The Württemberg Campaign 1534



A.) Prehistory

In 1519 the Swabian League expelled Duke Ulrich of Württemberg from his Duchy; in 1520 the League handed over the administration of Württemberg to Emperor Charles V., in return for being paid the costs of the expedition. In 1522 Emperor Charles granted Württemberg to his brother Ferdinand. Gebhard Truchsess of Waldburg was appointed to rule W. in the name of Ferdinand, who ruled Austria.
Duke Ulrich spent the following years in Montbeliard (in German : Mömpelgard), a territory to the west of the Alsace, where he introduced the Lutheran Reformation in 1524. He spent the years from 1526 to 1534 at the court of Landgrave Philipp of Hessen.
The Swabian League had been dissolved in 1533. In 1534, Duke Ulrich pawned the County of Montbeliard to King François I. of France, to raise money to pay for the planned expedition.


B.) The Expedition

In 1534 Landgrave Philipp and Duke Ulrich lead an army of 4000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry into Württemberg and defeated the Ferdinand of Habsburg's Austrian troops in the Battle of Lauffen May 12th/13th. On June 29th 1534 the Peace of Kaaden was signed, in which Ulrich was reinstated Duke of Württemberg.


C.) The Legacy

Duke Ulrich introduced the Lutheran Reformation to 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
Württemberg von der Reformation bis zum Ausbruch des Dreissigjährigen Krieges (W. from the Reformation to the Beginning of the 30 Years' War), from Geschichtsverein Kongen, in German
DOCUMENTS Rulers of Württemberg, from Wikipedia (names anglicized), from Genealogy Euweb (names in German)
REFERENCE Leopold von Ranke, Deutsche Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation (German History in the Era of Reformation), (1839-1847), Emil Vollmer Verlag, reprint, n.d., Pt.2, pp.72-81, in German



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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