List of wars involving the Holy Roman Empire

This article is about wars involving the Holy Roman Empire from 962 until 1806. For wars before 962, see List of wars involving Francia. For wars after 1806, see List of wars involving Germany. For Prussia, see Wars and battles involving Prussia.

This is a list of wars involving the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) (962–1806), since 1512 also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German language: Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation, Latin language: Sacrum Imperium Romanum Nationis Germanicæ).

Holy Roman Empire (962–1806)

Conflict and date	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result	Ruling King/Emperor
Otto I's raid on Poland (963)	Holy Roman Empire	Duchy of Poland	German Victory	Otto I
Franco-German War of 978-980	Holy Roman Empire	West Francia	French victory	Otto II
Polish-Saxon Invasion of Veleti (985)	Duchy of Poland Holy Roman Empire	Veleti	Polish and Saxon Victory	Otto III
Polish-Bohemian War (990)		Duchy of Bohemia	German and Polish Victory	Otto III
Polish-German invasion of Veleti (992)		Veleti	Polish and German Victory	Otto III
Polish-German invasion of Obotrites (995)		Obotrites	Polish and German Victory	Otto III
German–Polish War (1003–1018)	Holy Roman Empire	Duchy of Poland	Peace of Bautzen Poland is granted control over Lusatia and Upper Lusatia The Duchy of Bohemia becomes an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire	Henry II
Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis (1015–1019)	Duchy of Poland Kingdom of Hungary Holy Roman Empire Pechenegs	Kievan Rus'	Temporary victory for Sviatopolk and Boleslaw, Polish sack of Kiev	Henry II
Polish-German War (1028-1031)	Holy Roman Empire Bezprym Duchy of Bohemia Kievan Rus'	Mieszko II Lambert Kingdom of Hungary	Victory for Bezprym	Conrad II
Emperor Conrad II's military campaign against Hungary (1030-1031)	Holy Roman Empire	Kingdom of Hungary	German defeat The Hungarians occupied Vienna.	Conrad II
German-Hungarian Wars (1042-1043)	Holy Roman Empire	Kingdom of Hungary	German Victory	Henry III
Henry III's military campaign against Hungary (1044)	Holy Roman Empire Peter Orseolo and his allies	The army of King Samuel Aba	German Victory Defeat of Samuel Aba, restoration of Peter	Henry III
War between King Peter and Prince Andrew (1046)	King Peter's army Holy Roman Empire	Prince Andrew's army Kievan Rus'	Hungarian Victory	Henry III
Emperor Henry III's military campaigns against Hungary (1051-1052)	Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Bohemia	Kingdom of Hungary	Hungarian Victory	Henry III
German-Hungarian border War (1056-1058)	Holy Roman Empire	Kingdom of Hungary	Stalemate, treaty of Marchfeld	Henry IV
Civil War between King Andrew I and his brother, Prince Bela (1060)	King Andrew I's army Holy Roman Empire	Prince Béla's army Kingdom of Poland	Prince Béla's Victory	Henry IV
German invasion of Hungary (1063)	Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Bavaria	Kingdom of Hungary	German Victory Death of Béla I Ascension of Solomon to the Hungarian throne	Henry IV
Polish-German War (1109)	Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Bohemia	Kingdom of Poland	German defeat	Henry V
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines 1125-1186 1216-1392	Ghibellines Holy Roman Empire	Guelphs Holy See (Papacy)	1st phase:Peace of Constance (1186) 2nd phase:Stalemate (1392) Decline of free communes;rise of signorie Diffusion of Black Death Extinction of Hohenstaufen dynasty Conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily by Charles of Anjou Interregnum after Frederick II's death Weakening of Imperial Authority over Italy	Frederick I Barbarossa Frederick II Henry VII Louis IV
Polish-German War (1146)	Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Bohemia	Mieszko III the Old	Mieszko III the Old's victory/German defeat	Conrad III of Germany
Wendish Crusade (1147)	Holy Roman Empire Bishopric of Havelberg March of Meissen March of Brandenburg Duchy of Saxony Archbishopric of Bremen Archbishopric of Mainz Bishopric of Halberstadt County of Holstein Bishopric of Münster Bishopric of Olmütz Bishopric of Brandenburg Bishopric of Merseburg Jutland-Kingdom of Denmark Zealand/Scania-Kingdom of Denmark Kingdom of Poland	Obotrite Confederacy Obotrites Wagrians Liutizian Confederacy Wendish allies: Duchy of Pomerania	March of Brandenburg reconquers Havelberg, County of Holstein expels its Wends	Conrad III of Germany
