Lenzburg-Premyslid War (Merveilles des Morte)

Lenzburg-Přemyslid War Krieg des Spinnennetzes Merveilles des Morte
The Sack of Wittenberg by Johann Rottenhammer, 1608
Date 1484-1489 Location Switzerland, Central Europe, Northern Italy, France Result Treaty of Zurich Deposing of the Lenzburgs Liberation of Swabian princes and creation of Swabian League Unification of Bavaria Preeminence of Henry VIII and Přemyslids in imperial politics Consolidation of France under William II Territorial changes Swiss Confederacy releases territory outside of the Swiss province, returning territory to Swabian principalities, Bavaria, and others; minor French gains in southern France; Saxony cedes Saxe-Belzig; Württemberg transferred to the Jenagothas; unification of Mark under Hesse
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Bohemia Margraviate of Brandenburg Duchy of Bavaria County of Nassau Duchy of Thuringia Duchy of Hesse Upper Mark Duchy of Austria Archbishopric of Mainz Supported by: File:Skvueev7zqv21.png Republic of Florence Republic of Modena Kingdom of France	Swiss Confederacy File:Coat of arms Switzerland V2.png Duchy of Lenzburg County of Geneva Kingdom of Arles County of Württemberg Papal States Duchy of Saxony Margraviate of Lower Mark Supported by: Empire of Hispania Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Henry VIII/III Hanns von Wulfestorff Jan Žižka Henry the Black † Rolf Bayard Albert IV Thin White Duke William of Thuringia † Xaver von Coburg Agnes of Hesse Archbishop Adalbert	Eberhard of Lenzburg Peter III of Geneva Lucas I Sebastian Belli Marianne Engelbert I Innocent VI Philip von Habsburg Engelbert II Otto de la Marck
Strength
24,000 Imperial forces 25,000 Bohemians 20,000 Bavarians 8,000 Austrians ~15,000 Other Germans 8,000 Mercenaries	~14,000 6,000 Regulars 5,000 Mercenaries 3,000 Volunteers 5,000 Arlesians 16,000 Württembergers 4,500 Papal Forces 6,000 Saxons 5,000 Spanish 5,000 Mercenaries
Casualties and losses
30-50,000 dead	40-60,000 dead
Total: 300,000+ dead

The Lenzburg-Přemyslid War, known in the Swiss Confederacy as the War of the Spider's Web in reference to the Lenzburg alliance, and also known as the Swiss War and the Swiss-Bohemian War, was a major European war fought primarily between the Swiss Confederacy, effectively ruled by the Dukes of Lenzburg, and the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by Henry VIII, Holy Roman Emperor of Bohemia, and their respective allies. The war was the culmination of a decades-long rivalry between the Lenzburgs and the Přemyslid dynasty, who often competed in imperial elections and for influence in imperial affairs. In 1479 Henry's predecessor, Wenceslaus, died under mysterious circumstances, leading to allegations of assassination by either side of the rivalry. Contributing to the disdain of the Lenzburgs was their growing hegemony over southern Germany and numerous royal families of Central Europe, and a curated political bias by figures such as the Thin White Duke, in what was commonly nicknamed Swissophobia.

The war began in 1484 with a declaration of war against the Swiss by imperial regent the Thin White Duke, beginning a war in southern Germany. This conflict soon became entwined with an ongoing series of noble rebellions in France that had been extensively funded by the Swiss; that year France under William II retaliated against the Swiss in an effort to dismantle the rebellious League of the Public Weal. This prompted war between France and its historic enemies, such as the Spanish Empire. Regarded as concurrent to, if not a part of, the Lenzburg conflict, the French war solidified the erstwhile tenuous reign of William II and led to minor territorial gains. Elsewhere Spanish-Papal actions in the Italian peninsula pushed a series of imperial-backed principalities to oppose further expansion, beginning the Florentine War, a precursor to the Italian Wars.

The war drastically reduced the power of the Swiss Confederacy, with a popular rebellion ending Lenzburg rule after centuries of dominance. The Lenzburgs became labeled as outlaws, with patriarch Eberhard fleeing to the Papal States. The war was seen as the beginning of the rise of Henry VIII, later called "the Great", and the Přemyslid Dynasty as a whole. It pushed the diplomatically isolated France into an alliance with Bohemia, hoping to counter the encirclement created by Spain, England, and Lotharingia, which later led to the Přemyslid succession in France under Joan and Jaromir. Bohemia's allies, namely Thuringia, Duchy of Bavaria, and Hesse, saw increased gains at the expense of the Swiss and the Electorate of Saxony, the latter suffering the loss of its northern territories and the deposition of Engelbert II in favor of Thuringian ally Edmund Alwin.

The Pope's support for the Swiss Confederacy resulted in anti-Papal sentiment in the Holy Roman Empire, with the Pope excommunicating the Thin White Duke, William II, Agnes of Hesse, and other German nobles following the war. This feud with the papacy catalyzed the rise of the Adamite movement in Germany and the Henrician Civil War after Henry VIII's death, a prolonged conflict in France between church and state, and the circumstances that would eventually contribute to the Protestant Reformation under Konrad Jung in 1504.