"Wars among German Minor States" Topic

Does anyone know of any actual conflicts between minor German or Italian states during the late 17th or 18th centuries. I have found a reference to a Hanoverian invasion of Mecklenburg in 1719, but nothing else. As we know many states maintained some sizable military forces and I would assume that they would be tempted to use them.
This might be another one of those too bad I don't read German, Italian, Swedish etc.

The Bavarians and Saxons fought each other just prior to the outbreak of the WSS proper (I think 1702/1703); can't recall offhand whether this was part of a bigger conflict or not, but I think there were some French and Savoy troops involved on the periphery as well.

I'm in no way an expert on that matter, but I believe there were not too many armed conflicts between minor German states in that time. I think the minor states were always eager to look for support from the lager states, or at least not offend those, in order to keep their semi-independence. The German states were still not totally independent, and only the largest ones could afford to ignore that. The majority of armed conflicts with commitment of armed forces from the minor states were international conflicts, mainly with France, Sweden and Prussia/Austria (definition of "internatioal" in that case would fill books). Most conflicts in those times would have been sparked about questions of succession, and as anyone was related to everyone, the maior powers would intervene almost certainly. In 1787 one of those conflicts actually did escalate into an armed conflict with troops from Hesse-Kassel invading the small state of Schaumburg-Lippe, but not being able to overpover the peculiar lake-fortress Wilhelmstein they had to withdraw when relieve troops from Prussia etc. arrived.

I think the minor states were always eager to look for support from the lager states……

What a great typo!

(in addition to above) Not my subject but bearing in mind most states would be part of the Holy Roman Empire, could it be that any disputes would be raised at the Circle or Imperial Diets (the Empire's Regional and General Assemblies) and decided there (e.g., put to a vote)?

SM – "Lager" states – didn't think of that! Like it! :-)

Olivero and Westmarcher have the right of it. Contrary to the popular image among wargamers, perhaps prompted by Brig. Young's fictitious Emperor and Elector, 18th C. Germany was not the theatre of constant feuding, but governed by the institutions and procedures of the Holy Roman Empire. The occupation of Mecklenburg was such a "Reichs-Execution", after the local barons and cities had complained to the Diet about their prince' s attempts to ignore their traditional prerogatives and establish autocratic rule.

In any case, only a handful of states had the manpower and resources to even consider waging war on their own. The only one who was tempted to do so was Frederick II of Prussia. His gamble for Silesia paid off in the end, but not without first seeing the Reichsarmee mobilised against him.

For truly minor states, maintaining armed forces was a matter of prestige, deterrence, obligation to the Empire, and sometimes financial benefit as regiments could be hired out to other rulers.

One could speculate therefore that 18th C. Germany is such a fertile ground for imagi-nations precisely because all those miniature armies (pun intended) existed, but rarely did go to war in reality?

There was a small war between Swiss cantons in the early 1700's called the Toggenburgerkrieg or the Der Zweite Villmergerkrieg.

Possibly closer to a small mythical 18thC struggle than anything else.

link

Goodness me, who'd have thunk our peaceable Swiss friends had it in them? Many thanks for bringing this to our attention, Hawk – I'd heard about the Sonderbund but had no idea of these earlier, violent episodes…

An ideal wargaming subject indeed, with far more interesting terrain and backdrops than the war in the Low Countries. Now, who will write the Osprey title on the uniforms?

villmergerkriege.ch

The above link has some good info.
Use google to translate if needed.

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