Saxon Rebellion
Encyclopedia
The Saxon Rebellion or Rebellion of the Saxons refers to the struggle between the Salian royal family and the rebel Saxons
during the reign of King Henry IV
. This reached its climax in the period from summer 1073 until the end of 1075, in a rebellion that involved armed conflict. The Saxon Rebellion should not be confused with the Saxon Wars
under Charlemagne
from 772 to 804.
. This may have been primarily due to his southern German origin as well as his numerous stays in the Goslar's Imperial Palace
, which were associated with a disproportionately high economic burden on the surrounding population. With the accession of Henry IV in 1065 this conflict intensified, as Henry made demands on numerous imperial estates in the centre of the Saxon heartland around the Harz mountains. To secure these estates he initiated a castle building programme, erecting numerous castles around the Harz, the most prominent being the Harzburg
. This was perceived as a threat by the Saxons. In addition, these castles were occupied by ministerial
es of Swabian origin, who frequently plundered the Saxon population to make up for their lack of income.
, the Saxon princes came to the Imperial Palace of Goslar on 29 June 1073 in order to point to these abuses and demand improvements. Henry IV refused to enter discussions and then fled from the large, advancing Saxon army to the nearby castle of Harzburg
, where he was besieged by Saxon rebels, led by Otto of Northeim and Bishop Burchard of Halberstadt. He succeeded, however, in escaping on the night of 10 August 1073. Henry went first to Eschwege
and then moved on to Hersfeld
further into southern Germany. But he found hardly any support among the princes of the Empire, who were not willing to go to battle with him against the Saxons.
took place, which resulted in a settlement between the warring parties. The main outcome was that Henry IV agreed to the slighting
of his castles on the edge of the Harz.
, which had a collegiate church
and a family grave containing Henry's dead son and brother. To protect them, Henry directed that only the towers and walls of the Harzburg would be removed. This enraged the surrounding rural population who, in March 1074, razed the castle and its church to their foundation walls and desecrated the royal tombs. This deed may have had a considerable personal effect on Henry, but politically it put all the trumps in his hand: the plunder of the church and the desecration of the royal tomb caused great outrage in the kingdom, and many princes returned to Henry's side. The Saxon princes refused any blame for the actions of the rural population and immediately offered to restore the castle and church at their own expense.
) on 9 June 1075 he dealt the Saxon army, which consisted mainly of simple peasants, a crushing defeat and then rampaged through Saxony and Thuringia laying waste.
Amongst the followers of King Henry who fought with him were Rudolf of Rheinfelden, Vratislaus II, Duke of Bohemia, Ernest, Margrave of Austria
(killed), Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine, the Bishop of Bamberg
and Hermann II, Count of Gleiberg. On the Saxon side, in addition to Otto of Northeim and Burchard II von Halberstadt, were Magnus, Duke of Saxony
, from the House of Billung, Lothar Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, Gebhard of Süpplingenburg
(killed), Frederick II, Count Palatine of Saxony, and Dietrich II, Count of Katlenburg.
One of the two leaders, Bishop Burchard II of Halberstadt, was detained in Homburg by royal troops and finally handed over on 13 June to the Bishop of Bamberg
as a prisoner.
The chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld
described the battle in his Annals:
On 27 October at Spier
(Sondershausen
), the Saxon leader finally capitulated to the king in public, i.e. in front of the whole army. Henry had no mercy, but savoured his triumph. The Saxon leader's submission was barefoot, according to Lambert, and the surrender, without exception, unconditional. Henry then held numerous Saxon princes in prison in various places and transferred their fiefs to others.
took Henry's full attention in the years that followed. Unrest in Saxony also flared up during this period again and again, but did not reach the same level of political and military as in the time from 1073 to 1075.
At the diet of princes in Trebur
in October 1076, Otto of Northeim again aligned himself with the opposition. Although he was always a potential candidate, the princes did not choose him; instead, in 1077 in Forchheim
, they selected Rudolf of Rheinfelden and, later, Hermann of Salm
as antiking
s. Nevertheless, Otto's had a significant influence on the opposition's politics. Militarily, he distinguished himself again in the battles of Mellrichstadt
, Flarchheim
and the Elster
, leading from the front.
Even Henry's son, Henry V
, had to fight the Saxons. He lost, for example, at the Battle of Welfesholz
in 1115 to the Saxons led by the later emperor, Lothar III
.
The two well-known authors, Bruno and Lambert of Hersfeld, describe the conflict from the perspective of the Saxons, while the unknown author of Carmen was a partisan of Henry.
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
during the reign of King Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. This reached its climax in the period from summer 1073 until the end of 1075, in a rebellion that involved armed conflict. The Saxon Rebellion should not be confused with the Saxon Wars
Saxon Wars
The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen battles were fought in what is now northwestern Germany...
under Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
from 772 to 804.
