Battle of Calven
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Calven took place on May 22, 1499 at the exit of the Val Müstair
in the Grisons
(now part of Switzerland
) to the Vinschgau in County of Tyrol
(now part of Italy
) between the forces of king
Maximilian I
of the House of Habsburg and those of the free federation of the Three Leagues
of the Grisons. It was the decisive battle in the southern Grisons of the Swabian War
; after the defeat of the Habsburg troops, the king had to abandon his attempts to control the Engadin
and the Val Müstair. The focus of operations in the Swabian War subsequently shifted again to the northern border of the Old Swiss Confederacy
.
had been disputing and quarrelling over the judicial rights in the lower Engadin
, the Val Müstair, and the Vinschgau. When Tyrol came under the rule of the Habsburgs in 1363, Habsburg reeve
s had tried repeatedly to curtail the rights of the bishopric and to assimilate the valleys to their territories. The people of these valleys opposed these attempts and between 1367 and 1415 united in the League of God's House
, one of the Three Leagues
of the Grisons.
In the Holy Roman Empire
, Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg had become king in 1486. Seven years later, he took over the possessions of his cousin Sigismund of Austria, which included Tyrol, uniting all Habsburg possessions in his hands. The general rise of power of the Habsburgs and their dynastic politics had brought them in conflict with the French
kings. Maximilian's second marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza
of Milan in 1493 opposed him directly to the French kings who also claimed the Duchy of Milan
; a conflict that would escalate to the Italian Wars
. The alpine
passes in the southern Grisons—and in particular the Umbrail Pass
in Val Müstair—had suddenly become strategically important as a direct route from the Tyrol to northern Italy, and the Habsburgs redoubled their efforts to control that region.
The Habsburg pressure had prompted the Three Leagues of the Grisons to sign a close military alliance with the Old Swiss Confederacy
in 1497/98. A raid of Habsburg troops on the Benedictine Convent of Saint John
at Müstair
on January 20, 1499 had been the immediate cause for the outbreak of the Swabian War
, opposing the Swiss Confederacy and the Leagues of the Grisons against the forces of Maximilian, in particular the Swabian League
. Part of Maximilian's strategic objective in this war was the control of the Umbrail Pass. Until April 1499, a large Habsburg army with troops from the Swabian League, from Tyrol, and mercenaries from Italy assembled at the villages of Mals
and Glurns
in the Vinschgau. At Calven, they erected strongly armed wooden fortifications (a so-called Letzi) blocking the entire exit of the Val Müstair. Habsburg troops tried to conquer the Pass dal Fuorn on May 11, 1499, but failed.
in the Vinschgau. He had called repeatedly to have strong troops sent to interfere with the preparations of the Habsburg army. The Three Leagues finally complied and assembled an army of about 6,300 men at Zuoz
and marched to the Val Müstair
. They knew that their time was running out, because they had news of Maximilian being on his way with reinforcements. But the Letzi seemed an insurmountable barrier. The Habsburg army numbered some 12,000 men, of which 2,000 manned the fortifications themselves, while another 1,200 covered the flanks. Castle Rotund at Taufers in front of the barrier was also manned with Habsburg troops, and 200 men guarded the bridge at Marengo behind the Letzi. The rest of the Habsburg army camped at the villages in the Vinschgau.
The mats, as the soldiers of the Three Leagues were called in Romansh, decided to split at Müstair
: about 2,000 – 3,000 men led by Wilhelm Ringk and Hans von Lombris were to march over the mountains to bypass the Letzi on the north and to attack the enemy from behind. Because their route was in full view of Castle Rotund, they took off at night. When they arrived in the morning in the Vinschgau, they were immediately engaged by Habsburg troops, who fled in panic, however, when rumours that they numbered 30,000 made the round. But at the Marengo bridge, their advance was stopped. The fleeing troops, united with the 200 Tyrolian soldiers stationed there, managed to hold the bridge.
