The War of the Three Henries was a brief rebellion of three German leaders, all called Henry, against the Holy Roman Emperor

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...

 Otto II in 977

977

Year 977 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Saint Æthelwold of Winchester, Bishop of Winchester, rebuilds the western end of the Old Minster, Winchester, with twin towers and no apses.* German emperor Otto II grants Lower Lorraine, where modern-day Brussels is...

. While Otto was campaigning against Boleslaus II of Bohemia

Boleslaus II of Bohemia

Boleslaus II the Pious was the duke of Bohemia from 972, a member of the Přemyslid dynasty.The son of Boleslaw also called Boleslaus I and Biagota, Boleslaus II became Duke in on his father's death. Boleslaus maintained good relations with the Ottonian German kings, and in 975 supported Otto II...

, a conspiracy arose in Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

. The conspirators—Henry I, Bishop of Augsburg

Henry I, Bishop of Augsburg

Henry I was the Bishop of Augsburg from 973 to his death. He succeeded Saint Ulrich. Unlike under Ulrich, the diocese suffered under Henry's bellicose episcopate....

; Henry II, Duke of Bavaria

Henry II, Duke of Bavaria

Henry II , called the Wrangler or the Quarrelsome, in German Heinrich der Zänker, was the son of Henry I and Judith of Bavaria.- Biography :...

, called the Wrangler, who was recently deposed; and Henry I

Henry III, Duke of Bavaria

Henry III , called the Younger, only surviving son of Duke Berthold of Bavaria, was the first Duke of Carinthia from 976 to 978, Duke of Bavaria from 983 to 985 and again Duke of Carinthia from 985 to 989.-Life:...

, Duke of Carinthia—even had the support of the Church. Otto, allied with Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria, marched first on Passau

Passau

Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....

, held by the rebels. In September the town surrendered due to his siege tactics, which included a bridge of boats. At the Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 court of 978

978

Year 978 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Florence, Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany....

, at Magdeburg

Magdeburg

Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....

, the three insurrectionists were punished. Both dukes were banished and Henry of Carinthia lost his duchy to Otto

Otto I, Duke of Carinthia

Otto , called Otto of Worms, was Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona from 978 to 985 and again from 1002 until his death....

, son of Conrad the Red, Duke of Lorraine. The bishop was imprisoned until July. The chief result of the conflict was the complete subjection of Bavaria: henceforth it was no longer the indisputably greatest of the stem duchies

Stem duchy

Stem duchies were essentially the domains of the old German tribes of the area, associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the East, in the Early Middle Ages. These tribes were originally the Franks, the Saxons, the Alamanni, the Burgundians, the Thuringii, and the Rugii...

.

Sources

• Gwatkin, H. M., Whitney, J. P. (ed) et al. The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III. Cambridge University Press
  Cambridge University Press
  Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
  
  , 1926.