Origins
Undercurrents of discord between the Salian royal family and the Saxons existed under Henry's father, Henry IIIHenry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
. This may have been primarily due to his southern German origin as well as his numerous stays in the Goslar's Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace of Goslar
The Imperial Palace of Goslar is a historical building complex at the foot of the Rammelsberg hill in the south of the town of Goslar north of the Harz mountains, central Germany. It covers an area of about 340 by 180 metres and stands. The palace grounds originally included the Kaiserhaus, the...
, which were associated with a disproportionately high economic burden on the surrounding population. With the accession of Henry IV in 1065 this conflict intensified, as Henry made demands on numerous imperial estates in the centre of the Saxon heartland around the Harz mountains. To secure these estates he initiated a castle building programme, erecting numerous castles around the Harz, the most prominent being the Harzburg
Harzburg
The Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
. This was perceived as a threat by the Saxons. In addition, these castles were occupied by ministerial
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
es of Swabian origin, who frequently plundered the Saxon population to make up for their lack of income.
Beginning of the rebellion
According to the chronicler, Lambert of HersfeldLambert of Hersfeld
Lambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler, probably a Thuringian by birth. His work represents a major source for the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in the eleventh century....
, the Saxon princes came to the Imperial Palace of Goslar on 29 June 1073 in order to point to these abuses and demand improvements. Henry IV refused to enter discussions and then fled from the large, advancing Saxon army to the nearby castle of Harzburg
Harzburg
The Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
, where he was besieged by Saxon rebels, led by Otto of Northeim and Bishop Burchard of Halberstadt. He succeeded, however, in escaping on the night of 10 August 1073. Henry went first to Eschwege
Eschwege
Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
and then moved on to Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
further into southern Germany. But he found hardly any support among the princes of the Empire, who were not willing to go to battle with him against the Saxons.
Treaty of Gerstungen
As a result, on 27 January 1074, Henry stood at the head of what was only a small army compared to the much larger Saxon one at Hersfeld. Both sides were afraid to join in battle, but for different reasons. Henry probably because of his obvious inferiority. The Saxon leaders, by contrast, were clear that a victory by their army, which consisted mainly of farmers, would have strengthened the position of the latter, something they were not in favour of. So it happened that on 2 February 1074 peace negotiations in GerstungenTreaty of Gerstungen
The Treaty of Gerstungen was concluded on 2 February 1074 in Gerstungen Castle on the River Werra in what is now Germany. It required King Henry IV to restore the Duke Otto of Northeim to the Duchy of Bavaria. In 1073 the latter had successfully headed the rebellion of the Saxons...
took place, which resulted in a settlement between the warring parties. The main outcome was that Henry IV agreed to the slighting
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
of his castles on the edge of the Harz.
Plundering of the Harzburg
Henry's accession to the demolition of his Harz castles included the HarzburgHarzburg
The Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
, which had a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
and a family grave containing Henry's dead son and brother. To protect them, Henry directed that only the towers and walls of the Harzburg would be removed. This enraged the surrounding rural population who, in March 1074, razed the castle and its church to their foundation walls and desecrated the royal tombs. This deed may have had a considerable personal effect on Henry, but politically it put all the trumps in his hand: the plunder of the church and the desecration of the royal tomb caused great outrage in the kingdom, and many princes returned to Henry's side. The Saxon princes refused any blame for the actions of the rural population and immediately offered to restore the castle and church at their own expense.
First Battle of Langensalza
Henry was once again bent on confrontation and this time gathered a much larger army, although he was not able to march against Saxony until 1075. In the First Battle of Langensalza (known in German as the "Battle of Homburg on the Unstrut", Homburg being a former monastery near Bad LangensalzaBad Langensalza
Bad Langensalza is a city in the County of Unstrut-Hainich, Thuringia, Germany, with a population of c. 18,500 .-History:...
) on 9 June 1075 he dealt the Saxon army, which consisted mainly of simple peasants, a crushing defeat and then rampaged through Saxony and Thuringia laying waste.
Amongst the followers of King Henry who fought with him were Rudolf of Rheinfelden, Vratislaus II, Duke of Bohemia, Ernest, Margrave of Austria
Ernest, Margrave of Austria
Ernest the Brave was the Babenberg margrave of Austria from 1055 to his death, following his father Adalbert.He increased the territory of Austria by amalgamating the Bohemian and Hungarian marches into Austria. In his time, the colonisation of the Waldviertel was begun by his ministeriales, the...
(killed), Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine, the Bishop of Bamberg
Archdiocese of Bamberg
The Archdiocese of Bamberg is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria and is one of 27 Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. About a third of the population is Catholic. With 15.6% this diocese has one of higher numbers of worshippers on Sunday in Germany...
and Hermann II, Count of Gleiberg. On the Saxon side, in addition to Otto of Northeim and Burchard II von Halberstadt, were Magnus, Duke of Saxony
Magnus, Duke of Saxony
Magnus was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the House of Billung.-Rebellion:...
, from the House of Billung, Lothar Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, Gebhard of Süpplingenburg
Süpplingenburg
Süpplingenburg is a municipality of 700 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is part of the collective municipality of Nord-Elm....
(killed), Frederick II, Count Palatine of Saxony, and Dietrich II, Count of Katlenburg.
