Difference between revisions of "Swabian Civil War"

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The Swabian Civil War is an internal conflict in the play-by-email King of the Romans.

The Factions

The Loyalists

The Loyalists, consisting of Hans, Athalwolf von Salza, and Ehrhart Ruppel, among others, were loyal to Duke Hans and desired to see the leadership of Swabia stay unchanged. They had the advantage in resources but had to fight off numerous factions at once.

Duke Hans of Swabia

Athalwolf von Salza

Ehrhart Ruppel

The "Principality of Swabia"

After Wolfgang Hummel was forced to assault the beplagued city of Bruges in the early 1300s, he threw off Hans's rule and declared parts of Swabia to become an independent Principality. Making gains in the northern parts of Swabia, he managed to expand his rule to where all of Flanders was under his control. However, the main source of his troops, Caen, was lost to the French and it remains unclear whether the Principality can sustain operations.

"Prinz" Wolfgang Hummel

The Hummel family is one with a long history of rebellions. Wolfgang's father Ulrich went rogue with a Swabian Household Army in the late 1100s before finally being brought back to Swabian rule. Many years later, Wolfgang, at the time in Outremer, rebelled against the decision of Siegfried von Kastilien being made Kaiser over Hans. Ironically, it would be Hans himself whom Wolfgang would later rebel against, setting off the Swabian Civil War. Hummel is a cagey veteran, having fought both European and Asian enemies as well as a nasty case of the Plague. His military mastery was demonstrated in the Battle of the Flemish Crossroads where he defeated Athalwolf von Salza.

Jan von der Pfalz

Jan von der Pfalz was a minor Swabian who served several seasons as a military trainer in Staufen under Duke Hans. For reasons concerning the direction the Reich was heading, he became discontent and decided to join Wolfgang Hummel to make a better future. He fled Staufen with the men he trained, and headed to Antwerp, where he was appointed Count.

Ludwig von Böhmen

A minor Bohemian noble who, disillusioned after the death of his family due to the instability of the Empire, saw his one chance in an offer to become the Count of Bruges, received from Wolfgang Hummel. Has found himself needing to either relieve the city from the French, or retake it once he has gathered more of an army.

The Army of Light

In 1324 a third party entered the Swabian Civil War in the form of Hans's longtime enemy Dietrich von Dassel. Dassel, having escaped punishment at Ragusa and Durazzo, landed in Italy with the remnants of his army and managed to help fight off the Byzantines in the area. Eventually he retreated to Innbruck with Duke Lothar Steffen of Bavaria, who promptly gave him a large Household Army. Dubbing it the Army of Light, Dietrich took it to Bern with the sole purpose of unseating Hans and claiming the Duchy for himself.

Dietrich von Dassel

Dietrich's animosity with Hans probably began with the death of his friend Jens Hummel in 1282 under Hans's watch in a battle that should not have been fought, but it did not become clear until the Diet Session of 1300. Angered at Hans for not backing his bid for Chancellor, he ignored his Duke's warnings and repeatedly insulted Ansehelm von Kastilien of Franconia, thus breaking the Swabian/Franconian alliance and angering Hans. Dietrich, who had won a series of military victories in the previous term and was expecting a County for his service, was denied this in punishment and exiled to the Austrian Citadel of Ragusa, where he began to plot his revenge.

It came in the form of an attack on the pro-reunification Pope Abbate at Durazzo, which Hans had seen coming and came close to stopping. With relations between the two men at an all-time low, Dietrich slipped to Italy and Hans returned to Swabia to fight off both the French and Wolfgang Hummel. Eventually, after Dietrich (with Alexander Luther) was pacifying Bern, Hans turned to besiege him. He, Jan von Hamburg, Dietrich, and Hugo Merode all perished in the catastrophic Battle of Bern in 1330, and while the Loyalists were removed of one threat they lost their leader as well as a lot of manpower.

Other Key Characters

Kaiser Elberhard

Lothar Steffen

Jan von Hamburg

Hugo Merode

Peter von Kastilien

Peter von Kastilien was politically opposed to Duke Hans, had cast his lot with Dietrich and Wolfgang as a Lutheran, and was expected by all to join the war on the side of the Army of Light or the Principality of Swabia.

Hans was besieging Metz and Peter had the perfect opportunity to decisively swing the war in the rebels' favor by attacking him from behind and having the Metz rebels join him to envelop Hans's forces, but instead he joined Hans in the assault of Metz, surprising the Army of Light and Lothar Steffen, and perhaps changing the outcome of the Swabian Civil War completely.

Battles

Battle of Normandy

The first conflict in the war took place in 1318 between Wolfgang Hummel for the Principality and Athalwolf von Salza for the Loyalists. It was a tactically inconclusive encounter as both sides established firm defensive positions and neither was willing to give it up to make an attempt on the other's. Eventually the opposing forces withdrew in good order to their respective bases to continue to build up.

