Henrician Civil War (Merveilles des Morte)

Henrician Civil War Merveilles des Morte
Part of the Proto-Reformation
The 'Sack of Frankfurt by the army of Hanns von Wulfestorff in 1495, as depicted by J. M. W. Turner's 18th century rendition.
Date 1494-1495 Location Thuringia, Saxony, Rhineland, Hesse Result Rise and fall of the Frankfurt Dictatorship Henry IX confirmed as Emperor Radical Adamites in Thuringia expelled
Belligerents
Holy League: Frankfurt Dictatorship Archbishopric of Mainz Papal States Kingdom of France Bohemia (Ottokar Faction) Count of Nassau Thuringia Mandate Holy Orders: File:Order of Bari V1.png Order of Bari Order of the Dragon File:Teutonic order shield.png Teutonic Order Various States	Whites: Ducal Thuringia United Adamites File:HussiteBanner.png Taborites Duchy of Bavaria Duchy of Brandenburg Duchy of Hesse Moderates: Holy Roman Empire County of Weimar City of Frankfurt Archbishopric of Cologne Duchy of Saxony
Commanders and leaders
Hanns von Wulfestorff † Martin von Marburg † Archbishop Adalbert † Archbishop Bertrand Louis Capet-Berry Pierre Rolet Ottokar IV Jan Premyslid Walrad, Count of Usingen	Thin White Duke Peter the Monk † Charles I Agnes of Hesse Henry IX Jan Žižka Rolf Bayard † Hugh of Thuringia Nikolaus von Bibra Johann Totleben William, Lord of Rutha Ruprecht von Moers Bernard "Twice-Died" Edmund Alwin
Strength
10,000 Imperial forces ~11,000 Inquisition Forces: 3,000 2,000 1,000 5,000 Crusaders 2,000 Thuringians	4,000 Thuringians 4,000 Brandenburgers 4,000 Bavarians 10-50,000 Armed Heretics 5,000 Loyalists
Casualties and losses
Total: 20-60,000+ dead

The Henrician Civil War refers to the brief conflict in the Holy Roman Empire around the time of the election of Henry IX as Emperor. The war was precipitated by the ongoing Adamite movement (later considered a precursor to the Reformation), which was centered around the Duchy of Thuringia. Henry IX was elected partially on a promise of opposing his grandfather, the controversial figure known as the Thin White Duke, and on combating the Adamite heresy. Ongoing at the time of the election was an inquisition in Thuringia primarily led by the Archbishop of Mainz and the famed military commander Hanns von Wulfestorff. When Mainz demanded that Henry IX allow the deposing of his grandfather, Henry refused and had Wulfestorff and Archbishop Adelbert dismissed from the government. Rather than stand down, Wulfestorff used his inquisition forces to cross the Main and attack the capital at Frankfurt, earning him the nickname "Caesar of Germany". Wulfestorff consolidated control over the government in what became known as the January Purges, creating a religiously-reactionary dictatorship from Frankfurt, and proceeded to annex Thuringia by force.

Throughout much of 1495 Henry IX struggled to defend Thuringia and central Germany from the much more prepared Wulfestorff. Even after Adelbert's untimely death and succession to the more moderate Bertrand of Villingen, it became clear that Wulfestorff had no intention of giving up power. Although the Adamite heresy in Thuringia was effectively combated, a "reign of terror" followed, in which Wulfestorff policed much of the Empire for religious dissent. At the Second Battle of Frankfurt in late 1495, Wulfestorff was defeated and killed in battle by an alliance of the Emperor and the "Whites Faction", which was itself an uneasy union between ducal Thuringian forces, various heretical groups, and anti-government forces. This allowed Henry IX to retake control over the government of the Holy Roman Empire. He effectively ended the violent inquisition of Thuringia, after the Thin White Duke was cleared of the charge of heresy by a ecclesiastical court in Frankfurt, and curtailed the influence of Mainz in government for the duration of his reign.

Although the Adamite uprising in Thuringia was effectively crushed, the Henrician Civil War would not spell the end for religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire, and a decade later the reformation would erupt in response to the teachings of Konrad Jung.