The other half of the troops of the Three Leagues attacked the fortifications frontally
all the same. But the defense was strong; the Letzi was equipped with many cannons, and the mats were driven back several times and suffered heavy losses. The commanders cheered on their soldiers to keep attacking, and threatened to kill them as traitors should they retreat. Their commander Benedikt Fontana fell. A local flanking maneuver
over the mountain slopes south of the barrier finally brought the mats the victory. Under simultaneous pressure from all sides, the defenders had to give way. The footsoldiers were overwhelmed and fled, and likewise did the knights, as Pirckheimer
reports. They were chased through the Vinschgau and many drowned in the wild mountain rivers.
on May 25, 1499. When Maximilian, who was at that time at Landeck
, heard of the defeat, he was enraged and hurried to Glurns, where he arrived on May 29, 1499. 38 hostages from the Engadin were killed in retaliation at Meran, and in June 1499 his troops ravaged the Engadin valley, burning most of the villages up to Samedan
. When the Swiss Confederacy sent reinforcements on June 18, 1499 and troops from Berne
, Zürich
, Uri
, and Glarus
arrived at Davos
, the Habsburg troops cleared the valley.
But the defeat at Calven had put an end to Maximilian's attempt to gain control over the Val Müstair and its passes. His allies of the Swabian League
refused to send more soldiers to the Grisons, which was of no interest to them. Maximilian returned to Lake Constance
, and subsequently led the operations on the northern border of the Swiss Confederacy. But his troops suffered many defeats, and in September 1499, he had to agree to the Peace of Basel.
Although this peace treaty affirmed the status quo ante bellum
and thus the mixed jurisdiction over the Grisons between the Habsburgs, the bishopric of Chur, and the Three Leagues remained, the battle of Calven marked the end of the Habsburg expansion in the Grisons. The victory also strengthened the republican Three Leagues, who would consolidate their alliance in 1524. The Vinschgau, however, became a Habsburg territory in 1618, when the Grisons became a theater in the Thirty Years' War
.
.
Val Müstair
Val Müstair is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.-Demographics:...
in the Grisons
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
(now part of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) to the Vinschgau in County of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
(now part of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) between the forces of king
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
of the House of Habsburg and those of the free federation of the Three Leagues
Three Leagues
The Three Leagues was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Most of the lands of Graubünden were part of the Roman province Raetia in 15 BC...
of the Grisons. It was the decisive battle in the southern Grisons of the Swabian War
Swabian War
The Swabian War of 1499 was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Habsburg...
; after the defeat of the Habsburg troops, the king had to abandon his attempts to control the Engadin
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...
and the Val Müstair. The focus of operations in the Swabian War subsequently shifted again to the northern border of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
.
Background
Since the early Middle Ages, the Bishopric of Chur and the Counts of TyrolCounty of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
had been disputing and quarrelling over the judicial rights in the lower Engadin
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...
, the Val Müstair, and the Vinschgau. When Tyrol came under the rule of the Habsburgs in 1363, Habsburg reeve
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
s had tried repeatedly to curtail the rights of the bishopric and to assimilate the valleys to their territories. The people of these valleys opposed these attempts and between 1367 and 1415 united in the League of God's House
League of God's House
The League of God's House was formed in what is now Switzerland on January 29, 1367 to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied with the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form the Three Leagues...
, one of the Three Leagues
Three Leagues
The Three Leagues was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Most of the lands of Graubünden were part of the Roman province Raetia in 15 BC...
of the Grisons.
In the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg had become king in 1486. Seven years later, he took over the possessions of his cousin Sigismund of Austria, which included Tyrol, uniting all Habsburg possessions in his hands. The general rise of power of the Habsburgs and their dynastic politics had brought them in conflict with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
kings. Maximilian's second marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza
Bianca Maria Sforza
Bianca Maria Sforza was Holy Roman Empress as the second wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, by his second wife, Bona of Savoy....
of Milan in 1493 opposed him directly to the French kings who also claimed the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
; a conflict that would escalate to the Italian Wars
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
. The alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
passes in the southern Grisons—and in particular the Umbrail Pass
Umbrail Pass
Umbrail Pass is a high mountain pass on the Swiss-Italian border connecting Santa Maria in Val Müstair with Bormio in the Adda valley. On the Italian side, it connects to the Stelvio Pass road.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe...
in Val Müstair—had suddenly become strategically important as a direct route from the Tyrol to northern Italy, and the Habsburgs redoubled their efforts to control that region.
