| Eberhard the Exile | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrait of Eberhard, 1488 | |
| Duke of Lenzburg | |
| Reign | 1473 - 1489 |
| Coronation | 6 July 1473 in Lenzburg |
| Predecessor |
Gottfried I |
| Successor |
Title Abolished |
| Chairman of the Swiss Council | |
| Reign | 1457 - 1489 |
| Predecessor | Gottfried von Lenzburg |
| Successor | Friedrich von Nellenburg |
| Born | 6 June 1424 Aarau, Swiss Confederacy |
| Died | 19 May 1492 Rome, Papal States |
| Spouse | Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut |
| Issue | Engelbert |
| House | House of Lenzburg |
| Father | Friedrich I |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Eberhard von Lenzburg (6 June 1424 - 19 May 1492), also known by the nicknames The Exile and The Evil by his contemporaneous enemies, was a patriarch of the House of Lenzburg and ruler of the Swiss Confederacy. He was created Duke of Lenzurg, the only holder of the title, from 1473 until his deposing in 1489. Eberhard is most famous for ruling as despot of the Swiss Confederacy throughout the Lenzburg-Premyslid War.
Eberhard succeeded his brother Gottfried in 1457, becoming the hegemon of the Lenzburg empire. His family had ruled as hereditary leaders of the Swiss Confederacy for over a century, and had also cultivated a vast number of alliances and marriage connections all throughout the Holy Roman Empire, which had allowed the Lenzburgs to inherit numerous territories much to the chagrin of local peoples and rival nobles. While in power Eberhard exemplified these tactics, overseeing territorial expansion in southern Germany, establishing Lenzburg ruler over Württemberg, and becoming an influential force in the Papacy and the imperial electorate, culminating in the election of Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor in 1472.
The influence of the Lenzburgs became highly controversial in Germany, as exemplified by the fiery writings of the Thin White Duke of Thuringia, in what became known as Swissophobia. Eberhard’s dealings in Germany were often unpleasant; he supported burdensome taxation to support his family’s military spending, bribes, and opulent lifestyle. Eberhard supported and increased the sale of indulgences in Switzerland and beyond, and received immunity from papal oversight due to his close ties with numerous popes, and also funded various inquisitions, witch trials, and religious conflicts. These policies laid the seeds of later religious discontent and were often damaging to local populations, and later were condemned by Konrad Jung, beginning the Reformation.
The Lenzburgs were rivaled by the Premyslid Dynasty, who likewise jockeyed to become influential hegemons in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1478 Wenceslaus died and Henry VIII from Bohemia succeeded him. In 1484 the Lenzburgs would be charged with the murder of Wenceslaus and countless other nobles by the Thin White Duke; Lenzburg affiliates such as Duke Albert IV of Bavaria were persuaded to condemn Eberhard in response to the murders, as well as the belief that the Lenzburgs sought to influence or gain control over Bavaria much like the territories neighboring it. When Eberhard refused to step down and face trial, war broke out. Eberhard also repeatedly funded and armed the League of the Public Weal, a rebellious interest group in France, hoping to undermine or outright depose William II. During Berry’s Rebellion Eberhard had dispatched Swiss soldiers into France, later giving William II a pretense for war at an inopportune time for the Lenzburgs.
Eberhard was compelled to zealously fight back against the coalition set before him, despite the odds stacked against him. He used his connections across Europe and the wealth of the nation to outfight a large army of mercenaries and volunteers. However, Eberhard’s patriotism soon turned to self-interest. After a series of disastrous campaigns in Saxony and Swabia, the Central Council of the confederacy sought to negotiate peace, but Eberhard forbade this. Under the guise of a war time emergency he established supreme command over the nation and sidelined the democratic bodies, effectively becoming a dictator. With this control he began seizing lands and property across Switzerland, arresting dissidents, and pressing greater numbers into service. By 1489 the war proved untenable, with German forces now penetrating into Switzerland, but Eberhard forbade peace and condemned those who pursued it as traitors, arresting or ordering the murder of numerous Swiss commanders and noblemen.
Rebellion across the Swiss Confederacy was sparked, with the remainder of the Swiss army and its people turning on Eberhard and his family. The Central Council ordered Eberhard deposed, beginning a brief struggle for control of the country. The Central Council would ultimately negotiate peace with Henry VIII and gladly accepted the demand stripping Eberhard of all his titles and property. In the final weeks of the war Eberhard began hoarding as much wealth and valuables as he could and shipping them out of the country into northern Italy. Officially condemned as a fugitive and wanted for murder by both the Imperial government and the Swiss one, Eberhard managed to narrowly flee the country along with a few of his close relatives and allies. Other members of the Lenzburg dynasty were less successful, facing arrest or death while attempting to expatriate.
Eberhard initially settled in the Papal States and vowed to take back control over Switzerland in time. This was assured to be an imminent certainty by his patron Pope Innocent VII, a Swissman, however Innocent VII died soon after in 1491. Eberhard fled for a time to Naples where he was welcomed by the Spanish governor, but ultimately returned to the Papal States in the final months of his life. He would be the subject of numerous assassination attempts, as were many of his family members, which forced Pope Telesphorus II to order an investigation into the matter. Eberhard would attempt to rebuild his family’s prestige and wealth in Italy, using what remained of his fortune taken from Switzerland. His attempts were futile, as for the remainder of his lifetime he was forced to spend his time in hiding. He became increasingly impoverished in an effort to keep up appearances, bribe allies, and dodge assassins and imperial decrees. Although famously an obese man, while in Italy his weight began to drop dramatically and his health became poor.
Eberhard died in 1492 at the age of 68 while in Rome, his final weeks being marked with excruciating pain. His son Engelbert, who had been for a time the ruler of Württemberg, claimed the title of Duke-in-Exile of Lenzburg, and built a mock court in Rome. Over time the Lenzburgs would rebuild themselves as a minor Italian family, becoming fervent defenders of Catholicism after the reformation and Papal subordinates, depending on the Pope in question.
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