Swabian Federation
The Swabian Federation (also Bund im Lande Schwaben ) was founded on February 14, 1488 at the Reichstag in Esslingen am Neckar at the instigation of Emperor Friedrich III. founded as a union of the Swabian imperial estates .
The Swabian Confederation proved to be an essential instrument of imperial reform and the associated peace , which gives it its constitutional significance. He owes his fame beyond specialist circles to his role in the suppression of the peasant uprising . For the history of the country, the conflict with Duke Ulrich von Württemberg , who later introduced the Reformation in his country, should also be emphasized.
The structure of the Swabian Federation
organization
The Swabian Federation was a co-operative organization that showed a tendency towards increasing institutionalization. In addition to the classic medieval elements, there are also modern ones. A clear qualification can be seen among the federal governors, which is very similar to the later bureaucratic thinking, while the federal councilors show medieval nepotism . However, these overarching personal networks, together with a high level of continuity among the management staff, formed important prerequisites for the good functioning of the federal government. In order to compensate for the problems of cooperative forms of organization, the majority principle, in contrast to the Reich, was strictly practiced and federal councilors were given a free mandate. The usual demonstrations of the rank of their sending authorities and session disputes therefore stayed away from this league. This enabled the less powerful to outvote the princes.
Members
In addition to territorial princes such as the Duke of Tyrol and the Count and later Duke of Württemberg , the high nobility such as Werdenberg , Montfort , Gundelfingen , Helfenstein , Waldburg and Fürstenberg as well as knights and servants of the lower nobility were represented; likewise prelates of the Spiritual Territories . The 20 Swabian imperial cities could also be included. The capital became Ulm .
General meetings
Communication in the late medieval empire mainly took place at conferences and meetings. However, the expansion of the Swabian Federation prevented permanent meetings. Classical considerations set further limits, as the cooperative principle assumes that the members are equal . This of course contradicted the corporate facts , which is why there were general assemblies (traditionally called " warning ") only in the form of separate meetings of the cities and the nobility. These plenary assemblies had three important functions: the elections of the captains and their councilors as delegated decision-makers, the accounting, which was usually combined with the election, and joint statements by the state on important political issues.
As an example, the Adelsbank will now be discussed: At the Adelsbank, from 1488 these reminders were limited to the respective quarters of the St. George shield , in which a quarter captain and the assigned councils were elected. Entire reminders should only be called by the captains outside of the annual election day for important issues that could not be dealt with without a warning. At the federal level, the aristocrats were represented as a delegation exclusively through their federal governors and the councils assigned to them. After the Georgenschild Society ended, federal governors and councilors were re-elected directly (instead of going through the Georgenschild district). In summary, it can be said that the reminders issued by the Swabian Federation within the city, aristocratic and prelate banks were usually limited to the election of delegates.
The Federal Council
The two captains and the 18 councilors, half elected annually by the nobility and half by the cities, were at the head of the federation and together formed the "Federal Council", which does not meet constantly. Since they swore to help and advise both cities and the nobility to the best of their ability and knowledge, they often had to vote after they had given up a question that affected them, their city or their neighborhood another Federal Council leave the meeting in question. If one of the councilors became unable to hold office or died, a successor should be appointed by the relevant bank within a month, and anyone could be elected unless he refused the judge's office from the outset. The Federal Council should protect the interests of the federal government and take all necessary measures. In addition to the judge function, it was up to him to decide to what extent the claims of foreign courts and persons were legitimate. The Federal Council also decided to accept new members. The Federal Council was not allowed to act without restriction in the management of federal affairs, but was bound by any resolutions previously passed by the assemblies of the individual estates.
