Alternative History
Lenzburg-Přemyslid War

Krieg des Spinnennetzes
Merveilles des Morte

Peter Snayers - Spanischer Überfall auf ein flämisches Dorf
The Sack of Wittenberg by
Johann Rottenhammer, 1608
Date 1484-1489
Location Switzerland, Central Europe, Northern Italy, France
Result Treaty of Zurich
  • Deposing of the Lenzburgs
  • Liberation of Swabian princes and
    creation of Swabian League
  • Unification of Bavaria
  • Preeminence of Henry VIII and Přemyslids in imperial politics
  • Consolidation of France under William II
Territorial
changes
Swiss Confederacy releases territory outside of the Swiss province, returning territory to Swabian principalities, Bavaria, and others; minor French gains in southern France; Saxony cedes Saxe-Belzig; Württemberg transferred to the Jenagothas; unification of Mark under Hesse
Belligerents
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Holy Roman Empire

Flag of Bohemia Kingdom of Bohemia

  • Flagge Preußen - Provinz Brandenburg Margraviate of Brandenburg

Rautenflagge (24 Rauten) Duchy of Bavaria

  • Wapen Nassauw County of Nassau

Coat of arms of Thuringia Duchy of Thuringia
Coat of arms of Hesse Duchy of Hesse

  • Upper Mark

Flag of Austria Duchy of Austria
Banner of the Electorate of Mainz Archbishopric of Mainz


Supported by:
Skvueev7zqv21 Republic of Florence
Ducado de Modena (antes de 1830) Republic of Modena
Pavillon royal de la France Kingdom of France

Early Swiss cross Swiss Confederacy

Dkpq27b2wwf31 Kingdom of Arles
Wuerttemberg Banner County of Württemberg
Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) Papal States
Coat of arms of Saxony Duchy of Saxony
Margraviate of Lower Mark


Supported by:
Flag of Crown of Aragon Empire of Hispania
PortugueseFlag1485 Portugal

Commanders and leaders
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Flag of Bohemia Henry VIII/III

Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Hanns von Wulfestorff
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Jan Žižka
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Henry the Black †
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) Rolf Bayard
Rautenflagge (24 Rauten) Albert IV
Coat of arms of Thuringia Thin White Duke
Coat of arms of Thuringia William of Thuringia
Coat of arms of Thuringia Xaver von Coburg
Coat of arms of Hesse Agnes of Hesse
Banner of the Electorate of Mainz Archbishop Adalbert

Early Swiss cross Eberhard of Lenzburg

Early Swiss cross Peter III of Geneva
Dkpq27b2wwf31 Lucas I
Dkpq27b2wwf31 Sebastian Belli
Wuerttemberg Banner Marianne
Wuerttemberg Banner Engelbert I
Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) Innocent VI
Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) Philip von Habsburg
Coat of arms of Saxony Engelbert II
Coat of arms of Saxony Otto de la Marck

Strength
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806) 24,000 Imperial forces

Flag of Bohemia 25,000 Bohemians
Rautenflagge (24 Rauten) 20,000 Bavarians
Flag of Austria 8,000 Austrians
~15,000 Other Germans
8,000 Mercenaries

Early Swiss cross ~14,000
  • 6,000 Regulars
  • 5,000 Mercenaries
  • 3,000 Volunteers

Dkpq27b2wwf31 5,000 Arlesians
Wuerttemberg Banner 16,000 Württembergers
Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) 4,500 Papal Forces
Coat of arms of Saxony 6,000 Saxons
Flag of Crown of Aragon 5,000 Spanish
PortugueseFlag1485 5,000 Mercenaries

Casualties and losses
30-50,000 dead 40-60,000 dead
Total: 300,000+ dead

The Lenzburg-Přemyslid War, known in the Swiss Confederacy as the War of the Spider's Web in reference to the Lenzburg alliance, and also known as the Swiss War and the Swiss-Bohemian War, was a major European war fought primarily between the Swiss Confederacy, effectively ruled by the Dukes of Lenzburg, and the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by Henry VIII, Holy Roman Emperor of Bohemia, and their respective allies. The war was the culmination of a decades-long rivalry between the Lenzburgs and the Přemyslid dynasty, who often competed in imperial elections and for influence in imperial affairs. In 1479 Henry's predecessor, Wenceslaus, died under mysterious circumstances, leading to allegations of assassination by either side of the rivalry. Contributing to the disdain of the Lenzburgs was their growing hegemony over southern Germany and numerous royal families of Central Europe, and a curated political bias by figures such as the Thin White Duke, in what was commonly nicknamed Swissophobia.

The war began in 1484 with a declaration of war against the Swiss by imperial regent the Thin White Duke, beginning a war in southern Germany. This conflict soon became entwined with an ongoing series of noble rebellions in France that had been extensively funded by the Swiss; that year France under William II retaliated against the Swiss in an effort to dismantle the rebellious League of the Public Weal. This prompted war between France and its historic enemies, such as the Spanish Empire. Regarded as concurrent to, if not a part of, the Lenzburg conflict, the French war solidified the erstwhile tenuous reign of William II and led to minor territorial gains. Elsewhere Spanish-Papal actions in the Italian peninsula pushed a series of imperial-backed principalities to oppose further expansion, beginning the Florentine War, a precursor to the Italian Wars.

The war drastically reduced the power of the Swiss Confederacy, with a popular rebellion ending Lenzburg rule after centuries of dominance. The Lenzburgs became labeled as outlaws, with patriarch Eberhard fleeing to the Papal States. The war was seen as the beginning of the rise of Henry VIII, later called "the Great", and the Přemyslid Dynasty as a whole. It pushed the diplomatically isolated France into an alliance with Bohemia, hoping to counter the encirclement created by Spain, England, and Lotharingia, which later led to the Přemyslid succession in France under Joan and Jaromir. Bohemia's allies, namely Thuringia, Duchy of Bavaria, and Hesse, saw increased gains at the expense of the Swiss and the Electorate of Saxony, the latter suffering the loss of its northern territories and the deposition of Engelbert II in favor of Thuringian ally Edmund Alwin.

The Pope's support for the Swiss Confederacy resulted in anti-Papal sentiment in the Holy Roman Empire, with the Pope excommunicating the Thin White Duke, William II, Agnes of Hesse, and other German nobles following the war. This feud with the papacy catalyzed the rise of the Adamite movement in Germany and the Henrician Civil War after Henry VIII's death, a prolonged conflict in France between church and state, and the circumstances that would eventually contribute to the Protestant Reformation under Konrad Jung in 1504.


This article is part of Merveilles des Morte.