Battle of the Hirzel
Overview map of the Old Zurich War
| date | May 24, 1443 |
|---|---|
| place | Hirzel , Canton of Zurich |
| output | Federal victory |
| consequences | Conquest of most of Zurich's territory by the Confederates |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
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| Commander | |
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| Troop strength | |
| 1400? | unknown |
| losses | |
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180-505 |
60-600 |
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 Battle of Hirzel was a military conflict that took place on May 24, 1443 during the Old Zurich War on Zimmerberg , in what is now the Canton of Zurich , Switzerland .
The opponents were on the one hand the contingents of the federal Eight Old Towns Lucerne , Uri and Unterwalden and on the other hand troops from the imperial city of Zurich and the Habsburgs . This first major battle of the Old Zurich War was decisive for the further course of the war, as the Zurich-Austrian coalition fell completely on the defensive due to its defeat at the beginning of the war.
prehistory
The renewed outbreak of war in 1443 was sparked by Zurich's refusal to accept the alliance made in 1442 with the newly crowned King Friedrich III. to dissolve, although according to the Federal Letter of 1351 Zurich had the right to alliance with the Confederation. Zurich reacted negatively to the invitation to a federal arbitration tribunal in Einsiedeln , so that Schwyz as the main initiator - and Glarus in its wake - presented the remaining undecided federal places with a fait accompli, and on the night of May 20-21, the city of Zurich and Margrave Wilhelm von Hachberg submitted the declarations of war on behalf of the Austrian rulership. Glarus was warned to do the same.
Marshal Thuringia II. Von Hallwyl held the supreme command of the entire Zurich troops . at his expense was ordered to Zurich, where he was sworn in on January 25, 1443. King Friedrich III. initially only supported the Zurich side as Duke of Habsburg indirectly; the imperial war against the confederates was only proclaimed in the following year (August 30, 1444).
On May 22nd, the Zurich-Austrian coalition launched its first military offensive from Rapperswil across Lake Zurich against the area of the Höfe , which had been annexed by Schwyz on December 1, 1440 three years earlier in the Kilchberg Peace , which was unfavorable for Zurich . This amphibious operation was rejected by Schwyz and Glarus in the battle of Freienbach . On that day, Zurich received a declaration of war from Lucerne , the letters of rejection from Glarus, Uri , Unterwalden and Zug are also likely to have been sent on that day. Berne and its ally Solothurn, on the other hand, hesitated to enter the war.
The Zurich main contingent under Marshal Thuringia II. Von Hallwyl was on the heavily fortified Letzi above Horgen , which was developed over many years during the armistice that had been in place since 1440 in order to seal off the much-traveled trade route on the Hirzel Pass. The exact course of this made of stones and tree trunks field fortification is not known, but they gave at least as far to the two entrances of the Sihlbrücken in Babenwag and Finstersee lock. Previously, residents of Lake Zurich occupied the protective weir without authorization; on the one hand this was probably the result of the battle of Freienbach, but also out of fear of suffering the same fate as in November 1440, when the Zurich residents withdrew practically without a fight and the whole Zurich landscape was devastated by the Confederates. The country folk did not want to vacate the position even on the orders of Zurich's mayor Rudolf Stüssi , so Thuringia von Hallwyl was forced to send reinforcements there. The Klingenberger Chronik on this: "Diss was och completely against that of Hallwil, that of Zurich hoptman was" . The central Swiss responded by occupying their own border fortifications directed against Zurich.
On May 22nd, Thuringia II von Hallwyl urgently asked the city of Zurich to bring in the previously promised mercenaries , and he also advised recruiting more foreign mercenaries - apparently so that there would be less "yelling" and mercenaries in the event of losses among the Zurich women moreover, he was more suitable for holding out in permanent positions - since he had reinforced the troops under Zurich Mayor Stüssi with the mercenaries who had been with him. These troops - a total of about 1,300 men - were on the Albis in the closest distance to the city, but on the night of May 22nd to 23rd they advanced into the area of the city and office of Zug to probe the strength of the enemy . There the Baarerboden served as a deployment base for the inner Swiss troops, whose contingents gradually arrived there. After the undecided battle at Blickensdorf , the people of Zurich managed to break away from the enemy and return to their starting positions on the Albis, as they did not want to engage in a major battle due to the hostile superiority. The pursuit of Stüssi's troops was broken off near Kappel by the Central Swiss due to exhaustion and hunger.
