46:
325:, where the insurrection, numbering twice the size of his forces, met him; he agreed to several concessions, reasoning that the Saxons would break their end of the deal eventually. The freedmen, who felt betrayed by the nobles due to the peace treaty, sacked the Harzburg in a frenzy, destroyed the castle, and committed such acts of sacrilege (tossing the bones of members of the royal family, along with those of an abbot and St. Anastasius) that they shocked the local population and the religious authorities. Henry used the destruction as a pretext for renewed hostilities. He gained the support of several bishops, the lower feudality and city burghers. While Henry was conducting a campaign against the
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at
Langensalza convinced them to accept. In a humiliating gesture, the rebel bishops, nobles and peasants walked barefoot between the ranks of the King's army and submitted to him. The King then convened a meeting of princes at Goslar on Christmas to determine the future of Saxony; he ended up freeing Otto of Nordheim and making him his viceroy to Saxony. Henry considered the Saxon question settled, but the Investiture conflict would quickly undo the peace.
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454:
Delbruck, Hans. History of the Art of War, Vol. III: Medieval
Warfare. (trans by Walter J. Renfroe, Jr. University of Nebraska Press, 1982) p. 132 "vulgus ineptum, agriculturae pocius quam militiae assuetum, quod non-animo militari sed principum terrore coactum, contra mores et instituta sua in aciem
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The Saxon army contained several thousand men, but in typical Saxon tradition, most of them were on foot. Their ranks consisted of nobles and their vassals, along with freedmen and some serfs. Many of them were poorly trained, described by their opponent as "an inept rabble accustomed to agriculture
412:
eventually conceded and requested the terms to which the King would hold the rebels. Henry demanded a short imprisonment for all the leaders, as well as confiscation of their fiefs and their redistribution among loyal
Imperial partisans. As harsh as the terms were, the complete victory Henry gained
310:. The king seized Otto's title and property and kept Magnus prisoner at Harzburg Castle, even after the latter succeeded his father to the Saxon duchy in 1072. This heightened tensions between the Imperial court and the Saxons; Magnus' subsequent release in exchange for seventy Swabians captured in
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almost instantly destroyed the Saxon centre. The Saxon leaders took to their horses and fled, but the foot soldiers were slaughtered. It was reported that several thousand died when they drowned in the
Unstrut. Many spoils were gained by Henry's army.
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threatened excommunication against the
Thuringians in order to gain funds to finance the insurrection. Unfortunately, Henry and his army ravaged the Saxon and Thuringian countryside, bringing starvation. The
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Henry IV's army advanced in five ranks, despite the open terrain south of the River
Unstrut. The Saxons rushed out of their castle at Homburg all on horseback, apparently leaving their
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rather than military service, who, compelled not by a military spirit but by fear of their leaders, had entered battle contrary to their customs and traditions.".
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In 1073 several bishops and princes organized a resistance. Several castles were besieged, and the King was forced to escape from the
Harzburg to
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360:, and managed to gain the defections of some lower Saxon nobles with promises to listen to their grievances. In June, he moved to
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had annoyed the local nobles. From the start of his reign in 1065, 15-year-old Henry IV suffered numerous setbacks enforcing his
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became a symbol of
Imperial tyranny and was seen as impeding on traditional Saxon rights. Like his father, Henry desired to set
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officials, continued from the time of his father, fostered resentment among multiple groups. In particular, the large
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Plan of the attack during the battle of
Langensalza (made by Czech military historian Otakar Frankenberger, c. 1938)
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did little to encourage a thaw in relations. In anger, the king rejected several Saxon petitions for redress.
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217:. The battle was a complete success for Henry, resulting in the subjugation of the Saxons shortly before the
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on the one hand, papal legates were attempting to create support for the Saxon rebels on the other. In 1075
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The defeat was stunning. It shocked the Saxons, and the supporters of the rebellion became frantic. The
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Henry's move to
Langensalza put him closer to the Saxon encampment. The two sides met for battle at
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The engagement that followed was less of a battle than a rout. A charge by the Swabians under
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king Henry IV had inherited the quarrels with the Saxons from his father Emperor
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In 1070/71 Henry had already picked a quarrel with the Saxon count
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openly declared their hostility, using Henry's violations of the
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424:. Medieval Germany 1056-1273 (Oxford University Press, 1988)
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freedmen, but many nobles and peasants did not join.
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authority in Saxony after the regency of his mother
221:commenced. In Germany the battle is known as the
197:was fought on 9 June 1075 between forces of King
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757:Libellus de imperatoria potestate in urbe Roma
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263:forests were not received well by the Saxon
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259:. Attempts to restore the rights over the
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349:as an excuse. They gained many Saxon and
19:For other conflicts at Langensalza, see
804:Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire
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275:and supplying them with loyal, mainly
21:Battle of Langensalza (disambiguation)
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16:Victory of Henry IV over Saxon nobles
681:Church and state in medieval Europe
321:. In February 1074 he proceeded to
271:were opposed. A policy of building
223:Schlacht bei Homburg an der Unstrut
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648:Norman conquest of southern Italy
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824:1070s in the Holy Roman Empire
735:Separation of church and state
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834:Military history of Thuringia
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839:Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
626:First Council of the Lateran
561:Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
287:as the fixed capital of the
143:Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine
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621:First Battle of Langensalza
566:Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
195:First Battle of Langensalza
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521:Atto (archbishop of Milan)
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427:Thompson, James (1928).
139:Theodoric II of Lorraine
130:Vratislaus II of Bohemia
71:Homburg an der Unstrut,
799:Investiture Controversy
611:Donation of Constantine
507:Investiture Controversy
410:Archbishop of Magdeburg
387:behind in their haste.
219:Investiture Controversy
201:and several rebellious
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356:The King made camp in
205:noblemen on the River
116:Commanders and leaders
696:Divine right of kings
581:Rudolf of Rheinfelden
464:Delbruck, pp. 131-133
337:in Saxony and Bishop
179:Casualties and losses
126:Rudolf of Rheinfelden
31:Battle of Langensalza
691:College of Cardinals
531:Antipope Clement III
347:Treaty of Gerstungen
333:, together with the
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571:Matilda of Tuscany
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814:Conflicts in 1075
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36:Part of the
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713:Investiture
392:Duke Rudolf
376:on 9 June.
362:Langensalza
343:Halberstadt
228:Kaiserpfalz
211:Langensalza
73:Langensalza
62:9 June 1075
793:Categories
592:and events
442:References
368:The battle
351:Thuringian
323:Gerstungen
235:Background
676:Canon law
590:Documents
536:Erlembald
358:Bredingen
319:Hessewech
245:Henry III
215:Thuringia
77:Thuringia
749:See also
669:Concepts
312:Lüneburg
281:Harzburg
265:freedmen
253:Imperial
166:Strength
88:Imperial
67:Location
417:Sources
374:Homburg
327:Magyars
298:, then
277:Swabian
273:castles
207:Unstrut
90:victory
740:Simony
718:Papacy
514:People
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302:, and
285:Goslar
241:Salian
84:Result
209:near
203:Saxon
171:25000
433:ISBN
269:fisc
261:Harz
239:The
193:The
187:5860
184:2765
174:7000
59:Date
341:of
213:in
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75:,
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136:†
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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