Siege of Wil
Overview map of the Old Zurich War
| date | May 20, 1445 to May 21, 1445 |
|---|---|
| place |
Wil , Canton St. Gallen , Switzerland 
|
| output | Victory of the Wiler crew |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
78 to 100 killed |
No |
Etzel · Pfäffikon · Grüningen I · Freienbach · Blickensdorf · Hirzel · Bremgarten · Regensberg · Grüningen II · St. Jakob an der Sihl · Greifensee · St. Jakob an der Birs · Erlenbach I · Koblach · Sargans · Wil · Kirchberg · Wolfhalden · Obertoggenburg · Wigoltingen · Erlenbach II · Männedorf · Wollerau · Ragaz
The siege of Wil was a military conflict that took place on May 20, 1445 during the Old Zurich War in what is now the canton of St. Gallen . The opponents were on the one hand troops of the city of Wil and the federal places , on the other hand troops of the troops of Zurich and the Habsburgs on the other hand .
prehistory
Wil had been under the rule of the prince abbey of St. Gallen since 1226 - interrupted only by one episode when the rebellious Appenzellers took over the city for a short time in 1407 during the Appenzell Wars . On November 3, 1440, the city of Wil, together with Petermann von Raron , from 1437 lord of neighboring Toggenburg , Zurich and the rule of Austria, declared war and took part in his campaign against the County of Kyburg . After the entire Zurich landscape was devastated by the Confederates, Zurich was forced to agree to the Kilchberg Peace signed on December 1, 1440 . After the renewed outbreak of war in May 1443, mercenaries von Wil took part on the federal side in campaigns against Zurich; in 1444 the so-called Wiler Bucks stood out. Since Appenzell entered the war on April 30, 1444, as well as Count Heinrich II von Werdenberg-Sargans († approx. 1447) and Feldkircher Vogts Wolfhart V. von Brandis on November 30, 1444 on the other side, the war year 1445 in particular was marked by Looting and damage trains on both sides, in which Wil came into focus several times.
In a military campaign undertaken by the Austrian side on January 28, 1445 under the command of Hans von Rechberg against Wil, the city took part in a campaign of revenge by the Confederates against the Vorarlberg area, which was directed against the Austrians and especially the Werdenbergers and Brandisers. After the battle near Koblach , Sargans was besieged in the first half of February .
The siege
On May 12, 1445, the Zurich-Habsburg coalition appeared in front of Wil, with fire arrows and fireballs bombarding the city from the south; the Upper Suburb was set on fire. A siege was refrained from at the time, the enemy contingent withdrew again.
Eight days later, May 20th, on the Wednesday after Whitsun, Hans von Rechberg lay down again in front of Wil around midnight with the Zurich and Austrian occupation of Zurich, Count Rudolf von Lützelstein and Rudolf von Helfenstein, allegedly several thousand men. The Rechberger had the city bombarded from the Scheibenberg and from St. Peter for four hours until daybreak. In the process, ladders were laid from two sides and the city was constantly being stormed. The Wiler crew resisted resolutely; the warriors who climbed the ladders and tried to overcome the defenders were thrown back into the city moat with the ladders.
«While the men stood on the walls and by the projectiles, the storm bells wailed, the women and children went to church, with tears in their eyes and outstretched arms, pleaded with God and Mother Mary and the dear, loyal landlord, Gallus, the Wyl belonged, and called for mercy and help for Wyl in his greatest need. "
In the morning of Thursday, May 21, when the defenders expected an assault, the Rechberger gave the order to break off the siege and the army withdrew - to the complete surprise of the Wiler - to the west, leaving a lot of military equipment behind. The reasons for the sudden withdrawal are unclear. On the one hand, the unsuccessful night raid, the strong resistance of the Wiler crew and the resulting considerable losses could have been decisive. On the other hand, Hans von Rechberg must have feared an opposing attempt at relief and the threat of encirclement . The storm bells were rung in the whole area, so that it had to be assumed that the Toggenburgers, who were allied with Wil and who had meanwhile been mobilized, would soon arrive. There were also rumors that Schwyz and Glarus were already approaching with their own contingent to horrify the city.
Apparently Petermann von Raron's troops inflicted a few losses on the enemy when he withdrew. While the Wiler had no deaths to complain about, the opponents had 78 to about 100 dead and up to 200 wounded.
In thanks for the happy salvation, a votive procession is held in Wil every year on Whit Monday.
consequences
On June 11, 1445, the Austrian side made two major advances against Appenzell and Toggenburg, which they repulsed in the battle near Kirchberg and the battle of Wolfhalden . On September 5th, the city of Wil took part in a federal campaign in Thurgau and the battle there near Wigoltingen . Until the end of the war there were no more major actions in the vicinity of the Princely Land . At the end of December 1445, the Appenzeller destroyed the small town of Rheineck and the Vogtei Rheintal , thus pushing the federal-Austrian border de facto as far as the Rhine. The armistice of June 12, 1446 ended the fighting and thus the Old Zurich War de facto, although the peace negotiations lasted for another four years.
In 1451, the prince abbot of St. Gallen concluded perpetual castle and land law with the four places Schwyz, Glarus, Zurich and Lucerne and thus became a related place . The city of Wil was obliged to provide its share of the princely team in the event of a conflict. 1463 the high jurisdiction over Wil by Emperor Friedrich III. transferred to the Prince Abbey of St. Gallen, which was exercised by the Reichsvogt. The Lower courts had been divided between the prince abbey and the town.
In 1712 Wil was besieged again as part of the Second Villmerger War and forced to surrender .
See also
Web links
- Magdalen Bless-Grabher: Wil (SG). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Martin Illi: Old Zurich War. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Fründ : Chronicle of the Old Zurich War from 1447.
- ↑ Aegidius Tschudi : Chronicon Helveticum Part 2: Anno 1415-1470 Basel 1736, p. 442
- ^ Carl Georg Jacob Sailer: Chronicle of Wil 1864/1914
- ↑ Hallowil: Processions: Spared from pillage and pillage
- ^ Karl Wegelin: History of the Toggenburg Landscape 1830, p. 257
- ↑ Johannes Wieland: History of the war events in Helvetia and Rhaetia, Volume 1 1827, p. 197
- ^ Josef Anton Henne : New Swiss Chronicle for the People 1833, p. 248
- ↑ Thomas Fassbind: History of the Canton Schwyz, Volume 2 1833, p. 367
- ↑ Wilnet: The Pentecostal procession Wiler