One of the two leaders, Bishop Burchard II of Halberstadt, was detained in Homburg by royal troops and finally handed over on 13 June to the Bishop of Bamberg
Archdiocese of Bamberg
The Archdiocese of Bamberg is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria and is one of 27 Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. About a third of the population is Catholic. With 15.6% this diocese has one of higher numbers of worshippers on Sunday in Germany...
as a prisoner.
The chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld
Lambert of Hersfeld
Lambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler, probably a Thuringian by birth. His work represents a major source for the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in the eleventh century....
described the battle in his Annals:
On 27 October at Spier
Spier
Spier is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 11 km north of Hoogeveen....
(Sondershausen
Sondershausen
Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen....
), the Saxon leader finally capitulated to the king in public, i.e. in front of the whole army. Henry had no mercy, but savoured his triumph. The Saxon leader's submission was barefoot, according to Lambert, and the surrender, without exception, unconditional. Henry then held numerous Saxon princes in prison in various places and transferred their fiefs to others.
Aftermath
Beginning almost simultaneously with the surrender, the Investiture ControversyInvestiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
took Henry's full attention in the years that followed. Unrest in Saxony also flared up during this period again and again, but did not reach the same level of political and military as in the time from 1073 to 1075.
At the diet of princes in Trebur
Trebur
Trebur is a community in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim.-Location:Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region...
in October 1076, Otto of Northeim again aligned himself with the opposition. Although he was always a potential candidate, the princes did not choose him; instead, in 1077 in Forchheim
Forchheim
Forchheim may refer to the following places in Germany:*Forchheim, capital of the district of Forchheim, Bavaria*Forchheim am Kaiserstuhl, a municipality in Baden-Württemberg*Forchheim , part of Rheinstetten, Baden-Württemberg...
, they selected Rudolf of Rheinfelden and, later, Hermann of Salm
Hermann of Salm
Herman of Salm , also known as Herman of Luxembourg, was a count of Salm and German anti-king of the Holy Roman Empire who ruled from 1081 until his death...
as antiking
Antiking
An Antiking is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. Antikings are more often found in elected monarchies than in hereditary monarchies like those of England and France; such figures in hereditary...
s. Nevertheless, Otto's had a significant influence on the opposition's politics. Militarily, he distinguished himself again in the battles of Mellrichstadt
Battle of Mellrichstadt
Battle of Mellrichstadt was fought between Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the German anti-king Rudolf of Swabia on August 7, 1078 near Mellrichstadt.-Battle:...
, Flarchheim
Battle of Flarchheim
Battle of Flarcheim was fought between Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the German anti-king Rudolf of Swabia on January 27, 1080 near Flarchheim.-Prelude:...
and the Elster
Battle on the Elster
Battle on the Elster was fought between Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the German anti-king Rudolf of Swabia on October 15, 1080 near Hohenmölsen on the Weisse Elster.-Prelude:...
, leading from the front.
Even Henry's son, Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
, had to fight the Saxons. He lost, for example, at the Battle of Welfesholz
Battle of Welfesholz
The Battle of Welfesholz was fought on February 11, 1115 between the Imperial army of the Holy Roman Empire and a rebellious Saxon force.Henry V, uncontested King of the Romans since 1106, had inherited the Investiture Controversy from his father Henry IV...
in 1115 to the Saxons led by the later emperor, Lothar III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
.
Primary sources
- Bruno the SaxonBruno the SaxonBruno the Saxon was a German chronicler of the eleventh century and author of the "Historia de Bello Saxonico" or History of the Saxon Wars. Little is known of his life...
, "Brunos Sachsenkrieg" [Brunonis Saxonicum bellum; German], translated by Franz-Josef Schmale. In: Quellen zur Geschichte Kaiser Heinrichs IV, Darmstadt: 1968. (= selected sources about the German history of the Middle Ages. Freiherr vom Stein - memorial edition; 12), pp. 191–405. - Carmen de bello saxonico. Das Lied vom Sachsenkrieg, translated by Franz-Josef Schmale. In: Quellen zur Geschichte Kaiser Heinrichs IV, Darmstadt, 1968. (= selected sources about the German history of the Middle Ages. Freiherr vom Stein - memorial edition; 12), p. 142–189.
- Lambert of HersfeldLambert of HersfeldLambert of Hersfeld was a medieval chronicler, probably a Thuringian by birth. His work represents a major source for the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in the eleventh century....
: Annalen, Darmstadt 1957. (= selected sources about the German history of the Middle Ages. Freiherr vom Stein - memorial edition; 13)
The two well-known authors, Bruno and Lambert of Hersfeld, describe the conflict from the perspective of the Saxons, while the unknown author of Carmen was a partisan of Henry.
Secondary sources
- Schulze, Hans K. (1991). Hegemoniales Kaisertum: Ottonen und Salier. Berlin, ISBN 3-88680-307-4.
- Talkenberg, Fabian (2010). Rebellion am Vorabend von Canossa: Der Sachsenaufstand gegen Heinrich IV.. Marburg, ISBN 978-3828823556.