Second Crusade (1147-1150)	Holy Roman Empire Other Crusaders	Emirate of Damascus other Muslim and Pagan entities in East Central Europe, Iberia and the Near East.	Victories in East Central Europe and Iberia. Defeat in the Holy Land.	Conrad III of Germany
Polish-German War (1157)	Holy Roman Empire	Bolesław IV the Curly	Peace of Krzyszkowo	Frederick I Barbarossa
Third Crusade (1189-1192)	Holy Roman Empire Other Crusaders	Ayyubids	Small Gains for the Crusaders. Jerusalem stays under Ayyubid control.	Frederick I Barbarossa
Fourth Crusade (1202-1204)	Holy Roman Empire Republic of Venice	Byzantine Empire Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Ayyubids	Partition of the Byzantine Empire The establishment of the Latin Empire and other crusader states by the Crusaders Formation of Byzantine Greek rump states	Otto IV
Fifth Crusade (1217-1221)	Holy Roman Empire Other Crusaders	Ayyubids	Eight-Year truce between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders	Frederick II
Sixth Crusade (1227-1229)	Holy Roman Empire including in Personal Union: Kingdom of Sicily Kingdom of Jerusalem	Ayyubids	Kingdom of Jerusalem regains Jerusalem through peaceful negotiations.	Frederick II
Great Interregnum 1245/50–1273/5	Hohenstaufen party Frederick II (1245–50) Conrad IV (1245–54) Alfonso X of Castile (1257–75) Rudolf of Habsburg (1273–5)	Welf party Henry of Thuringia (1246–7) William II of Holland (1247–56) Richard of Cornwall (1257–72) Ottokar II of Bohemia	Compromise Unanimous election of Rudolf of Habsburg in 1273 Alfonso X of Castile renounced claim in 1275
Hussite Wars (1419-1434)	Catholic Church, Crusades and Loyalists: Holy Roman Empire	Bohemian Wars: Hussite Movement	Eventual defeat for Radical Hussites, Victory for Moderate Hussites and Catholics	Sigismund
Italian War of 1494-1498	League of Venice: Holy Roman Empire Papal States Republic of Venice Kingdoms of Spain Duchy of Milan Republic of Florence England (1496–98) Margraviate of Mantua Republic of Genoa	Kingdom of France Swiss Mercenaries Duchy of Milan (before 1495)	Victory for the League of Venice	Maximilian I
Swabian War (1499)	Holy Roman Empire Swabian League	Old Swiss Confederacy Three Leagues of the Grisons	Swiss Victory Peace of Basel Swiss Confederacy exempt from the resolutions of the Imperial Diet of Worms	Maximilian I
Italian War of 1521-1526	Holy Roman Empire Spain England Papal States (1521-1523 and 1525–1526)	France Swiss mercenaries Republic of Venice Papal States (1524-1525) Marquisate of Saluzzo	Habsburg Victory Capture of Francis I of France at the Battle of Pavia Treaty of Rome(1525) Treaty of Madrid (1526)	Charles V
War of the League of Cognac (1526-1530)	Holy Roman Empire Spain Duchy of Ferrara Republic of Genoa (1528-1530) Duchy of Mantua (1528-1530)	Kingdom of France Swiss mercenaries Papal States Swiss Guards Republic of Venice Republic of Florence Kingdom of England Republic of Genoa (1526-1528) Kingdom of Navarre Duchy of Milan	Treaty of Cambrai Habsburg Victory	Charles V
Italian War of 1536-1538	Holy Roman Empire Spain	Kingdom of France Ottoman Empire	Truce of Nice	Charles V
Italian War of 1542-1546	Holy Roman Empire Saxony Brandenburg Spain England	France Ottoman Empire Regency of Algiers Jülich-Cleves-Berg	Inconclusive Treaty of Crépy Treaty of Ardres	Charles V
Schmalkaldic War 1546–1547	Empire of Charles V: Holy Roman Empire Habsburg Austria Duchy of Saxony Bohemian Crown Habsburg Spain Habsburg Hungary Supported by:Papal States	Schmalkadic League: Electorate of Saxony Hesse Electorate Palatinate Bremen Lübeck Brunswick-Lüneburg Württemberg Pomerania-Wolgast Anhalt-Köthen Bradenburg-Küstrin	Imperial-Spanish Victory Capitulation of Wittenberg Schmalkadic League dissolved, Saxon electoral dignity passed to the Albertine House of Wettin	Charles V
Second Schmalkaldic War March–August 1552	Imperial–Habsburg forces Holy Roman Empire Habsburg Austria	Protestant princes Electoral Saxony Hesse Prussia Brandenburg-Kulmbach Supported by: France	Protestant victory Peace of Passau (1552) Peace of Augsburg (1555) Three Bishoprics annexed by the Kingdom of France	Charles V