In this situation, Stüssi asked for urgent supplies; It can be assumed that the Zurich mayor feared a direct attack on the retreating troops on the Albis, especially since they were followed by the enemy to Kappel and they were more exposed than the troops in the strong border fortifications of the Zurich people on the Hirzel. This assumption is supported by the fact that Thuringia von Hallwyl complied with this request, troops under his command and under Wilhelm von Hachberg withdrew from the Letzi near Horgen and both commanders and reinforcements went to the Albis. To compensate for the weakening of the defensive position on the Letzi for the time being, additional troops under Hans Meis from Männedorf , Stäfa , and the city of Zurich's Schumacher and Tailors' Guild were transferred to the Letzi. Hans Meyer von Knonau took over the command on site.
The confederates must have noticed the weakening of the border fortifications, but they still believed they were too weak to undertake a direct attack. Instead, the contingents from Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden carried out a bypass movement via the city of Zug to Finstersee on Friday, May 24 , in order to cross the Sihl over relatively impassable terrain and set up camp east of the Hirzel defense position. The people of Zug initially stayed on their own territory. The foreman Niklaus von der Flüh from Obwalden is said to have also participated in this campaign . The plan was to ask for support from the Schwyzer and Glarner who were still in Freienbach and to wait for the unification with the troops of the two places as well as the Zugers in order to carry out a joint attack on the Letzi the following day, as the day was already towards the end inclined. The Schwyzer and Glarner agreed to help and prepared to leave.
course
The chronicler Hans Fründ , who was there as an eyewitness, reports that the Zurich troops were having dinner when they discovered the approaching enemies. These were provoked by "bad, wild and unsubstantial words" to such an extent that, contrary to the advice of their captains, they immediately went on the attack in a disorderly manner, which carried away the entire army of central Swiss. This first uncoordinated attack, which was also carried out at the most unfavorable and hardest defended point, got stuck in the Zurich's well-developed defenses. The fierce battle that followed was fought with great doggedness and tenacity on both sides. The Zurich firearms were able to develop their full potential at the beginning, so that the trenches in front of the position were filled with fallen soldiers.
When, after a long struggle in which Commander Hans Meyer von Knonau was also killed, the superior forces of the Lucerne, Uri and Unterwaldners succeeded in overcoming the elongated structures in two places, the Zurich now threatened with encirclement and complete annihilation. After attacks on the flank, the people of Zurich started to flee over the mountain in the direction of Horgen, as a result of which the persecution by the opponents that was now beginning led to a bloody slaughter. This lasted into the night until darkness prevented further persecution. One went over to setting fire to the houses in the area, since the remaining defenders were apparently entrenched there.
After Thuringia learned of the defeat from Hallwyl's main contingent on the Albis, lengthy deliberations began, after which it was initially decided to move against the Confederates in order to give them an open field battle. After they let their armed forces advance in the direction of the enemy, an unpleasant phenomenon occurred for the people of Zurich: Individual units of the troops withdrew; it seemed that “ they weren't fighting funny ”, so that the strength of the Zurich army was noticeably reduced. When Thuringia von Hallwyl discovered this, they stopped to discuss how to proceed. Finally, it was decided to retreat to Zurich. During the return march the troops, however, has apparently returned to its original strength, as those who had settled earlier, had apparently connected again, probably not as deserters being accused branded or cowardice. The Klingenberger Chronik on this: “Si kament uss den studen and because she had hidden, and then with the panner against haim” .
losses
The information about troop strengths and losses in the Battle of the Hirzel are difficult to quantify, as the different sources contradict each other on the point. The chronicler and eyewitness Hans Fründ gives 505 fallen people from Zurich - who were buried in eleven large pits directly on the battlefield - based on a body count and speaks of 60–70 federal losses. He gives the troop strength of the defenders on the Letzi at 1400; but this is also estimated to be less than a thousand. The Klingenberger Chronik gives 250-300 dead people from Zurich and “sensitive losses” on the opposite side. Margrave Wilhelm von Hachberg put the Zurich losses at 200, while those of the Confederates were 600 dead. According to a side note from the Einsiedeln Abbey Library , the Zurich losses amounted to 180 men.
The city of Zurich leadership always emphasized that the enemy was exaggerating the Zurich loss figures. "If we lose one, then write through the whole country, we have lost twenty" . However, they also tended to correct their own losses downwards so as not to endanger their own morale. However, this also applied to the Confederates, who wrote to the imperial cities after the battle of Freienbach, for example, that the enemy had suffered the heaviest losses. In any case, the total losses are likely to have been high on both sides; There are reliable figures for the Zurich side, at least in some areas. The parish of Küsnacht indicates 55 fallen from the three parishes of Küsnacht , Erlenbach and Herrliberg , the parish of Kilchberg for the three parishes of Kilchberg , Adliswil and Rüschlikon 35, and the parish of Horgen for the three parishes of Hirzel and Horgen (merged in 2018) and Oberrieden 34 fallen ; as a result, these 124 dead from these places in the sea area alone should be considered safe. However, this does not include the foreign mercenaries, the Zurich contingent and the rest of the Zurich countryside; the information provided by Fründ regarding the Zurich losses should therefore come close to reality.
