On December 11 of the same year they attempted to reconcile in the monastery of Neuwerk in Halle (Saale) in what was known as the Hallescher Machtspruch (English: the Power Dictum
Dictum
In United States legal terminology, a dictum is a statement of opinion or belief considered authoritative though not binding, because of the authority of the person making it....
of Halle). The Archbishop of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
Frederick III of Beichlingen, the Margrave Frederick II of Brandenburg and the Landgrave Ludwig II of Hesse
Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse
Louis II of Hesse , called Louis the Frank, was the Landgrave of Lower Hesse from 1458 - 1471....
actively participated as judges, however the two brothers failed to reach a peaceful resolution.
War
War first broke out between Frederick II and William III in 1446 when they were unable to resolve their dispute. Frederick proved stronger, and William brought in forces from BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, including Hussites. Frederick's forces were led by commanders such as Kunz von Kaufungen
Kunz von Kaufungen
Kunz von Kaufungen , was a German knight and military commander. A veteran of the Hussite wars, he also fought for Frederick II, Elector of Saxony against Frederick's brother Duke William III during the Saxon Fratricidal War...
, a captain from the tower of Kaufungen located near modern day Limbach-Oberfrohna
Limbach-Oberfrohna
Limbach-Oberfrohna is a town in the district of Zwickau in the German Free State of Saxony.-Main sights:* Schloss Wolkenburg* Protestant church in Oberfrohna* Wasserturm * Town Hall* Limbach Municipal Church-Economy:...
. Frederick's forces under the command of Kunz won a victory at Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
and occupied the small town, however William's forces and Bohemian allies caused a large amount of damage to locations within Kaufungen in return. Kunz himself had much of his property destroyed and was taken captive by Bohemians. Eventually he paid the sum of 4,000 golden gulden
Gulden
Gulden is the historical German term for gold coin Gulden is the historical German term for gold coin Gulden is the historical German term for gold coin (from Middle High German guldin [pfenni(n)c] "golden penny", equivalent to the Dutch term guilder...
for his freedom, which was very extravagant for the time. No side could gain a clear advantage throughout the war and the fighting turned out to be an extended period of "ruinous confusion" for the region. The war lasted five years and ended on January 27, 1451 when a peace was reached at Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
. This peace could not reestablish a joint rule, but let the two sides accept a peaceful division of the lands.
Aftermath
After the war, Kunz von Kaufungen expected to be repaid by Frederick II for the massive losses of his property during the fighting. Frederick also had losses of his own and therefore followed the letter of his contract with Kunz and did not even repay the ransom Kunz paid to the Bohemians. Frederick stated that Kunz was just his hired soldier, and he was not bound to protect him or repay his losses. Frederick eventually agreed upon bringing in arbitrators to settle the case, but Kunz left the arbitration before hearing the verdict when he realized it would not reach his expectations. Kunz continued to complain and insult Frederick until Frederick banished him from the lands. Kunz left to Bohemia and lived in the castle of IsenburgIsenburg
Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau , which partitioned in 1137 into Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern...
. Kunz eventually kidnapped Frederick's two sons, Ernest
Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
and Albert
Albert, Duke of Saxony
Albert III was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the Albertine line of the House of Wettin....
, from the castle of Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
in what was called the Prinzenraub (English: "The stealing of the princes"). Prince Albert was found that very night when Kunz was caught, while Prince Ernst was released four days later when Kunz's allies released him for a pardon. On July 14, 1455, Kunz von Kaufungen was beheaded by order of Frederick at Freiberg
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
.
The lands fought over during the war were ruled peacefully again, however this time separately instead of jointly. Eventually, Frederick II died, and his two sons Ernest and Albert inherited his lands jointly in 1464. When William III died in 1482, without any sons, they inherited his lands and split them between them by the Treaty of Leipzig
Treaty of Leipzig
The Treaty of Leipzig was signed on August 26, 1485 between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III, sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony from the House of Wettin....
in 1485. The division of these lands and this war led to the Saxons losing a large amount of influence within the different German states and no longer being one of the most powerful German houses.