Battle of Lucka
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lucka occurred on 31 May 1307 near the village of Lucka
. The settlement was first mentioned in 1320, but had already existed for around 700 years before that. Lucka is located in the Altenburger Land
district of Thuringia
.
The battle was fought between the German king Albert I
of the Habsburg dynasty and the Margrave Friedrich I of Meissen
from the House of Wettin over the disputed ownership of the decedent estates left by Henry III the Illustrious
, margrave of Meissen and Lusatia and Landgrave of Thuringia.
Within the disorder of the Great Interregnum after the end of the Hohenstaufen rule, Henry in 1261 had established the Margraviate of Landsberg
in western Lusatia for his younger son Dietrich, however without any royal authorization. Dietrich of Landsberg himself left one son, Frederick Tuta, who also inherited the Lusatian march upon Henry's death in 1288, while his uncle Albert II the Degenerate
at first retained Meissen and Thuringia. Shortly afterwards he sold Meissen to his nephew Frederick Tuta, who then had united most of the Wettin lands under his rule, but died without heirs in 1291.
Frederick I of Meissen, eldest son of Albert II, and his younger brother Diezmann claimed Frederick Tuta's territories, which met with opposition not only of their father Albert II but also of King Adolf of Germany, who regarded them as reverted fiefs. In 1294 Albert II sold Thuringia to King Adolf, again facing fierce protest of his sons who felt deprived of their heritage. After a feud with their father they were able to take Wettin lands including Thuringia upon King Adolf's deposition in 1298.
The long-term dispute continued under Adolf's successor King Albert I of Habsburg, who tried to get the possession of the "reverted" Wettin lands and in 1307 started a campaign against Frederick I. Their troops met at Lucka, where the royal army fought under the command of Burgrave Frederick IV of Hohenzollern
, but was finally defeated. This victory guaranteed the continuation of the House of Wettin. Today, the citizens of Lucka believe that their city received its town charter
as a result of this victory.
Lucka
-History:The settlement of the area around Lucka occurred in the early Stone Age . Lucka was first mentioned in writing in 1320 as "opidum Luckowe"...
. The settlement was first mentioned in 1320, but had already existed for around 700 years before that. Lucka is located in the Altenburger Land
Altenburger Land
Altenburger Land is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Greiz, the Burgenlandkreis , and the districts Leipziger Land, Mittweida, Chemnitzer Land, Zwickauer Land in Saxony.- History :...
district of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
The battle was fought between the German king Albert I
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
of the Habsburg dynasty and the Margrave Friedrich I of Meissen
Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen
Frederick I, called the Brave or the Bitten was margrave of Meissen and landgrave of Thuringia.-Life:...
from the House of Wettin over the disputed ownership of the decedent estates left by Henry III the Illustrious
Henry III, Margrave of Meissen
Henry III, called Henry the Illustrious from the House of Wettin was Margrave of Meissen and last Margrave of Lusatia from 1221 until his death; from 1242 also Landgrave of Thuringia.-Life:Born probably at the Albrechtsburg residence in Meissen, Henry was the youngest son of Margrave Theodoric I...
, margrave of Meissen and Lusatia and Landgrave of Thuringia.
Within the disorder of the Great Interregnum after the end of the Hohenstaufen rule, Henry in 1261 had established the Margraviate of Landsberg
Margraviate of Landsberg
The Margraviate of Landsberg was a march of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 12th to the 14th century. It was named after Landsberg Castle in present-day Saxony-Anhalt...
in western Lusatia for his younger son Dietrich, however without any royal authorization. Dietrich of Landsberg himself left one son, Frederick Tuta, who also inherited the Lusatian march upon Henry's death in 1288, while his uncle Albert II the Degenerate
Albert II, Margrave of Meissen
Albert II, the Degenerate was a Margrave of Meissen, Landgrave of Thuringia and Count Palatine of Saxony...
at first retained Meissen and Thuringia. Shortly afterwards he sold Meissen to his nephew Frederick Tuta, who then had united most of the Wettin lands under his rule, but died without heirs in 1291.
Frederick I of Meissen, eldest son of Albert II, and his younger brother Diezmann claimed Frederick Tuta's territories, which met with opposition not only of their father Albert II but also of King Adolf of Germany, who regarded them as reverted fiefs. In 1294 Albert II sold Thuringia to King Adolf, again facing fierce protest of his sons who felt deprived of their heritage. After a feud with their father they were able to take Wettin lands including Thuringia upon King Adolf's deposition in 1298.
The long-term dispute continued under Adolf's successor King Albert I of Habsburg, who tried to get the possession of the "reverted" Wettin lands and in 1307 started a campaign against Frederick I. Their troops met at Lucka, where the royal army fought under the command of Burgrave Frederick IV of Hohenzollern
Frederick IV, Burgrave of Nuremberg
Frederick IV of Nuremberg , Burgrave of Nuremberg from House of Hohenzollern. He was younger son of Frederick III of Nuremberg from his second marriage with Helene of Saxony.-Life:...
, but was finally defeated. This victory guaranteed the continuation of the House of Wettin. Today, the citizens of Lucka believe that their city received its town charter
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
as a result of this victory.