Battle of Dinklar
Battle of Dinklar (historical lithograph, around 1840)
| date | September 3, 1367 |
|---|---|
| place | It's clear |
| output | Victory of the Bishop of Hildesheim |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg |
|
| Commander | |
|
Prince-Bishop Gerhard von Berg |
Duke Magnus I. |
| Troop strength | |
| ~ 150 mounted ~ 600 foot soldiers (estimates) |
~ 1000 knights ~ 1000 mounted <2000 servants (baggage train) (estimates) |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
The Battle of Dinklar took place on September 3rd, 1367 between a Welfenallianz and the Hochstift Hildesheim near the present-day villages of Dinklar and Farmsen (today the municipality of Schellerten ) at the transition from the Harz foreland to the North German Plain . The battle gained importance because almost the entire nobility , clergy and cities of the northern Harz foreland were involved in it. It became legendary through the victory of the apparently inferior side against the numerically far superior alliance of the Guelphs, which was won through a nightly surprise attack.
prehistory
Even before the actual battle in 1367, there were repeated conflicts between the Hildesheim Monastery and the Welfs. Hildesheim was almost completely surrounded by Guelph ancestral lands. These were still humiliated by the loss of power due to the imperial ban on Henry the Lion in 1180 and tried to regain their past territory and power. The long-term action against Hildesheim also included the Calenberg Castle, built in 1292 only 13 kilometers west of the city of Hildesheim by Otto II of Lüneburg .
The cause of the battle was on the one hand the ongoing territorial disputes between the Welfenhaus and the Hochstift Hildesheim , on the other hand allegations that the Prince-Bishop Gerhard von Berg von Hildesheim would support so-called robber barons and highway robbers. Archbishop Dietrich Kagelwit von Magdeburg initially allied himself with the Guelph Duke Magnus II of Braunschweig to end the bustle. By this time Magnus II had already concluded several alliance agreements to the detriment of Hildesheim. Wilhelm II of Lüneburg ensured with his base strategy for the complete circumference of the bishopric. The calenberg castle and the castle house Freden were lured away by the Hildesheim pin army. As early as 1366, Magnus II had taken over Campen ( Flechtorf ) and Cramme Castle and had it occupied with troops.
Hildesheim, on the other hand, had a tightly organized defense system due to the decades of conflict and was always ready for war. Every citizen of the city was obliged, depending on his wealth, to be maximally equipped. The citizens were also obliged to take part in military campaigns outside the city. The city also kept a well-stocked arsenal of various weapons readily available. The readiness for military service was checked by means of annual inspections. The city had already purchased a number of crossbows and "chariots". The latter were used to quickly move troops in the field or to the battlefield. The citizenship was also allied with Hanover and Goslar.
Course of the battle
The Welfenheer had gathered near Braunschweig and moved from there in the direction of Hildesheim. This resulted in extensive looting and devastation by the army in the eastern Hildesheim areas through which the army passed. With the support of the local clergy, the Hildesheim prince-bishop Gerhard von Berg was briefed on the events and was able to arm himself. This warning time was sufficient for all armed forces in Hildesheim and the surrounding area to be mobilized. Armed people from Dassel , Lutter , Winzenburg , Woldenberg , Woldenstein and Liebenburg could be set on the march in good time. Hildesheim also had several very experienced canons and canons who had studied in Paris , Avignon and Montpellier . This provided knowledge of how infantry and riflemen could win over an army of mounted men. Examples of this were the battles of Kortrijk , Bannockburn , Laupen , Crecy and Poitiers .
The Welfenallianz had set up camp in Dinklar and Farmsen . In Dinklar, the Bishop of Halberstadt stayed on the site of a former castle that had been razed . The Duke set up his quarters in Farmsen, where he claimed a house for himself. The camp site was determined early on by allies of Braunschweig who knew the area. The remains of the Dinklar castle were quickly fortified so that the military road could be monitored from here. The place Dinklar protected the camp to the west in the direction of Hildesheim. To the north, a long, deep ditch closed off the camp, to the south it was the marshy Ilseniederung for seven kilometers , which could be seen from Dinklar.
