Battle of Rotmonten
Map of the municipality of St. Gallen. The battles took place in the northern part and in the adjacent Wittenbach.
| date | 16./17. June 1405 |
|---|---|
| place | Municipalities of St. Gallen and Wittenbach |
| output | St. Gallen victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
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| Commander | |
| losses | |
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51 |
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Vögelinsegg - Rotmonten - Stoss - Bregenz - Herisau
The battle near Rotmonten was an armed conflict between the city of St. Gallen and Habsburg during the Appenzell Wars . It took place on June 16 and 17, 1405 in the Rotmonten district of today's city of St. Gallen in the canton of St. Gallen .
prehistory
In 1401 the city allied itself. St. Gallen with Appenzell against the prince abbot of St. Gallen , Kuno von Stoffeln , who against it concluded an alliance with Austria . In 1402, under the pressure of the southern German cities allied with it, the city of St. Gallen had to give up its connection with Appenzell through an arbitration ruling by this Swabian association of cities and in 1403 even had to go to the field against Appenzell in the battle of Vögelinsegg with the prince. After the battle, which went well for the Appenzell people , the city returned to its old fighting community with the Appenzell people.
In the winter of 1404/1405 they improved their military capabilities, posted guards and sent scouts to the surrounding cities. In the Bruggbach-Kappelhof area in Kronbühl ( Wittenbach ) they set up a Letzi .
On June 8, 1405, the citizens of St. Gallen learned that Austria was planning a major attack on their city and Appenzell after they had openly sided with the Appenzell people. Duke Friedrich (1382–1439) intended on the one hand to create a second front against the Appenzeller and on the other hand to teach the townspeople a lesson in their openly anti-monastery stance.
course
The Austrian army moved out of Arbon on June 16 and split into two detachments, one of which marched against Altstätten and the other, personally commanded by Duke Friedrich with the empty pocket , turned against the city of St. Gallen. The Duke set up his army at Kronbühl in order of battle. According to tradition, they let the vanguard go unmolested through the Letzi, through the Bruggwald to the Rosenberg, which set the surrounding houses on fire. Then they attacked in the Hauptlisberg area (probably today Rosenberg) and killed 15 opponents in the first battle. The St. Gallers withdrew cautiously, the battle offered did not materialize.
On the morning of June 17, the day of the Appenzell's victory against the second Austrian division in the Battle of the Stoss , the armed forces withdrew from St. Gallen, as the young Duke Friedrich had probably realized that he was only in front of the fortified city Lost time and turned against the Rhine Valley threatened by the Appenzell people . However, after the news of the defeat of the Second Army, he retreated on the old Konstanzerstrasse to Lake Constance . The St. Gallers used this for a failure and attacked first again at Rotmonten, then in the further advance on the Letzi in the Bruggwald, whereby a total of 36 Austrians were killed. The Duke then had them set up in battle order again, whereupon the St. Gallers waited again to pursue them again. They captured the banner of the city of Schaffhausen .
The assumption is that the tactic of the St. Galler was probably to bind the opposing forces in front of the city, in which they could easily withdraw themselves, possibly also to facilitate the victory for the Appenzellers at the push. So it was not an open battle, but rather smaller skirmishes and skirmishes.
consequences
On September 15, 1405, the city of St. Gallen joined the Bund ob dem See , and on July 6, 1406, an armistice with Duke Friedrich of Austria followed. The Appenzeller continued the war until they were defeated at Bregenz in 1408, when the war came to a temporary end. However, the conflict flared up again in 1428.
losses
A total of 51 Austrians were killed in the fighting, including nobles such as the Lords of Klingenberg , von Randegg , von Landenberg , von Thierstein and von Hallwyl . Johann Brunner and Hans Bächiner are mentioned in the St. Gallen losses.
In autumn 1913 a mass grave was discovered during the construction of an old people's home at Kappelhof, initially with six, then with further excavations around 20 male skeletons, which are most likely killed in these battles.