With the amendment of the constitution of the Swabian Federation of 1500 , the Federal Council changed significantly. Instead of consisting of 2 captains (from the nobility and cities) with the associated 18 councilors as before, it now consisted of 3 captains with 21 councilors, who were provided in equal measure by the nobility, cities and princes. The seven princes ( Austria , Mainz , the bishop of Augsburg , Bavaria , Brandenburg-Ansbach , Württemberg and Baden ) were each assigned a council, but they were also allowed to send more, but this did not increase the number of their votes. In the event that another powerful prince should join the league, the provision was made that he would then also receive a council, but the number of councils of the cities and the nobility would be increased equally in order to preserve the equality of power between the nobility, cities and princes .
The federal governors
The federal governors were not so much the political leaders as they were responsible for the functioning of the Swabian Confederation. Not only did they convene the Federal Council, they also played a key role in it, because they were supposed to make the decision in the event of a tie. Since only two federal governors existed until 1500, in the event of their disagreement, the lot was to decide, which was never necessary and became obsolete after 1500, since after that the princes were also represented by a federal governor. As already mentioned above, the federal governors ensured the functioning of the Swabian Confederation, especially between the meetings of the Federal Council through regular management. Lawsuits from members of their class were first referred to them so that they could then set the mechanisms of the federal government in motion to settle internal disputes, which did not change after 1496, when a separate federal court was introduced. Even if the Federal captains appeared outwardly as representatives of the Federation by the addressees of letters to the federal government, as well as the sealer of federal mandates were so them but were incumbent regulating the internal government communications, as all internal government correspondence was handled by them.
Federal governors were elected
- of the nobility
- 1488–1492 Haug von Werdenberg ,
- 1492–1494 Ulrich V. von Montfort-Tettnang,
- 1494–1497 Haug von Werdenberg ,
- 1497–1499 Wolfgang von Oettingen ,
- 1500/1501 Ulrich von Frundsberg,
- 1501–1504 Georg von Freyberg,
- 1504 Joachim von Oettingen,
- 1505–1517 Adam of Frundsberg,
- 1518–1530 Walter von Hürnheim,
- 1531–1534 Leonhard Marschall von Pappenheim;
- of cities:
- 1488–1499 Wilhelm Besserer,
- 1499-1505 Johann IX. Long coat from the rafter ,
- 1505–1513 Matthäus Neithart,
- 1513–1527 Ulrich Artzt,
- 1527–1534 Ulrich Neithart;
- of the princes (since 1500):
- 1500–1502 Georg von Ehingen,
- 1502–1504 Hans Caspar von Bubenhofen,
- 1505–1531 Wilhelm Güss von Güssenberg,
- 1531–1534 Wilhelm von Knöringen.
The federal court
With the amendment to the federal constitution of 1500 , a federal court was also established. In the place of the one judge who had previously been appointed from the councils, three judges took the place, one of whom was elected by the princes, the nobility and the cities. According to the principle of “actor forum rei sequitur”, the judge of his own class was responsible for the defendant, the other two were mostly taken as assessors, whereas the defendant, unlike the plaintiff, could raise an objection at the beginning of the proceedings. The judges were always men who were also well versed in Roman law, with which the Federal Court fulfilled the requirement that the Imperial Court of Justice only fulfilled in 1521. The fact that the legal scholars were highly valued in the Federal Supreme Court can be seen from the fact that 4 instead of 2 assessors had to be elected if the other two judges were not taken as assessors. Due to the fact that the three banks in turn set the place of the court annually (which, however, remained the same except for the relocation from Tübingen to Augsburg in 1512 ), where the judges had to be permanently present (when a judge left, his colleagues had to keep track of his current whereabouts be informed), the Federal Court thus became permanent. If a judge declared himself biased or if he was unable to exercise his office for valid reasons, it was the responsibility of his class to appoint a deputy.
The following federal judges were elected:
- as single judge:
- 1496–1499 Burkhard von Ehingen;
- of the nobility:
- 1500–1506 Konrad Vessler,
- 1506–1513 Heinrich Winkelhofer ,
- 1513 Sylvester Schleicher,
- 1514–1517 Hieronymus Lochner,
- 1518–1534 Jakob Heinrichmann ;
- of cities:
- 1500–1501 Bernhard Schöferlin,
- 1501–1502 Ulrich Krafft,
- 1503–1508 Johannes Streler,
- 1508–1513 Konrad Krafft ,
- 1513-1534 Wolfgang Rem;
- the princes:
- 1500–1501 Johannes Nauclerus,
- 1502–1513 Johannes Reuchlin ,
- 1513–1515 Jerome of Croaria,
- 1515–1526 Sebastian Ilsung ,
- 1527–1534 Kaspar von Kaltental .
