Schwäbischer Bund | |
 Arms | |
 Standard | |
| Named after | Swabia |
|---|---|
| Formation | February 14, 1488 (1488-02-14) |
| Founder | Frederick III |
| Founded at | Esslingen |
| Dissolved | February 2, 1534 (1534-02-02) |
| Type | Military alliance |
| Location | |
Region served | Southern Germany |
Official language | German |
TheSwabian League (German:Schwäbischer Bund) was amilitary alliance ofimperial estates –imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the earlymedievalstem duchy ofSwabia established in 1488. New institutions created throughimperial reform removed the need for the league, whilst the religious revolution of theProtestant Reformation divided its members, leading to the Swabian League being disbanded in 1534.[1]
The Swabian League was established in 1488 at the behest of EmperorFrederick III and supported as well byBertold, Elector of Mainz, whose conciliar rather than monarchic view of theReich often put him at odds with Frederick's successorMaximilian. The Swabian League cooperated towards the keeping of the imperial peace and at least in the beginning curbing the expansionistBavarian dukes from theHouse of Wittelsbach and the revolutionary threat from the south in the form of theSwiss. The League held regular meetings, supported tribunals and maintained a unified force of 12,000 infantrymen and 1200 cavalry.[2]
On 14 February 1488, a new Swabian League was formed, at theReichstag ofEsslingen, not only of 22 Imperial cities but also of the Swabian knights' League of St. George's Shield, bishops, and princes (Ansbach,Baden,Bavaria,Bayreuth,Hesse,Mainz, theElectorate of the Palatinate,Trier,Tyrol, andWürttemberg). The league was governed by a federal council ofthree colleges of princes, cities, and knights calling upon an army of 13,000 men. It aided in the rescue of the future emperorMaximilian I, son of EmperorFrederick III, held prisoner in theLow Countries, and later was his main support in southern Germany.
After the death ofEberhard of Württemberg in 1496 the League produced no single outstanding generally accepted leader, and with thepeace of 1499 with the Swiss and the definitive defeat of the aggressive Wittelsbachs in 1504, the League's original purpose, maintenance of thestatus quo in the southwest, was accomplished. Its last major action was the occupation and annexation of the Free City of Reutlingen by dukeUlrich of Württemberg in 1519 during the interregnum that followed the death of Maximilian I. The duke was overthrown, and his territory was sold toCharles V, offsetting the costs of the campaign.
The League defeated an alliance ofrobber barons in theFranconian War in 1523. Next it helped to suppress thePeasants' Revolt in 1524–26, including its defeat and execution of Little Jack (Jaecklein) Rohrbach, and crushing theBlack Company in itslast stand at the Battle ofIngolstadt in May 1525.
The development of imperial institutions, such as the creation of theReichskammergericht imperial court in 1495 and the development of theReichstag, led to the league becoming increasingly unnecessary. Imperial institutions were viewed as a better system of maintaining order due to their stronger constitutional backing and sanction by the emperor, and were more popular amongst the princes for being ordered more hierarchically than the Swabian league. The Habsburgs also favoured imperial institutions over the league as imperial institutions could cover the entire empire, and did not have to be continually renewed.[3] Additionally, the religious revolution of theProtestant Reformation divided its members, finally leading to the Swabian League being disbanded in 1534.[4]
Sigismund of Habsburg, Count ofTyrol and Archduke ofFurther Austria, followed by ArchdukeMaximilian I of Habsburg in 1490.svg)
Eberhard V, Count ofWürttemberg (raised to aduke in 1495), succeeded by DukeEberhard II in 1496joined by several princes of the Empire until 1489:
Frederick II of Hohenzollern, Prince-Bishop ofAugsburg
Christopher I, Margrave ofBaden
George Frederick of Hohenzollern, Margrave ofBrandenburg-AnsbachSiegmund of Hohenzollern, Margrave ofBrandenburg-Bayreuth
Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild, Archbishop ofMainz andPrince-elector
John II of Baden, Archbishop ofTrier and Prince-electorextended after 1500 by its former opponent:
Albert IV of Wittelsbach, Duke ofBavaria-Munich, Duke of re-unitedBavaria from 1503.In 1512 Baden and Württemberg left the league, while thePrince-Bishops ofBamberg andEichstätt were admitted, followed by
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Philip I, Landgrave ofHesse in 1519
Louis V of Wittelsbach of theElectorate of the Palatinate, Prince-elector as well asOtto Henry andPhilip of Wittelsbach, Counts Palatine ofPalatinate-Neuburg and
Conrad II von Thüngen, Prince-Bishop ofWürzburg in 1523 and finally
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, Prince-Archbishop ofSalzburg in 1525. | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(February 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Alfred Bradley Gough (1911). "Swabian League". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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