Alternative History
Alternative History
Henrician Civil War
Merveilles des Morte
Part of the Proto-Reformation
Jmw turner, l'incendio di costantinopoli
The 'Sack of Frankfurt by the army of Hanns von Wulfestorff
in 1495, as depicted by J. M. W. Turner's 18th century rendition.
Date 1494-1495
Location Thuringia, Saxony, Rhineland, Hesse
Result
  • Rise and fall of the Frankfurt Dictatorship
  • Henry IX confirmed as Emperor
  • Radical Adamites in Thuringia expelled
Belligerents
Holy League:

Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Frankfurt Dictatorship
Banner of the Electorate of Mainz Archbishopric of Mainz
Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) Papal States
Pavillon royal de la France Kingdom of France
Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Ottokar Faction)
Wapen Nassauw Count of Nassau
Coat of arms of Thuringia Thuringia Mandate
Holy Orders:

  • Order of Bari V1 Order of Bari
  • Insignia Hungary Order Ordo Draconum History Order of the Dragon
  • Teutonic order shield Teutonic Order

Various States

Whites:

Coat of arms of Thuringia Ducal Thuringia
No flag United Adamites
HussiteBanner Taborites
Rautenflagge (24 Rauten) Duchy of Bavaria
Flagge Preußen - Provinz Brandenburg Duchy of Brandenburg
Coat of arms of Hesse Duchy of Hesse


Moderates:
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Holy Roman Empire
Wappen Weimar County of Weimar
Flag of the Free City of Frankfurt City of Frankfurt
Black St George's Cross Archbishopric of Cologne
Coat of arms of Saxony Duchy of Saxony

Commanders and leaders
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Hanns von Wulfestorff †

Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Martin von Marburg †
Banner of the Electorate of Mainz Archbishop Adalbert †
Banner of the Electorate of Mainz Archbishop Bertrand
Pavillon royal de la France Louis Capet-Berry
Pavillon royal de la France Pierre Rolet
Flag of Bohemia Ottokar IV
Flag of Bohemia Jan Premyslid
Wapen Nassauw Walrad, Count of Usingen

Coat of arms of Thuringia Thin White Duke

No flag Peter the Monk †
Flagge Preußen - Provinz Brandenburg Charles I
Coat of arms of Hesse Agnes of Hesse


Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Henry IX
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Jan Žižka
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Rolf Bayard †
Coat of arms of Thuringia Hugh of Thuringia
Coat of arms of Thuringia Nikolaus von Bibra
Coat of arms of Thuringia Johann Totleben
Coat of arms of Thuringia William, Lord of Rutha
Black St George's Cross Ruprecht von Moers
Flag of Bohemia Bernard "Twice-Died"
Coat of arms of Saxony Edmund Alwin

Strength
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) 10,000 Imperial forces

~11,000 Inquisition Forces:

  • Banner of the Electorate of Mainz 3,000
  • Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) 2,000
  • Pavillon royal de la France 1,000
  • 5,000 Crusaders

Coat of arms of Thuringia 2,000 Thuringians

Coat of arms of Thuringia 4,000 Thuringians

Flagge Preußen - Provinz Brandenburg 4,000 Brandenburgers
Rautenflagge (24 Rauten) 4,000 Bavarians 10-50,000 Armed Heretics


Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) 5,000 Loyalists

Casualties and losses
Total: 20-60,000+ dead

The Henrician Civil War refers to the brief conflict in the Holy Roman Empire around the time of the election of Henry IX as Emperor. The war was precipitated by the ongoing Adamite movement (later considered a precursor to the Reformation), which was centered around the Duchy of Thuringia. Henry IX was elected partially on a promise of opposing his grandfather, the controversial figure known as the Thin White Duke, and on combating the Adamite heresy. Ongoing at the time of the election was an inquisition in Thuringia primarily led by the Archbishop of Mainz and the famed military commander Hanns von Wulfestorff. When Mainz demanded that Henry IX allow the deposing of his grandfather, Henry refused and had Wulfestorff and Archbishop Adelbert dismissed from the government. Rather than stand down, Wulfestorff used his inquisition forces to cross the Main and attack the capital at Frankfurt, earning him the nickname "Caesar of Germany". Wulfestorff consolidated control over the government in what became known as the January Purges, creating a religiously-reactionary dictatorship from Frankfurt, and proceeded to annex Thuringia by force.

Throughout much of 1495 Henry IX struggled to defend Thuringia and central Germany from the much more prepared Wulfestorff. Even after Adelbert's untimely death and succession to the more moderate Bertrand of Villingen, it became clear that Wulfestorff had no intention of giving up power. Although the Adamite heresy in Thuringia was effectively combated, a "reign of terror" followed, in which Wulfestorff policed much of the Empire for religious dissent. At the Second Battle of Frankfurt in late 1495, Wulfestorff was defeated and killed in battle by an alliance of the Emperor and the "Whites Faction", which was itself an uneasy union between ducal Thuringian forces, various heretical groups, and anti-government forces. This allowed Henry IX to retake control over the government of the Holy Roman Empire. He effectively ended the violent inquisition of Thuringia, after the Thin White Duke was cleared of the charge of heresy by a ecclesiastical court in Frankfurt, and curtailed the influence of Mainz in government for the duration of his reign.

Although the Adamite uprising in Thuringia was effectively crushed, the Henrician Civil War would not spell the end for religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire, and a decade later the reformation would erupt in response to the teachings of Konrad Jung.

This article is part of Merveilles des Morte.