Gerhard von Berg grouped the armed citizens and assigned an experienced knight to lead each group . There was also time to alert the few allies and set them on the march. The prince-bishop had the war morale increased through consecrations , high masses and the veneration of relics . According to tradition, he is said to have carried the founding reliquary of the Hildesheim diocese , the Marian shrine from the cathedral treasury, with him and - referring to this - exclaimed: “Leven guys, don't truret, here hebbe ek still showering in miner Maven! (Men hold out, I still have a thousand men up my sleeve!) ”The prince-bishop decided on a pre-emptive strike and had the war chariots boarded at night. These brought the infantry quickly and undetected to the enemy camp . The Hildesheimers did not use the Heerstraße, which ran directly onto the heavily fortified Dinklar. Instead, they led the army towards the battlefield from the southeast .
The Hildesheim prince-bishop led his army personally into battle. A surprise attack at night succeeded , which led to panic among the camps of the Guelph Alliance. Only in a few places was there a resistance, mostly uncoordinated, which the Hildesheimers could quickly remove. The Hildesheimers succeeded in triggering a mass exodus and continued to support it through recurring, targeted attacks. Targeted attacks to capture prominent opponents of the war were also repeatedly carried out.
Far-reaching persecution of the refugees was not possible for several reasons. On the one hand, an army from Duke Albrecht von Grubenhagen was expected, which could probably have stabbed the Hildesheimers in the back on the side of the Guelphs. On the other hand, a severe storm was approaching. The prisoners also had to be brought to safety. These guaranteed high ransom sums and the fulfillment of the Hildesheim demands.
Prominent prisoners
As a result of the defeat of the Welf Alliance, the Hildesheimers and their allies managed to take a number of prisoners who were released for ransom:
- Duke Magnus II of Braunschweig-Lüneburg
- Albert von Rickmersdorf , Bishop of Halberstadt
- Canon Count Albrecht V of Wernigerode
- Hinrich Schenk from Flechtingen
- Meinhard von Schierstedt (Field Captain Magdeburg)
- Nicolaus von Bismark (Field Captain Magdeburg)
- Henning von Steinförde (City Governor)
- Albrecht and Hans von Hakeborn (Noble)
- Henrik and Ludolf von Alvensleben
- Wulflin from Neindorf
- Buses from Asseburg
- Sivert von Salder
- Wilhelm von Ütze
- Heinrich von Wenden
- Ludwig von Sampleben
- Ermprecht von Seggerde
- Ludwig and Heinrich von Veltheim
- Hinrik Stammer
- Ludecke from Dalem
- Hanseatic League of Dreinleben
- Gevert from Wedderden
- Alverich, Gumprecht and Hans von Wanzleben
- Ludwig von Walmoden
- Gevert von Weferlingen
- Henning from speeches
- Berthold von Ditfurt
- Hermann Dubeke.
Fallen celebrities
- Johannes von Hadmersleben, the last count of Hadmersleben
- Hans von Hadmersleben
- Waldemar, Count of Anhalt
- Canon Vulrad von Querfurt
- Jan von Saldern
- Hendrik von Greaves
- Hinrik von Weferlingen
- Johann von Oberg
- Hermann von Wedderden
- Henning from Rickmersdorf
- Heinrich von Hoym
Consequences of the battle
The battle is considered the most important medieval battle in northern Germany . A victory of the Welfenallianz might have meant the end of the Hildesheim monastery. The victory and the prisoners gave the Hochstift an outstanding negotiating position. It was agreed to release the prisoners for a rather small ransom, and in return received the assurance of a long-term peace with the surrounding Guelph principalities.
Web links
- The Battle of Dinklar (PDF; 597 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eberhard Verwohlt (Ed.): 800 years Calvörde. A chronicle up to 1991. Calvörder Rundschau, Calvörde 1996.
- ^ Carl Friedrich Pauli : General Prussian State History. Volume 5. Francke, Halle 1764, p. 444 .
- ^ Wilhelm Havemann : History of the country Braunschweig and Lüneburg for school and house. Volume 1. Herold and Wahlstab, Lüneburg 1837, p. 200 .
Coordinates: 52 ° 10 ′ 24 ″ N , 10 ° 4 ′ 23 ″ E