The development of the Swabian Federation
The motives for founding the Swabian Federation
At the Nuremberg Reichstag, Emperor Friedrich III. On June 26, 1487, a mandate to the empire-direct, less powerful estates to meet one month later in Esslingen for deliberations on the maintenance of a peace and the safeguarding of their rights. There the representatives of the aristocracy and cities present agreed to enter into negotiations with the emperor's representative, Haug von Werdenberg . On October 4, 1487, the emperor granted the states of Swabia, which were subject to him “on means”, that is, without intermediate authority, the actual founding mandate to join forces. In March 1488, a union limited to eight years was decided.
In the summer of 1487 the efforts of the Bavarian Wittelsbachers to purchase the Austrian foothills from Archduke Sigmund of Tyrol had reached their climax, which was dangerous for Habsburg. In addition, Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich had incorporated both the Abensberg rule and the imperial city of Regensburg and, with the support of Archduke Sigmunds Kunigunde of Austria , the daughter of Emperor Friedrich III, married under dubious circumstances. (With the consent of the emperor? Without the consent of the emperor? After the withdrawn consent of the emperor?). All of this had led to the ostracism of the Bavarian dukes as well as to the ostracism and exchange of the so-called "evil councilors" of Duke Sigmund. The latter were mostly aristocrats from Upper Swabia and the Upper Rhine. (See also the article Werdenbergfehde ).
The periods of unification as a mirror of the different weighting of interests of the classes
The Swabian Federation had five unification periods in which there were considerable fluctuations in membership, especially in the Adelsbank. Of 586 members in the aristocratic and prelate bank during the first unification period, the number fell by 75% in the second and reached its lowest level in the fourth unification period with 65 members, before increasing again to 91 members in the fifth unification period (see Horst Carl, p. 62ff).
The first period of unification
In the first unification period 1488–1496, the aristocrats and prelates organized in the St. Georgenschild Society with 586 members and 26 imperial cities ( Ulm , Esslingen , Reutlingen , Überlingen , Lindau , Schwäbisch Hall , Nördlingen , Memmingen , Ravensburg , Schwäbisch Gmünd , Biberach) der Riß , Dinkelsbühl , Pfullendorf , Kempten , Kaufbeuren , Isny , Leutkirch , Giengen , Wangen , Aalen , cf. Carl, p. 62), which were soon followed by six other imperial cities ( Weil der Stadt and Bopfingen in April, Augsburg , Heilbronn , Bad Wimpfen and Donauwörth in November, cf. Carl, p. 62), the actual union. The princes were each linked by bilateral prescriptions, which stipulated obligations of assistance and the modalities of dispute settlement. At this point in time, the princes were not members of the covenant, but rather linked to the covenant. An important difference in terms of equality .
In addition to the founding members Sigmund von Tirol and Eberhard the Elder of Württemberg, the Margraves Friedrich and Sigmund of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Kulmbach, Archbishop of Kurmainz Berthold von Henneberg , Bishop Friedrich of Augsburg as well as Margrave Christoph von Baden and his brother, Archbishop , also signed up to 1489 Johann von Trier the Bund. After Maximilian took over the regiment in Tyrol, he joined the Confederation in 1490 as Archduke of Tyrol. The conflict with the Bavarian dukes Albrecht and Georg was settled by royal arbitration in 1492. A military conflict with the Palatinate Wittelsbach family was initially prevented by royal intervention in 1494.
