1517

With the restoration of a Duke of Wurttemberg with the ascension of George and his father Heinrich to Duke and Count respectively, there was at least a sense of normalcy returning. This would be strengthened by William of Nassau, under the pay of the Archbishop of Mainz, resolving to remove himself from the conflict with the Mainzer resolution refused by a small majority of the Swabian League. The new axis of Wurttemberg and Bavaria would be forged by the soldiers of Bavaria marching forth from Stuttgart after the city handed itself over to the new Dukes once more after a brutal revolt. The Dukes of Wurttemberg and Bavaria threatened the Count of Hohenlohe, who exasperatedly repeated that his annexation of Wurttemberger lands was legal and justified under the Ban of Ulrich von Wurttemberg. Landing on deaf ears, and unwilling to dedicate an enormous sum to challenge the two Dukes, instead handed the territory over and would pursue this case legally.

With Stuttgart returned, order was still lacking in almost the entirety of the rest of the Duchy. Much of the northeast had already been occupied by Bavarian garrisons left throughout their campaign in the previous year, and the return of the main force under Gotz and the new Count of Tubingen meant a mostly peaceful and easy restoration of the feudal order. Where William of Nassau had once occupied but now left, this was not the case. Months went by as the House of Wurttemberg and Wittelsbach worked tirelessly to resolve the squabbles and remove the banditry and hedge knights from the area. The armies lost hundreds of men to said bandits as well as desertion, but eventually the northern half of the Duchy of Wurttemberg had been restored to control by the Duke and Count. The slow and painful process had done little to restore confidence in Heinrich and his son George, but there was a sigh of relief as most of their northern neighbors in the Swabian League saw some success from the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Teutonic Order and their ragtag mercenary allies had continued to raid and pillage their corner of Swabia. Using the peasant unrest as a backdrop, they've established a strict set of draconian laws mirroring their massive Prussian estates now lost to the Polish over a decade ago. The Bavarians had agreed to remove this threat on behalf of Wurttemberg and gained the allegiance of a few members of the Swabian League to do so as well, with many seeing the Teutons as a threat and their brash violent nature giving an easy excuse. Most notably were the various Princes of Baden marching alongside the Bavarian-Wurttemberg army, now noticeably larger than their Teutonic counterpart.

Battle of Herrenberg

First meeting outside the town of Herrenberg, the two forces arrayed opposite each other. The Teutons had a more elite cavalry force than their opposition, but the coalition's landsknecht core was more numerous and in better spirits than the Teutonic mercenaries laden with plundered gold. Bavarian scouting had been very effective up to this point and had provided key information leading up to the battle, but the martial prowess and dedication to the art of warfare glistened in the reflection on their armor as they masterfully set a trap for the coalition. They mass their cavalry while flanking around under the cover of shrubbage and trees to allow their arquebus a direct line of fire into coalition pike lines.

The battle is christened with the ringing of artillery fire, as cannonballs effortlessly sail through the lines of landsknecht on both sides. This is followed by the crackling of gun fire, where the Teutonic positioning and capable use of cavalry lay waste to coalition landsknecht. Their lines faltering as the infantry clash, their core stands strong and against the odds manages to push back the Teutonic lines. Both sides adopting Swabian strategy and having invested heavily in their landsknecht cores, the majority of the fighting occurs here. The coalition numbers and discipline prove key here as while the anciliary Teutonic forces dominate the battlefield, their infantry lines start to look as if they are about to rout. Knowing their cavalry needs to be dedicated now, after effectively zoning out the coalition cavalry during the battle so far they charge into the flanks of the broken pike squares. They kill many and quickly shift the momentum in their favor, where the coalition cavalry know follow their orders and counter charge. They engage but are quickly repulsed after moderate casualties. Coalition crossbowmen and gunfire wring once more, and eventually on the staunch backs of their landsknecht find victory on the field of battle. The Teutonic mercenaries soon give way and surrender the battlefield much to the dismay of the Teutonic officers, who were sure of their victory if they had more dependable allies. Regardless, the coalition secure the local area though they soon realize after scouting that they lost many more men than their Teutonic opposition. Gotz has orders though, and he follows the Teutons into the Black Forest.

Battle of Nagold

The coalition once more send out cavalry in the hopes of catching Teutonic parties scavenging and scouting but soon find that many of the men sent out don't return. Facing an informational failure and more casualties, eventually they find the Teutonic army gathered and arrayed outside of the town of Nagold. The battlefield is heavily wooded and uneven, and both sides cavalry and artillery are much less effective here. Both sides engage once more with their cannons first, and while they strike fear into each others hearts unlike at Herrenberg they do not cause many casualties. The gunmen and crossbowmen find similar stories, as the difficult terrain and poor maneuvering on both sides limit their ability to achieve much of value. Both sides sticking to the same strategy with their cavalry, the push of pike will be even yet more crucial here. Both sides struggle to achieve much momentum though eventually the Teutonic core is able to take more ground. The coalition tires and creaks under the weight, and the Teutons again are the ones taking the initiative with their cavalry. Failing to zone out their opposition like at Herrenberg, a cavalry melee begins in earnest here. The coalition defeat the Teutonic Knights with a cunning split of their mounted men into two groups who outflank their heavily armored foe. The coalition then follow them before turning to hit the Teutonic landsknecht in the rear, but the pike squares are well-formed up and kill many. The Teutonic landsknecht continue to defeat their opposition, though at a high cost, and the coalition flees before the Teutonic cavalry can reform and threaten to crush them. Gotz extricates the army with grace and the Teutons do not attempt to follow, licking their own deep wounds.

Aftermath

Though both Gotz and the Hochmeister rally their men and keep morale high, the realities of war have kicked in. Both forces wish for peace and to enjoy the spoils of their victory, though both wish they had won more at the expense of their opposition. The Princes of Baden return home, leaving the coalition forces to secure their own gains they had made at the expense of Wurttemberg. Others had used Bavarian and Wurttemberger efforts against the Teutons to take more land of their own as well, seeing the Emperor and his allies dissipate from the region. The Swabian League, finally organized and somewhat stable, gathered a force to oppose a few thousand Swiss soldiers who had marched throughout the countryside and gained a hefty loot train from racketeering and threats. The Swiss are heavily outnumbered and do not outclass their opponents, and find themselves defeated on the field of battle outside one of the Decapole Free Cities. They are forced to lick their wounds and return to their mountains with what they could bring with them, hounded by Swabian horsemen. The Teutons and Bavarians resolve to turn to raiding and harassing each other in the autumn months, only serving to piss off their Wurttemberger hosts.

TL;DR

• Wurttemberg re-establishes control over Mainz and Bavarian occupations

• Count of Hohenlohe retreats, moving to legal means of restitution

• Teutonic and coalitions forces of Baden, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria fight in two battles, both bloody affairs with minimal gains

• More of Wurttemberg is occupied by their neighbors who take advantage of the chaos and weakness

[Occupation Map soon tm]