This is a chronological list of feudal wars spanning from 1100 to 1400 during what can be considered the golden age of feudalism. Usually the wars will be caused by conflicting dynastic claims but also be fought over a variety of other normally personal casus belli. Feudal wars were considered to be a lawful practice if they respected the given feudal contract.[1] In most countries it was traditionally considered the right of the nobility to fight personal feuds without incurring legal penalties, however the Kingdom of England was an exception due to its high level of royal power which could even go so far as to restrict tournaments. In France war was declared by sending a symbol to the enemy, normally a glove.[1] Also in France relatives as far as the seventh degree were supposed to be drawn into the conflict[1] but this was hardly ever the case especially when relatives of this kinship could be related to both families or live so far from the conflict that it was completely impractical for them to join. French customs relating to feudal warfare were adopted elsewhere.[2] Usually feudal wars would involve both parties plundering each other's territories, skirmishes, sieges, and occasionally full battles.[3] Feudal wars were also marked by their lack of casualties and often there was a fine line between a tournament and a feudal war (In 1119 Orderic Vitalis recounts that in a battle of 900 knights he knows of only three who died).[3] Often the leaders and participants of the feudal wars were related to some degree which helps explain the lack of casualties (to slay kin was considered much worse than to kill someone unrelated). As a result, the, generally smaller the war was the smaller the percent of casualties it was likely to have (this also goes into the idea of genus or race).
This list will not include religious wars because they are induced by ideological rather than personal or familial conflict.
Counts of Bilstein vs Counts of Northeim 1105–1110 – Conflict between the counts of Northeim and the Counts of Bilstein in which the Counts of Northeim destroyed the first Bilstein castle
West Frisian Wars 1132–1297 – Series of wars asserting the Count of Holland's dominance over West Friesland
The Anarchy – The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1135 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legitimate son of King Henry I, who drowned in the sinking of the White Ship in 1120. Henry sought to be succeeded by his daughter, known as Empress Matilda, but was only partially successful in convincing the nobility to support her. On Henry's death in 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois seized the throne, with the help of Stephen's brother Henry of Blois, who was the Bishop of Winchester. Stephen's early reign saw fierce fighting with disloyal English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders, and Scottish invaders. Following a major rebellion in the south-west of England, Matilda invaded in 1139 with the help of her half-brother Robert of Gloucester.
Grimbergen Wars 1139–1159 – the battle between the counts of Leuven and the Berthout family, lords of Grimbergen and Mechelen from 1139 to 1159 . The war ended with the destruction of the fortress of the Berthouts, who became loyal vassals of the duke.
Battle of Lobregal 1160 – Climax of a feud between the de Castro and de Lara families over the regency for the kingdom of Castile
Battle of Huete 1164 – Another battle in the de Castro de Lara feud which the de Laras lost
Tübingen Feud 1164–1166 – Hugo II, Count Palatine of Tübingen punished Robber barons one of which was associated with the House of Welf. Welf VII demanded satisfaction for the insult and Hugo sent his defiance. Hugo had powerful allies including the bishops of Augsburg, Speyer, and worms and the Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen. On Sunday, September 6, 1164, a skirmish turned into an unplanned battle in which the Guelph side was defeated. Ultimately Hugo was unable to win against such a powerful foe and when the Emperor intervened on behalf of Welf VII he had to prostrate himself three times to Welf.
Flemish wars with Holland over Zeeland and Friesland 1166–1167 – Wars between the two counts first over Zeeland in 1166–1167, and later over Friesland.
Siege of Zorita de los Canes 1169 – Early in the reign of Alfonso VIII of Castile Fernando Rodríguez de Castro holds Zorita through is castellan Lope de Arenas in defiance of the king who was a child at the time. The king enlists the help of the Count Nuño Pérez de Lara exile Leonese Count Ponce de Minerva but they are both captured through a violation of safe conduct. Eventually the town surrenders and is donated to the Order of Calatrava
Civil war era in Norway 1130–1240; Many different wars between several different parties of nobility vying for the throne of Norway. The main two parties which emerge are the Bagler (Croziermen; mostly landowning nobles and clergy), and the Birkebeiner (Mostly household Retainers, peasants, and men living on the eastern marches of Norway)
Revolt of 1173–1174 – The Revolt of 1173–1174 was a rebellion against King Henry II of England by three of his sons, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their rebel supporters. The revolt ended in failure after eighteen months; Henry's rebellious family members had to resign themselves to his continuing rule and were reconciled to him.