The second unification period
The Wittelsbach conflict is not seen as a threat, in the conflict between Werdenberg and Zimmer ( Werdenberg feud ) there are clear camps and the Pro-Zimmer group leaves the Bund. Eberhard II , who took over the government in Württemberg in 1496, was overthrown from Württemberg's honor in 1498 with royal support and had to leave the country. He flees to the Wittelsbach Palatinate. Up until 1503, when Duke Ulrich came of age, the state was ruled by a Council of States and not by a related guardian from the House of Württemberg; it had not been there in German constitutional history.
In the first extension, the 2nd unification period 1496–1499, one sees a willingness to continue the unification, especially among the princes, since they all remained federal relatives without exception. On the urban side, nine cities stayed away from the extension (Augsburg, Heilbronn, Wimpfen, Donauwörth, Reutlingen, Dinkelsbühl, Schwäbisch Hall and Kaufbeuren did not re-seal, Lindau stayed away because of an umbrella contract with Habsburg), only 17 re-sealed shortly before the start of the Swiss War were still Constance and the little Buchhorn in the federal government. In the individual quarters of the St. Georgenschild, however, the number of participants decreased by up to 75%: in the Hegau quarter 52%, on the Danube 54%, on the Neckar 69% and on the Kocher 75%. Seen globally, the decrease was 30% for the prelates, 26% for the counts, 66% for the barons and 64% for the knights.
The negative climax of this difficult period of unification was the lost Swiss War (also called Swabian War ) in 1499 .
The third unification period
The 3rd unification period 1500–1512 brought significant changes in the membership and organizational structure of the Federation. After the defeat by the Swiss, the Georgenschild had collapsed, so that its organizational framework within the Confederation for the nobility was no longer applicable. Both the Städtebank and the Fürstenbank grew beyond Swabia proper. After the agreement with Albrecht von Bayern-Munich , against whom the federal government had originally directed, a new organizational structure was necessary. So Albrecht was very careful that his native nobility did not organize in the new league. The princes were no longer just federal relatives, but were fully accepted (cf. Carl, p. 18). The Fürstenbank had 7 members: Maximilian, as Austrian Archduke for Tyrol and the Vorlande, the Mainz Elector Berthold von Henneberg, Ulrich von Württemberg, Albrecht von Bayern-München, Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach, Bishop Friedrich von Augsburg and Margrave Christoph von Baden (cf. Carl, p. 64). The aristocratic and prelate bank shrank to just 10 counts and lords, 60 lower nobility and 27 representatives of the prelate class. In addition to the 26 imperial Swabian cities, three more were added: Buchhorn replaced Lindau, Nuremberg and its Franconian satellite Windsheim . Strasbourg and Weissenburg in Alsace were also added, but remained for the remainder of the federal episode (cf. Carl, p. 64).
In 1504/05 the Swabian Federation fought for its new member Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich (Duchy of Upper Bavaria) in the Landshut War of Succession against the Palatinate line for Duke Georg's Lower Bavarian legacy . The young Duke Ulrich von Württemberg, who had taken over the government in Württemberg the year before, after having declared his age ahead of time , was also able to distinguish himself. In this war he regained some areas that had been lost to the Palatinate under his namesake Count Ulrich the much-loved .
The fourth unification period
In the 4th unification period 1512 / 13–1523 the aristocratic and prelate bank reached its lowest level with only 65 members, only 6 counts and lords, 35 knights and 24 prelates remained in the league (cf. Carl, p. 65). The Fürstenbank expanded slightly despite the loss of Baden and Württemberg (Württemberg and Baden were eliminated, but the bishops of Eichstätt and Bamberg and in 1519 Landgrave Philip of Hesse were added) (cf. Carl, p. 65) and the Swabian imperial cities form the Constant in the covenant. While the two Alsatian cities of Strasbourg and Weissenburg were eliminated, the Franconian Weissenburg was added (cf. Carl, p. 65).
In 1512, Bündische troops took Hohenkrähen Castle in Hegau to take action against the lower nobility, who had broken the land. A similar action against the Franconian nobility, here especially against Götz von Berlichingen , was prevented by arbitral awards from both Emperor Maximilian and Ulrich von Württemberg.
