Royal Prussia : Warmia Stift Feud, 1467-1479
in German, according to a contemporary expression, referred to as the "Pfaffenkrieg" (Priests' War)



In the Prussian War or Thirteen Years War 1454-1466, the Prussian Federation had seceded from the state of the Teutonic Order. In 1454 the Prussian Federation had requested and received Polish protection, and in the Second Peace of Thorn (Torun), the Teutonic Order recognized the sovereignty of the King of Poland over Royal Prussia, which included the Stift of Warmia.
Upon the death of the bishop, King Casimir IV. Andreas in 1467 appointed a Pole, Vincent Kielbasa, as the new bishop of Warmia. The Warmian Cathedral Chapter at Heilsberg resisted, and a feud lasting 12 years ensued. The Cathedral Chapter elected Nikolaus von Tüngen.
The Estates of Royal Prussia did not take the side of the Cathedral Chapter, as their autonomous, semi-independent status, recently gained, depended on Polish protection, and the trade of her major city, Danzig, depended on her virtual monopoly in the Polish grain export trade.
Nicholas von Tüngen allied himself with the Teutonic Order and with King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.
The feud thus was a low scale affair, affecting mainly Warmia. In 1478, Braunsberg withstood a Polish siege. It was ended by agreement; the king recognized bishop von Tüngen and the right of the Cathedral Chapter to elect future bishops (which had to promise to elect a person acceptable to the king), the privileges of the city of Heilsberg, capital of the bishopric, were extended. Bishop and Cathedral Chapter had to swear loyalty to the king.
In 1512 (Treaty of Petrikau) the Cathedral Chapter had to accept the king's right to choose 4 candidates for the office of bishop, all of whom had to be born in Royal Prussia.



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Geschichte von Heilsberg, from Heilsberg.org, in German
Blüte und Niedergang der Macht des Ordens (Climax and Decline of the Power of the Teutonic Order), from Geschichte der Familie Schwark, in German
DOCUMENTS List of Bishops of Warmia, from Wikipedia
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on April 4th 2004, last revised on November 17th 2004

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