On the other hand, the information with fewer than one hundred federal deaths for the battle appears rather questionable, especially since the uncoordinated attack on the well-fortified and firearm-reinforced positions of the people of Zurich must have resulted in a high blood toll. It was reported that the confederates had to climb over their own mountains of corpses in order to overcome the Letzi, which makes the statement by Wilhelm von Hachberg seem plausible regarding the opposing losses.
consequences
The direct and indirect consequences of the battle were devastating for the Zurich-Austrian coalition. As a result, the latter was completely on the defensive at the beginning of the war; With the withdrawal of the troops to Zurich, the Zurich territory was practically unprotected for the Confederates. Zurich's allies, especially Bremgarten , Mellingen and Baden , were now threatened. On May 25th the federal contingents united, on May 26th (a Sunday) Horgen, Thalwil , Rüschlikon and Kilchberg and the church were set on fire one after the other . Thereupon the troops lay down in front of Zurich, where they stayed for three days; however, no serious consideration was given to besieging the city. From Zurich, there were a few minor mounted retirements, but their effect was limited. The people of Zurich did not get involved in a major battle. Meanwhile, Bern declared war on Wilhelm von Hachberg on May 27, and on May 28 also on Zurich. Bern was informed of the course of the war so far, so that its entry into the war was probably also a consequence of the Battle of the Hirzel. Solothurn entered the war with Bern on May 28th.
On May 30, the federal army marched through Adliswil, pillaging and pillaging before Bremgarten, which has since been reinforced by the contingents from Bern and Solothurn, so that it grew to 7,000 men. The town held out for three days; after the capitulation of Bremgarten, Mellingen and Baden submitted without a fight. As a result, Regensberg fell on June 9, and Grüningen on June 16 , before the army disbanded and the individual contingents of the Confederates on 17/18. June moved home. As a result, the only permanent places left for the people of Zurich in their own area were Greifensee , alongside Zurich itself . Then there were the Austrian cities in the surrounding area such as Rapperswil and Winterthur .
On July 22nd, the Confederates undertook a second campaign against Zurich, which in the battle of St. Jakob an der Sihl led to another serious defeat of the city and the first siege of Rapperswil.
rating
Due to the scope of the encounter, several attempts were made to determine the main culprit for the Zurich defeat. Mayor Rudolf Stüssi is named, whose supposedly senseless and unnecessary attack on Blickensdorf the day before is said to have caused the undecided places to enter the war. This is basically not tenable, as Lucerne had already submitted its declaration of war two days earlier and Uri, Unterwalden and Zug probably did so on the same day. The federal deployment in Baarerboden - and possibly also the declarations of war in the central Swiss towns - were more of a reaction to the occupation of the Letzi by the rural population. The battle at Blickensdorf was by no means decisive for the war and the people of Zurich were given an overview of the enemy strength and positions for the first time.
Margrave Wilhelm von Hachberg was accused of neglecting the investigation. However, the latter complained in a letter that he did not know where the enemy was, even though he had sent out spies. In addition, he was accused in the literature (for example in Karl Dändliker ) of having made the troops indiscipline by requesting wine for the troops in the same letter in order to increase troop morale ( "then if we win, that's us all sament dester happy » ). However, this is put into perspective by the fact that alcohol may have played a significant role for everyone involved in this as well as in most of the other wars of this time. In addition, it was Thuringia II von Hallwyl who had the supreme command of the Zurich troops and who had also written the above-mentioned letter together with Hachberg and the Zurich councilors.
Hallwyl himself is mainly accused of having proceeded too hesitantly and not immediately approaching the troops on the Letzi with all his might. However, the marshal had to contend with serious lack of discipline among his units and a lack of coordination. However, this was also a major problem on the federal side; the hasty attack on the Letzi could have led to a catastrophe for the people of Lucerne, Uri and Unterwald, who did not wait for the people of Zug, Schwyz and Glarus to arrive (→ also battle near St. Jakob an der Birs )
See also
Web links
- War times in Hirzel and Hans Fründ Chronicle (PDF; 6.4 MB)
- Jürg Winkler: Hirzel. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Martin Illi: Old Zurich War. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alois Niederstätter: The Old Zurich War (1995)
- ↑ Hans Fründ : Chronicle of the Old Zurich War. From 1447.
- ↑ Klingenberg Chronicle (around 1460)
- ↑ Peter Niederhäuser, Christian Sieber: A «fratricidal war» makes history (2006)
- ↑ Johannes Wieland: History of the war events in Helvetia and Rhaetia, Volume 1 1827, p. 172