Imperial war Against Heinrich the Lion 1180-1181 - A punitive war against the Welf Duke of Saxony for disrespecting Imperial authority, the Welf Duke ends up submitting
Bogen-Wittelsbach war for Regensburg 1192; Count Albert III von Bogen fought a coalition of nobles including Imperial County of Ortenburg, von Kraiburg, and the House of Wittelsbachs dukes of Bavaria over several fiefs on the Danube along with the Burgraviate of Regensburg (Governorship). His powerful alliance to the Kingdom of Bohemia through his marriage with princess Ludmilla of Bohemia must have contributed to his success in the war. Although the Bogenbergs won the war in combat, the emperor's threats were enough to conclude the war in a way which was detrimental to the von Bogen
Logudoro-Cagliari War 1194–1198; Complex war between Giudices in Sardinia
French invasion of Normandy (1202–1204); Following John, King of England's decision to steal Isabella of Angoulême from Hugh IX of Lusignan and wed her in order to take over Angoulême Hugh complained to the king of France who decided to revoke much of John's land in France as a punishment for his tyrannical actions (Isabella was already engaged to Hugh IX before John decided to marry her). The French were able to conquer Normandy impressively quickly despite a resistance lead in part by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (Often known as the greatest knight who ever lived)
Capetian conquest of Auvergne 1210–1213; After Guy II d'Auvergne count of Auvergne attacks an abbey and is excommunicated Philip II of France uses this as an excuse to declare war on him and take the majority of his lands.
Portuguese Succession war of 1211 – The will of the previous king of Portugal grants important castles to king Afonso II of Portugal's sisters, he objects to it and many nobles are exiled
Anglo-French War (1213–1214) – Anti-French expansion coalition led by John, King of England, Pope Innocent III, Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Renaud I, Count of Dammartin, and Henry I, Duke of Brabant declare war on Philip II of France and the kingdom of France in order to regain Normandy for King John which he had lost in 1204. The Pope felt threatened by the alliance emerging between Philip Augustus and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor who were both considered at the time to be extremely successful and powerful kings. On the other hand Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor was trying to consolidate his position as Emperor against the claims of Frederick II who also claimed to be the Emperor. Additionally the House of Welf had traditionally got along well with the Papacy and the kingdom of England so it was a natural alliance. Renaud was originally a powerful friend and vassal of the king of France but fell out with him over a dispute with Philip of Dreux, subsequently paying homage to King John in 1212. The duke of Brabant was a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire and had chosen to support Otto over Frederick II. The conflict culminated at the Battle of Bouvines which was a French victory.
County of Weimar vs the Landgrave of Thuringia and the County of Orlamunde 1223–1227 – Albert of Orlamunde inherited the county of Orlamunde and his brother Herman II inherited the county of Weimar; Albert served his relative king Valdemar II of Denmark as count of Holstein and was absent from Orlamunde during which time his brother tried to invade Orlamunde. Albert's father in law was the Landgrave of Thuringia a very powerful sovereign who fought against Herman in Albert's absence.
William II Marshal's counter-campaign against Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster 1224–1226 – Successful defense of his lands against Hugh de Lacy
Danish-Holstein War 1225–1227 – Adolf IV of Holstein leads a successful war against the kingdom of Denmark to regain the county of Schleswig which had been taken from his father by Valdemar II of Denmark at the Battle of Stellau in 1201. Adolf won the war by taking the King of Denmark prisoner after winning the Battle of Bornhöved (1227).
Battle of Ane 1227 – Viscount Rudolph van Coevorden led an army which included peasants from Drenthe against his liege the bishop Utrecht because in the context of his attempts to curtail the bishops power he had forced the bishop to take action against him; despite his reliance on peasants Rudolph won the battle
Dernbach Feud – The Dernbach Feud was an over 100-year-long (c. 1230 – 1333) ongoing dispute in present-day Germany between the House of Nassau, several knightly families, and the Landgrave of Hesse. The conflict erupted mainly over property rights in Herborn and the surrounding area.
War of the Euboeote Succession 1256–1258 – Fought between the Prince of Achaea, William II of Villehardouin, and a broad coalition of other rulers from throughout Frankish Greece who felt threatened by William's aspirations. The war was sparked by William's attempt to gain control of a third of the island of Euboea, which was resisted by the local Lombard barons with the aid of the Republic of Venice. The Lord of Athens and Thebes, Guy I de la Roche, also entered the war against William, along with other barons of Central Greece. Their defeat at the Battle of Karydi in May/June 1258 effectively brought the war to an end in an Achaean victory, although a definite peace treaty was not concluded until 1262
Friso-Hollandic Wars 1256–1297 – The Friso-Hollandic Wars, were a series of short medieval wars (ranging from single battles to entire campaigns) consisting of the attempts made by the counts of Holland to conquer the free Frisian territories, which lay to the north and east of their domain.
