Battle of Welfesholz

The Battle of the Welfesholz, which took place on 11 February 1115 was the culmination of the military conflict between Henry V and Saxon nobles.

Prehistory

Since the attempt of the emperor in 1112, the county Weimar- Orlamünde incorporate the royal immediate possession, stood the Salian close opposition to Prince Count Palatine Siegfried and Wiprecht of Groitzsch against the elderly. The numerous interventions Salierkaisers, especially its territorial policy and the arbitrary dismissal of Saxon nobles motivated some princes to open resistance. Despite interim periods of rest, the situation was since the Weimar inheritance dispute in 1112, but no later than the Warnstedter raid escalates. At that time, on March 9, 1113 at Warnstedt near Quedlinburg, succeeded to the imperial army under the command of battle-hardened Field Marshal I. Hoyer of Mansfeld, to beat the insurgents. These had to be under then perceived as dishonorable conditions submit to the emperor. This was at the height of his success.

Shortly after this, the Saxon resistance formed new. Since the autumn of 1114 were the Kreuzberg alliance and the Saxon magnates to Lothar of Süpplingenburg part of a prince revolt, which in the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian region around Cologne had a second regional focus. The Battle of the Welfesholz was in the context of the empire part of the overall antisalischen resistance against the Salian Henry V, whose style of government was perceived as increasingly autocratic and directed against the princes, and no mere expressions of the Saxon kingdom of hostility.

The Battle

The battle itself took place on February 11, 1115 at Welfesholz, a settlement near Hettstedt in the area of Mansfeld instead. There the armies of the last Salian Emperor Henry V, under the leadership of his Field Marshal Hoyer, and the prince of the kingdom of opposition stood against. This prince opposition consisted of the Saxon sizes, Duke Lothar of Süpplingenburg, Wiprecht of Groitzsch, Bishop of Halberstadt Reinhardt, Count Palatine of Saxony Friedrich von Sommerschenburg. In addition to the Saxon insurgents Lower Rhine -Westphalian nobles like Friedrich von Arnsberg took part in the battle.

After the imperial army was collected on 10 February, it came on the eve of the battle skirmishes of the conflict parties. Like the Annales Pegaviensis report, the loyal to the emperor axis I. Hoyer of Mansfeld fell during a daring assault on his opponents. He was struck down by Wiprecht of Groitzsch the Younger in a duel. With the fall of the imperial field marshal was obviously decided the battle. This went out in favor of the opposition, the emperor was forced to flee.

Follow

The Emperor lost for the rest of his reign any influence in Saxony. Particular emphasis was also the revenge of the Saxon Bishop Reinhard von Halberstadt, he refused to fallen enemies a Christian burial, so their souls were doomed.

The victory of the Saxon- Lower Rhine Prince opposition became the landmark of the constant power loss of Henry V. The leadership of Lothar Süpplingenburg, however, was an important factor which ultimately served to the royal election in the spring of 1125.

Theodor Körner later wrote the folk tale Count Hoyer of Mansfeld, or the Battle of the Welfesholze that tells of the battle.

Wolfgang Hartmann argues, Battle of the Welfesholz constitutes the Memorized in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral event, the background against which the hitherto so puzzling design of the famous Naumburg benefactors could be explained.