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
in 1497/98. A raid of Habsburg troops on the Benedictine Convent of Saint John
Benedictine Convent of Saint John
The Convent of Saint John is an ancient Benedictine monastery in Müstair village of Val Müstair, Switzerland, and, by reason of its exceptionally well-preserved heritage of Carolingian art, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.-History:...
at Müstair
Müstair
Müstair is a village in the Val Müstair municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2009 Müstair merged with Fuldera, Lü, Switzerland, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Tschierv and Valchava to form Val Müstair....
on January 20, 1499 had been the immediate cause for the outbreak of the Swabian War
Swabian War
The Swabian War of 1499 was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Habsburg...
, opposing the Swiss Confederacy and the Leagues of the Grisons against the forces of Maximilian, in particular the Swabian League
Swabian League
The Swabian League was an association of Imperial States - cities, prelates, principalities and knights - principally in the territory of the Early medieval stem duchy of Swabia, established in 1488 at the behest of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg and supported as well by Bertold von...
. Part of Maximilian's strategic objective in this war was the control of the Umbrail Pass. Until April 1499, a large Habsburg army with troops from the Swabian League, from Tyrol, and mercenaries from Italy assembled at the villages of Mals
Mals
Mals is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 80 km northwest of Trento and about 70 km northwest of Bolzano, on the border with Switzerland and Austria.-Geography:...
and Glurns
Glurns
Glurns is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 80 km northwest of Trento and about 60 km northwest of Bolzano ....
in the Vinschgau. At Calven, they erected strongly armed wooden fortifications (a so-called Letzi) blocking the entire exit of the Val Müstair. Habsburg troops tried to conquer the Pass dal Fuorn on May 11, 1499, but failed.
The battle
The bishop's reeve in the southern Grisons, Benedikt Fontana, was forced to leave his seat on the Fürstenburg at BurgeisBurgeis
thumb|250px|Burgeis and the Marienberg AbbeyBurgeis is the largest frazione of the commune of Mals and sits at an altitude of 1216m in Vinschgau in South Tyrol beneath the mountain Watles on the upper reaches of the Adige. The name goes all the way back to a Roman founding, as a fort on the "Via...
in the Vinschgau. He had called repeatedly to have strong troops sent to interfere with the preparations of the Habsburg army. The Three Leagues finally complied and assembled an army of about 6,300 men at Zuoz
Zuoz
Zuoz is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as Zuzes. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. But, it has long ago been supplanted by other Engadin...
and marched to the Val Müstair
Val Müstair
Val Müstair is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.-Demographics:...
. They knew that their time was running out, because they had news of Maximilian being on his way with reinforcements. But the Letzi seemed an insurmountable barrier. The Habsburg army numbered some 12,000 men, of which 2,000 manned the fortifications themselves, while another 1,200 covered the flanks. Castle Rotund at Taufers in front of the barrier was also manned with Habsburg troops, and 200 men guarded the bridge at Marengo behind the Letzi. The rest of the Habsburg army camped at the villages in the Vinschgau.
The mats, as the soldiers of the Three Leagues were called in Romansh, decided to split at Müstair
Müstair
Müstair is a village in the Val Müstair municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2009 Müstair merged with Fuldera, Lü, Switzerland, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Tschierv and Valchava to form Val Müstair....
: about 2,000 – 3,000 men led by Wilhelm Ringk and Hans von Lombris were to march over the mountains to bypass the Letzi on the north and to attack the enemy from behind. Because their route was in full view of Castle Rotund, they took off at night. When they arrived in the morning in the Vinschgau, they were immediately engaged by Habsburg troops, who fled in panic, however, when rumours that they numbered 30,000 made the round. But at the Marengo bridge, their advance was stopped. The fleeing troops, united with the 200 Tyrolian soldiers stationed there, managed to hold the bridge.
