Reichskrieg (1311–1312)

The Reichskrieg was a war fought in 1311 and 1312 by the imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire against Eberhard I, Count of Württemberg, known as 'Eberhard the Illustrious Highness'.

Eberhard I supported the Bohemian estates and the Bohemian king, Henry of Carinthia in their conflict against Emperor Albert I of Habsburg and his successor, Henry VII. In 1309, charges were brought against Eberhard because of the grasping, self-serving way he discharged his duties as Landvogt, and he was therefore summoned by Henry VII to a Hoftag at Speyer. Eberhard left Speyer prematurely, whereupon Henry imposed the Imperial Ban on him. Henry now supported the Swabian imperial cities in their confrontation with Count Eberhard of Württemberg, who had also operated an aggressive territorial policy against the cities. Because Henry was going to Italy, he appointed the new Reichslandvogt, Conrad IV of Weinsberg, as the army commander of the Swabian imperial cities and several nobles. The principal Swabian cities involved were Esslingen am Neckar and Reutlingen; the nobles included von Tübingen, von Vaihingen and Herter of Dusslingen.

In spring 1311 the Reichskrieg began, the first military action presumably being the siege of enemy's family castle, Wirtemberg, which took place at the beginning of May. After a failed relief attempt on 26 May, the castle was captured on 13 July. After the Hohenasperg Castle fell in August 1312, Eberhard, now a fugitive, was received by his Baden brother-in-law, Margrave Rudolf Hesso in one of the two bergfrieds of Besigheim.

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