This period was particularly marked by the conflict with Duke Ulrich von Württemberg . His uncontrolled and irascible behavior was certainly responsible for the escalation of events; on the other hand, the competition between Habsburg and Württemberg, which had been smoldering since the 14th century, broke out here. The expansion interests of both houses overlapped in Hegau: Habsburg, which tried to establish a connection in the east-west direction between its possessions in Upper Swabia and Alsace, while Württemberg in a south-westerly direction a connection to its properties at the Burgundian gate ( Mömpelgard ) and the Alsace ( Horburg and Reichenweiher ) wanted to produce. So far, the federal government has served to master this conflict diplomatically. (Elevation of Württemberg to the duchy in 1495, great influence of Habsburg on the ruling respectability after the expulsion of Eberhard II and the Habsburg marriage policy for Württemberg, which led to Ulrich's unhappy marriage to Emperor Maximilian's niece Sabine of Bavaria ). But now Ulrich went his own way. Instead of re-joining the new association in 1512, he founded the “ Kontrabund ” - the name alone was a declaration of war - with Baden, the Palatinate, Würzburg and the Saxon dukes. He also tried to present himself as a more suitable partner of the lower nobility, which he found on a representative level, e.g. B. succeeded as host at his wedding, which was very expensive for the time. But at the latest with the murder of Hans von Hutten , his brutal action against the leaders of honesty, the Breuning brothers and the Cannstatter Vogt Vaut and the clan liability for the Dieters von Speth family, who supported Sabine von Bayern in their escape from the Duchy, he gambled away this pledge again. Although Ulrich was able to defend himself twice against the Imperial Eight through this crushing of the opposition in the country, but when he wanted to use the time after Maximilian's death to take over the Free Imperial City of Reutlingen by force of arms, the federal government stepped with one in March / April 1519 military force and expelled Ulrich von Württemberg. Ulrich's first attempt to recapture his country failed in September / October of the same year. In order to finance the war costs, the Bund Württemberg ceded to Emperor Charles V , who slammed it into the Habsburg power and handed it over to his brother Archduke Ferdinand .
The fifth unification period
In the 5th unification period 1523–1534, the cities all remained loyal to the confederation, the Adelsbank rejoined members during the campaign against the Frankish knights, so that their number had increased compared to the fourth unification period and four new members joined the Fürstenbank: Kurpfalz , Pfalz-Neuburg , the Bishop of Würzburg and at the end of 1525 the Archbishop of Salzburg (cf. Carl, p. 65).
In 1523 they went in the so-called Franconian War against the Franconian knights around Hans Thomas von Absberg . This expedition led to the destruction of several small knight seats in Central Germany, which sympathized with the robber baron Thomas von Absberg. Kidnapped Nuremberg merchants, who were housed in ever new dungeons on the castles, managed to escape and Thomas's helpers were also blown. Among other things, the headquarters of the Lords of Sparneck were affected , who never recovered from the destruction of their castles and the loss of their home country and were pushed back to the Upper Palatinate.
After the wood engravings of the war correspondent Hans hiking iron 23 castles were and the city attacked Aub and mostly destroyed fortress Vellberg , castle Boxberg , castle Unterbalbach , castle Aschhausen , castle Wachbach , Reußenburg , City Aub , castle Waldmannshofen , castle Gnötzheim , castle Truppach , castle Krögelstein , old and New Guttenberg , castle Gattendorf , Castle Sparneck that Waldsteinburg the Great Waldstein , the Wasserburg White village , castle Uprode that previously remained unknown castle Weytzendorf and castles in Tagmersheim , Dietenhofen , Absberg and Berolzheim . At the castle Streitberg at Streitberg the conflict could be averted peaceful.
In 1525 the Peasants' War was decided by troops of the Swabian Federation and in 1526 the Federation intervened in the Salzburg peasant uprising . The military actions of the Swabian Federation in the Peasants' War are discussed in more detail below.