Scottish–Norwegian War 1262–1266 – arose because of disagreement over the ownership of the Hebrides. The war contained mainly skirmishes and feuds between the kings, and the only major battle was the indecisive Battle of Largs
The 6000-mark war 1276–1278 – a war between Denmark and Sweden which took place from 1276 to 1278. It started because of a disagreement over an agreed sum of 6,000 silver marks for Danish assistance to Magnus Birgersson in the battle against Valdemar Birgersson in 1275
Herlingsberg War 1290 – The Bishopric of Hildesheim went to war with Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen over his use of the castle of Harliburg and his refusal to give the castle to the bishop. Heinrich had help from the Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg but he was unable to resist the bishop and eventually had to give into his demands.
Battle of Red Ford 1294 – The battle was fought over disputed lands. It ended in defeat of the Clan Campbell of Lochawe.
Gascon War – Following an outbreak of piracy and feuds between French and English sailors, PhilipIVofFrance tricked Edmund Crouchback into allowing him to garrison the major fortresses of Aquitaine as a show of good faith. Refusing to return them, he attempted to end English control in Aquitaine for good but was forced by the Battle of the Golden Spurs to accept a return to the status quo in the 1303 Treaty of Paris to curtail English involvement in the Franco-Flemish War. The marriages produced by the treaties ending the war led directly to the claims that began the Hundred Years' War.
von Boyneburg vs Landgraves of Hesse – The Landgraves of Hesse were invested as Imperial princes receiving the imperial castle of Eschwege however the von Boyneburg's had held that castle as Ministerialis for a long time and resisted this for several generations
Franco-Flemish War 1297–1305 – PhilipIV was eager to strengthen French control over the County of Flanders. Count Guy's attempt to ally with England—then still fighting the Gascon War—allowed Philip to imprison him, his sons, and his daughter. The infantry defeat of French cavalry at Courtrai decimated a generation of French nobility but the end of the Gascon War allowed France to recover, annexing 3 cities and exacting a massive reparations agreement in exchange for allowing Flanders to continue as a vassal domain.
War of Saint-Sardos 1323–1327 – When the French decide to build a bastide in Saint-Sardos the French royal sergeant is killed by the Gascon (English) lord of Montpezat. Following a series of failed diplomatic negotiations the French invade Aquitaine and confiscate it from the king of England.
War of Metz 1324–1326 – Following a series of quarrels with the city of Metz and mounting debts incurred by its bourgeoisie, King John of Bohemia, his uncle Baldwin, Archbishop of Trier, Edward I, Count of Bar, and Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine joined to form a coalition to take the city by force. The war was fought chiefly over the possession of land and the obligations, not always respected, of the burgesses as vassals of their lords.
Friso-Hollandic Wars 1324–1348 – The Friso-Hollandic Wars, were a series of short medieval wars (ranging from single battles to entire campaigns) consisting of the attempts made by the counts of Holland to conquer the free Frisian territories, which lay to the north and east of their domain.
Wars of the Rügen Succession 1325–1328 – When the last male line of the Princes or Rugen died out the Lords of Mecklenburg fought Vartislav IV of Rugen for the rights to the succession.
Eltz Feud 1331–1337 – a 14th-century feud that arose between rulers of the Trier region on the Moselle and certain members of the knightly class who were acting independently and failing to support their sovereign princes.
Second War of Scottish Independence 1332–1357 – when Edward Balliol, the son of a former Scottish king, led an English backed invasion of Scotland in an attempt to make good his claim to the Scottish throne against that of Robert Bruce's eight-year-old son David II. Balliol's force defeated a Scottish army ten times their size and Balliol took the throne. Within three months the Bruce partisans had regrouped and forced Balliol out of Scotland.
Hundred Years' War 1337–1453 – English try to reclaim the Duchy of Aquitaine and other lands and also try to press a claim to the Kingship of France. Ultimately the French win but the war goes in favor of the English for a long time.
Battle of Sluys 1340 – The Battle of Sluys was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France as part of the Hundred Years' War
Hook and Cod wars 1350–1490 – a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeoisie in the cities against the ruling nobility.
Dohna Feud 1385–1402 – a 14th-century dispute between the burgraves of Dohna, who resided in the Eastern Ore Mountains of Central Europe, on the one hand and Saxon nobleman, John of Körbitz (Hans von Körbitz) and William I, Margrave of Meissen on the other.