The other half of the troops of the Three Leagues attacked the fortifications frontally
Frontal assault
The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, hostile movement of forces toward the front of an enemy force . By targeting the enemy's front, the attackers are subjecting themselves to the maximum defensive power of the enemy...
all the same. But the defense was strong; the Letzi was equipped with many cannons, and the mats were driven back several times and suffered heavy losses. The commanders cheered on their soldiers to keep attacking, and threatened to kill them as traitors should they retreat. Their commander Benedikt Fontana fell. A local flanking maneuver
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
over the mountain slopes south of the barrier finally brought the mats the victory. Under simultaneous pressure from all sides, the defenders had to give way. The footsoldiers were overwhelmed and fled, and likewise did the knights, as Pirckheimer
Willibald Pirckheimer
Willibald Pirckheimer was a German Renaissance lawyer, author and Renaissance humanist, a wealthy and prominent figure in Nuremberg in the 16th century, and a member of the governing City Council for two periods...
reports. They were chased through the Vinschgau and many drowned in the wild mountain rivers.
Aftermath
The victorius troops of the Three Leagues pillaged the Vinschgau valley for three days, burning every house and killing all men over twelve years of age. With their bounty, which included some 300 small and eight larger cannons, they retreated over the Fuorn PassFuorn Pass
Fuorn Pass or Ofen Pass is a high alpine mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The name is based on the ovens that were used in ironworks in the area...
on May 25, 1499. When Maximilian, who was at that time at Landeck
Landeck
Landeck is a city in Tyrol, Austria with approximately 7,633 inhabitants. It is located at an elevation of about 820 m in the west of Tyrol, on the rivers Sanna and Inn...
, heard of the defeat, he was enraged and hurried to Glurns, where he arrived on May 29, 1499. 38 hostages from the Engadin were killed in retaliation at Meran, and in June 1499 his troops ravaged the Engadin valley, burning most of the villages up to Samedan
Samedan
Samedan is a town and municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Samedan is first mentioned in 1139 as Samaden. In 1334 it was mentioned as Semeden, in 1367 as Semaden, in 1498 as Sumada and in 1527 as Sameden...
. When the Swiss Confederacy sent reinforcements on June 18, 1499 and troops from Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
, and Glarus
Glarus
Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus municipality since 1 January 2011 incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern....
arrived at Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
, the Habsburg troops cleared the valley.
But the defeat at Calven had put an end to Maximilian's attempt to gain control over the Val Müstair and its passes. His allies of the Swabian League
Swabian League
The Swabian League was an association of Imperial States - cities, prelates, principalities and knights - principally in the territory of the Early medieval stem duchy of Swabia, established in 1488 at the behest of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg and supported as well by Bertold von...
refused to send more soldiers to the Grisons, which was of no interest to them. Maximilian returned to Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, and subsequently led the operations on the northern border of the Swiss Confederacy. But his troops suffered many defeats, and in September 1499, he had to agree to the Peace of Basel.
Although this peace treaty affirmed the status quo ante bellum
Status quo ante bellum
The term status quo ante bellum is Latin, meaning literally "the state in which things were before the war".The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no side gains or loses...
and thus the mixed jurisdiction over the Grisons between the Habsburgs, the bishopric of Chur, and the Three Leagues remained, the battle of Calven marked the end of the Habsburg expansion in the Grisons. The victory also strengthened the republican Three Leagues, who would consolidate their alliance in 1524. The Vinschgau, however, became a Habsburg territory in 1618, when the Grisons became a theater in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
Legend
Benedikt Fontana is considered a hero and a freedom fighter in the Grisons. Legend has it that he cheered on his men to attack the Habsburg fortifications with the words "Hei fraischgiamank meiss matts, cun mai ais be ün hom da fear, quai brichia guardad, u chia hoatz Grischuns e Ligias u maa non plü!"—"Go on, my boys, I'm just one man, do not care about me. Today is for the Grisons and the Leagues, or never!". Whether he really used such words is of course uncertain; written accounts that emphasise his role in the battle appeared only in the middle of the 16th century. The legend was further elaborated and became popular in the 19th century, and in 1903, a statue was erected in his honor at ChurChur
Chur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia....
.