The Swabian League in the German Peasants' War
In the course of the German Peasant War , there was a phase of bloody conflict between the troops of the Swabian Federation and the population of the country. Contrary to the name, the uprisings were not always borne by the peasant class alone; the residents of free cities and individual members of the nobility often had a lot of sympathy with the rebels and supported them. However, the federal army under the head of Waldburg-Zeil showed great loyalty to the federal government as well as an often merciless approach.
After the first survey of farmers in 1524 in the Landgraviate Stühlingen and Waldshut where Hans Mueller of Bulgenbach was leader of the Swabian League was not quite intervene because it had jurisdiction to vorländischen screen areas Habsburgs in the Black Forest was questionable. After the preparations for intervention began slowly, the federal government attempted to mediate with Waldshut in early January 1525. On March 7, representatives of the farmers in Memmingen announced the establishment of an overarching association called the Christian Association , an Upper Swabian Confederation . The following proclaimed Twelve Articles belonged to their central demands against the Swabian Federation. The demands touched the body rule, the manorial rule, rights of use to the forest and the commons as well as church demands. The peasants wanted reform on a broad front.
However, when Duke Ulrich invaded Württemberg at the end of February, the Bündische armaments machinery started up because, in contrast to the farmers, this was seen as a war to be taken seriously . Although the peasant unrest and uprisings had grown significantly in the meantime, the Federal Councilors were much more afraid of a doomsday scenario, which Horst Carl describes as follows:
"But it was not the uprising of the peasants that frightened the Federal Councilors most, but the possibility that all enemies of the federal government could gather under Duke Ulrich's flag: At the head of the expelled Duke of Württemberg, in his wake the Frankish consorts of Absberg, in the background, the incalculable Confederates, Ulrich made their servants available, and then, to top it all off, the rebellious peasants "
The alliance between the Hellen Haufen and Duke Ulrich in May 1525 shows that these fears cannot be dismissed. After Georg Truchsess von Waldburg-Zeil (called "Bauern-Jörg") drove Duke Ulrich out with the armed forces in mid-March, this existed Opportunity to take action against the farmers.
From the beginning of February until the beginning of the fighting at the beginning of April negotiations were held with the peasants, but obviously only with the aim of gaining the necessary time for the Bundische armaments. The fact that the farmers negotiated with the federal government shows that they accepted it as a court of arbitration and that they were prepared to act in accordance with the federal conflict settlement. A standstill agreed by the federal assembly with the farmers' representatives, which was supposed to enable the farmers to submit the last arbitration proposals of the federal government, was observed by the federal councilors. Even after attacks by the peasants on castles and attacks by the mercenaries on March 25th, the Bündische Army was already marching, but the cities continued their attempts at mediation. Only when the negotiations were broken off on the part of the peasants was the way free to declare them official enemies of the Confederation.
On April 4, the Bündische troops took action against the peasants in Leipheim near Ulm , and although they gave up without a fight, hundreds or even thousands were killed while fleeing. The next day six to seven ringleaders and their leaders were executed, and the cities of Günzburg and Leipheim were given up for looting. Impressed by this, many of the farmers in the Baltringer Haufen asked for mercy and most of them submitted unconditionally.
After defeating his own farmers in Wurzach , Georg Truchsess moved from Waldburg to Gaisbeuren against the Seehaufen , which withdrew to Weingarten and took a strategically better position there. Since they outnumbered them and 8,000 farmers from Allgäu and 4,000 from Hegau came to their support , negotiations with the farmers led to the Weingartner Treaty on April 17th , which was supposed to set up a farmer- friendly court of arbitration and thus ended the uprising there bloodlessly.
At the beginning of May, around 2000 farmers gathered at Kempten and decided against accepting the contract.
