The Expulsion of Duke Ulrich of Württemberg by the Swabian League 1519



A.) Prehistory

In 1516 the Imperial ban was declared against Duke Ulrich of Württemberg - in the previous year, he had murdered a court noble whose wife Duke Ulrich desired. The Duke refused to attend the Imperial diet in 1518, and the ban was renewed.


B.) The Expedition

In 1519, Duke Ulrich of Württemberg supported the candidacy of King Francis I. of France for the Imperial crown. He then laid siege to the free Imperial city of Reutlingen (January 21st to 28th 1519) and occupied the city. The Swabian League sided with the city of Reutlingen and charged Duke Wilhelm of Bavaria with commanding the League's expedition against Württemberg. Württemberg was not capable of defeating such a force; most of Württemberg fell to the League's forces. Duke Ulrich held on to the County of Montbeliard (in German : Mömpelgard, west of the Alsace) and to the impregnable fortress of Hohentwiel.


C.) The Legacy

In 1520 the Swabian League handed over the administration of Württemberg to Austria, which paid for the costs of the expedition. Ulrich von Württemberg, for the next 14 years, was a Duke (almost) without a land. In 1534 another expedition undertaken by Landgrave Philipp of Hessen would place him back in control of Württemberg..




EXTERNAL
FILES 		Herzog Ulrich von Württemberg, from Informationen über Stuttgart, in German; from Lexikon Geschichte Baden-Württemberg, in German
Herzogtum Wirtemberg 1495-1806, from Lexikon Geschichte Baden-Württemberg, in German
Schwäbischer Bund, from Lexikon Geschichte Baden-Württemberg, in German
Geschichte von Reutlingen (History of Reutlingen), from Informationen über den Landkreis Reutlingen
DOCUMENTS Rulers of Württemberg, from Wikipedia (names anglicized), from Genealogy Euweb (names in German)
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 22nd 2004, last revised on November 17th 2004

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