Battle of Flemish Crossroads

The Battle of the Flemish Crossroads took place in the year 1328, in Flanders, fought between Wolfgang Hummel's Army of the Prinz and Athalwolf von Salza's Swabian Defense Force. The two Armies met during early morning, where they deployed behind a number of hills and forests. Wolfgang moved his army across the plains, while some of his men were sent through the forests, where Loyalist Infantry waited and rested.

Some Imperial Knights of Wolfgang charged Athalwolf's flank, but were all killed opposed to only one unit of Dismounted Imperial Knights, who also were sluaghtered. Wolfgang's Army met Athalwolf's head on, and after some intense fighting Athalwolf retreated to a more favourable position of a sqaure formation.

It was when the Loyalists were waiting, and Wolfgang coming that an arranged trick happened. One regiment of supposed Loyalist Infantry revealed its true colors and attacked Athalwolf's army from within while they were besieged from outside. Athalwolf retreated from the battlefield with most of his infantry gone, and went to Staufen with his remains of a army.

From there Wolfgang took his force to Antwerp and defeated a Danish army in a costly encounter.

Battle of Bern

The Siege of Bern began when Rebel Lutheran Dietrich von Dassel was trapped in the city by the besieging army of Loyalist and Catholic Duke Hans. Jan von Hamburg, having given up his title of King of Outremer, arrived in Swabia and called for a crusading army to join Hans in his assault. At the same time Lutheran religious leader Alexander Luther called upon pious Lutherans to provide an army to relieve the siege. Both succeeded, and converged upon the city within hours of Hans beginning his assault on Bern in 1330. Sir Jan arrived with his crusader army from the south while Lutheran general Hugo Merode brought his troops from the north.

Hans, camped outside the North Gate, turned away from the city to destroy the Lutheran advance guard. Dietrich sallied forth with a large part of his army to help his ally, seeming to catch Hans's army in a deadly pincer maneuver between his and Hugo's forces. However, the timing was off, with Dietrich's cavalry failing to advance when it should have. Hans's army managed to destroy the bulk of both Lutheran armies and kill Hugo Merode. Eventually, however, numbers took over and his army was shattered by the remnants of Dietrich's men. He was captured by Dietrich von Dassel, who beheaded him in revenge for the untimely death of Jens Hummel many years ago.

Meanwhile, Jan von Hamburg was facing a relatively minor yet still ferocious defense of the city's southern walls. While the bulk of Dietrich's army was off fighting Hans north of the city, Jan sent his entire army, minus his cavalry, into the city where Dietrich's feudal knights and stationary cavalry were overwhelmed. The assault did not come without a price for the Crusaders, however, as Jan von Hamburg himself fell in the city square against the enemy Gothic Knights.

For the moment, it looked like, even though Bern was taken, the Rebels could eke out a victory with the death of both Loyalist commanders. However, at the twilight of the battle Dietrich saw the Catholic Crusader cavalry bearing down on his outnumbered escort. He tried to flee, but his efforts were in vain. Thinking his best hope was the mercy of the now-dead von Hamburg, he surrendered, but the attempt was ignored and he was cut down in revenge for Hans's execution. The only person of note on the Rebel side to survive the battle was Alexander Luther, who managed to flee and disappear after the failed surrender attempt.

Although the loyalists won, the Battle of Bern is regarded as a tragic event. Nearly all of Swabia's leadership died in a single battle, leaving only rebel Wolfgang Hummel and official heir to the dukeship Athalwolf von Salza as credible leaders in the Duchy. The remainder of the house consists of young generals who have not yet attained much authority.

Outcome

Elberhard's Decree

Peter's Offer

After being declared Prinz and "temporary Kaiser" by Kaiser Elberhard, Peter made an offer to the Principality of Swabia - if they abstain from attacking any Germans, they will be reincorporated into the Reich as the Duchy of Flanders. If Wolfgang apologizes to Duke Athalwolf von Salza of Swabia, he will be its Duke. Otherwise, either Jan von der Pfalz or Ludwig von Bohmen shall have that honor.

This action is more far-reaching than it seems at a first glance - it may give more executive power to the Prinz, or especially the Kaiser, to decree laws or dispense justice.

Escalation

With the involvement of Bavaria, the assistance of Bavaria by Bohemia, and Duke Arnold's condemnation of Athalwolf's recognition of Bohemia, it seems possible the war will escalate into a Reich-wide conflict. Wolfgang flouted the decrees of Peter and Elberhard and seized Staufen, capital of Swabia, and thus the conflict was not resolved.

However, in the Battle of Staufen between Wolfgang Hummel and the uncommanded forces of Ehrhart Ruppel, Wolfgang lost his life as his army smashed their foes. This battle ended the war as the rebel army departed from the field, having nothing more to fight for. Ludwig von Bohmen, the remaining Swabian general, bent knee to Duke Athalwolf von Salza in exchange for the County Bruges.