On May 10, the Truchsess faced the Hellen Haufen near Herrenberg in the Stuttgart area , but did not dare to attack because of the good position of the farmers. After the peasants gave up and left the city during the night, they retreated between Sindelfingen and Böblingen to a position built by means of a wagon castle. The Truchsess was able to take the gallows hill occupied by the vanguard of the peasants after changing sides from Böblingen and from there coat the pile with guns. Before the Bundi infantry reached the peasants, they fled. In the 10 km long pursuit that followed, 2,000 to 3,000 farmers were stabbed to death. This ended the uprising in Württemberg.
On May 21st, the town of Weinsberg was burned down as it was deserted by its men. Women and children had previously been driven out of the city. Instead of moving directly to Würzburg , the Truchsess moved to the Neckar region to help the Count Palatine . On the way, many towns and villages surrendered to the leaders, with the hope of a mild sentence.
After the union with the Count Palatine at Neckarsulm on May 28th , since all uprisings in the Neckar area had been suppressed, they moved to Würzburg. There, the Marienberg Fortress was able to withstand the farmers. After three weeks of rule by the peasants over the city, they came under increasing pressure with the approach of the Swabian League.
On June 2, the farmers tried to prevent the Swabian Federation from crossing the Tauber , which resulted in a battle in Königshofen , in which the farmers were crushed. Around 7,000 men were lost.
Two days later the wagons of the Würzburg reserve army were blown apart by cannon shots, which hardly any of the 5000 farmers survived. In the city of Bamberg , which soon afterwards surrendered for better or for worse on the advice of Nuremberg, there were several executions by the Swabian Federation.
Conclusion
A judgment of the “concern for red” recorded in a Nuremberg council book. Quay. M., better order, peace and justice in the German nation, bad practice and separation of the constant supply, but everything is not taken into account, no one at a disadvantage and on understanding "from the year 1537 is" all in all the federation of Swabia the orderly being teutscher Nation gewest, which federation also researched by men and in vil way the landfriden and right protected and preserved. ”shows the importance that was attached to the Swabian federation by contemporaries. Further examples of this are the presence of an envoy from the French king at the last Bundestag in December 1533, who gave the whole thing a political significance and recognition that came close to that of the Reichstag, or the meeting of the Rhenish imperial cities at the end of October 1498 in Worms, who thought about a similar merger and also considered extending the alliance to princes, counts, lords and nobles.
Gradual collapse of the Swabian Confederation in the post-Reformation period
In the following decades of the Reformation , the federation broke up due to the different denominational standpoints of its members: the imperial cities were usually Protestant , the aristocratic territorial rulers Catholic . After the reconquest by Duke Ulrich in 1534, Württemberg became Protestant and instead joined the Schmalkaldic League , which Ulm, Constance , Biberach an der Riss and other cities (as founding members) had already joined in 1531 .
In the beginning the Swabian Reichskreis was still in competition with the Swabian Confederation, because the memberships in both organizations partially coincided, from 1530 onwards the Reichskreis partly assumed the role of the Swabian Confederation and from 1694 was the only Reichskreis to maintain a standing army .
literature
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- Georg Schmidt: The city council in the imperial constitution. A study of the corporate politics of the free and imperial cities in the first half of the 16th century (= contributions to the social and constitutional history of the old empire. Vol. 5 = publications of the Institute for European History, Mainz. Vol. 113). Steiner, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-515-03781-0 (also: Tübingen, University, dissertation, 1982).
swell
- Johann Philipp Datt: Volume rerum germanicarum Novum, sive de pace imperii publica libri V. Ulmae 1698. Especially from here
Web links
- Federal letter from 1500: The common goodbye to Eßlingen, Augsburg, after 1500, BSB-Ink O-66
- Alois Niederstätter: Swabian Federation. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Horst Carl: Der Schwäbische Bund 1488-1534. Leinfelden-Echterdingen 2000.
- ↑ Ernst Bock: The Swabian Federation and its Constitutions (1488-1534). Breslau 1927, p. 79, note 129.
- ↑ Peter-Christoph Storm: The Swabian Circle as a general. Studies on the military constitution of the Swabian Reichskreis from 1648 to 1732. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-03033-8 .