Siege of Bensheim (1301)

The siege of Bensheim took place in July 1301 during the so-called "Rheinische customs war" between the four Rhenish electors and King Albert I held.

prehistory

After the death of Rudolf von Habsburg , the Archbishop of Mainz , Gerhard II von Eppstein, played a major role in the fact that it was not Rudolf's son Albrecht who was elected as the new Roman-German king , but rather Gerhard's relative Adolf von Nassau . However, when this became a nuisance to the electors because of his striving for greater domestic power, his dismissal took place, namely at Gerhard's instigation, and Albrecht I was subsequently elected king.

Due to his connection to the King of France, Philip IV , who had fallen out with the Pope, and due to his intention to withdraw Holland , Zeeland and Friesland as a settled imperial fief, Albrecht also aroused the dissatisfaction of the electors. The archbishops of Mainz , Trier and Cologne as well as Rudolf I of the Palatinate , Count Palatinate near Rhine , came together under the name "Kurverein von (Nieder) heimbach" and planned to depose Albrecht. Gerhard II is said to have hit his hunting bag and said that he had more kings in it.

But Albrecht I offered the citizenship of the Rhenish cities. He received strong support from them because he wanted to force the Rhenish electors that they increased or greatly refurbished Rhein duties , which caused injury to trade, give up again, or at least to reduce. On May 7, 1301 Albrecht von Speyer issued his declaration of war on the four electors and from there on May 21, 1301 went to the field against them.

On May 23, Albrecht stood with the Counts of Württemberg , von Werdenberg, von Pfirt, von Hohenberg, the Margrave von Hochberg , the nobles von Hohenlohe , von Lichtenberg, von Ochsenstein and many others in the camp near Wiesloch that they captured. A short time later, his army besieged Heidelberg , whose permanent castle was defended by his nephew Rudolf I of the Palatinate himself. But Albrecht could not take Heidelberg and had to move on without having achieved anything. He then moved against Weinheim , which he captured in order to then devote himself to the possessions of the Archbishop of Mainz on Bergstrasse .

The siege

The city of Bensheim offered him unexpected resistance . Three royal documents from July 4, 12 and 20, 1301 have been preserved, which were issued in the camp in front of Bensheim. For three weeks Albrecht I and his troops were under the command of his war master, Rot Ermelein, in front of the city. His son Rudolf joined him with a crowd. The knight Ulrich von Waldsee and his brothers Eberhard and Friedrich came from Styria with more than a hundred helmets and 200 shooters from Austria. The Archbishop of Salzburg , Konrad IV von Fohnsdorf , also supported the king.

Ottokar from the Gaals rhyme chronicle says about it:

“ ... her Uolrich von Waldsê
wol a hundred helmets or mê
fuort with im von Stierlande.
From Austria the kunie sande
sin sun also protect two hundred who
use themselves wol liezen,
swâ si des funden stat,
from Salzpure bischolf Kuonrât
defends also
from Seckou bishop Uolrichen
and we prepare a hundred
who he ûz het admires
ûz all the sinen . ... "

At that time, the small town of Bensheim must have been heavily fortified, otherwise it would not have been able to withstand a siege by King Albrecht I for almost three weeks. However, only a small number of troops may have been available to the king.

This can also be deduced from the document of July 20 - date in castris ante Bensheim - in which he asked the Count Palatine Rudolf I, with whom he had meanwhile reconciled again, for help still to be provided - pro impendendis auxiliis - and to promised 10,000 marks for other purposes. After all, Bensheim had to surrender. The city was looted and set on fire on all sides. What the fire did not destroy, Albrecht had torn down. Ottokar says:

" ... no one beleip.
do diu stat nû something fountain,
swâ the fiwer foul something,
the kunic daz completely broke.
dô he avenged himself
against the phalzgrâven Ruodolf,
from Meinze an dem bischolf he
wanted to rake himself baz. ... "

The effects of this feud were the worst that the city had to put up with since the existence of Bensheim, for what stone-ball slings , storm roofs , tow- wrapped fireballs and crossbows had not caused the king's anger because of the unexpectedly long resistance; he basically let the city drag .

After the capture of Bensheim, Albrecht I also destroyed the fortress of Zwingenberg , whose sovereign, Count Wilhelm von Katzenelnbogen , had joined Archbishop Gerhard II von Eppstein.