War of the Jülich Succession (1609-1614)	1609-1610: Holy Roman Empire Principality of Strasbourg Prince-Bishopric of Liège Catholic League 1614: Spanish Empire Palatinate-Neuburg	1609-1610: Margraviate of Brandenburg Palatinate-Neuburg United Provinces Kingdom of France Protestant Union 1614: Margraviate of Brandenburg Free Imperial City of Aachen United Provinces	Treaty of Xanten	Rudolph II Matthias
Thirty Years' War 1618–1648	Imperial alliance prior to 1635 Habsburg Monarchy Spanish Empire Electorate of Bavaria Catholic League Post-1635 Peace of Prague Holy Roman Empire Spanish Empire Denmark–Norway	Anti-Imperial alliance prior to 1635 Kingdom of Bohemia Sweden Palatinate Savoy Transylvania Dutch Republic Denmark–Norway Heilbronn League Hesse-Kassel Brandenburg-Prussia Electorate of Saxony Post-1635 Peace of Prague Kingdom of France Sweden Dutch Republic Hesse-Kassel	Peace of Prague (1635) Peace of Westphalia (1648): Peace of Münster (January 1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic Treaty of Osnabrück (IPO; October 1648) between Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire Treaty of Münster (October 1648) (IPM; October 1648) between France and the Holy Roman Empire Consequences France annexes Décapole, and Sundgau Sweden gains Wismar, Wolin, Western Pomerania, and Bremen-Verden Brandenburg-Prussia obtains Eastern Pomerania Spain recognises sovereignty Dutch Republic Old Swiss Confederacy gains independence from the Holy Roman Empire	Ferdinand III
Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678)	Holy Roman Empire (1673) Dutch Republic Spain (from 1673) Brandenburg-Prussia (from 1673) Lorraine (from 1673) Denmark-Norway (from 1674) England (1678)	Kingdom of France England (1672-1674) Sweden (from 1674) Munster (1672-1673) Cologne (1672-1673)	Treaty of Nijmegen Major French territorial gains France occupies Lorraine, Freiburg and Kehl	Leopold I
Nine Years War (1688-1697)	Holy Roman Empire Dutch Republic England Scotland Spanish Empire Duchy of Savoy Portuguese Empire Swedish Empire (until 1691)	France	Treaty of Ryswick	Leopold I
War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)	Holy Roman Empire Austrian Monarchy Dutch Republic Prussia England (until 1707) Great Britain (from 1707) Piedmont-Savoy Habsburg Spain Portugal	France Spanish monarchy Bavaria (until 1704) Cologne (until 1702) Mantua (until 1708)	Treaties of Utrecht (1713), Rastatt (1714) and Baden (1714) Philip is recognized as King of Spain, but once more renounces any claim to the throne of France Austria gains the crowns of Naples and Sardinia as well as the duchy of Milan and the Spanish Netherlands Savoy gains the crown of Sicily which is soon to be exchanged with Sardinia	Leopold I Joseph I Charles VI
War of the Polish Succession (1733-1735)	Holy Roman Empire Habsburg monarchy Saxony Prussia Russia Poland Loyal to Augustus III	France Spain Savoy-Sardinia Duchy of Parma Sweden Poland Loyal to Stanislaus I	Treaty of Vienna Austria loses the crowns of Naples and Sicily to Charles of Parma Duchy of Lorraine to Stanislaus Duchy of Parma to Austria Grand Duchy of Tuscany to Francis Stephen Poland loses direct control over the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia	Charles VI
Liège Revolution (1789-1791)	Holy Roman Empire Habsburg monarchy Prince-Bishops of Liège	Liège Rebels Brabant Rebels Republic of Liège Supported by:Prussia	Foundation of Liège Republic (1789); reversion to Prince-Bishopric(1791); annexation by France (1795)	Leopold II
War of the First Coalition (mostly the Low Countries theatre) 1792–1797	First Coalition: Dutch Republic Holy Roman Empire Habsburg monarchy (Austria) Kingdom of Prussia Electorate of Hanover Hesse-Kassel (until 1795) Great Britain Spanish Empire (1793–95) Kingdom of Naples (until 1796) Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Prussia (until 1795) Kingdom of Sardinia (until 1796) Army of Condé	Kingdom of the French (1792) French First Republic (from 1792) Republic of Bouillon (1794–95) Batavian Republic (from 1795) Ligurian Republic (from 1795) Cisrhenian Republic (1797) Cisalpine Republic (1797) other sister republics Spanish Empire (1796–97) Polish Legions (from 1797)	French Republican victory French monarchy abolished, republicanism spread across Europe All southern Low Countries and Left Bank of the Rhine annexed by France (1795) Treaty of The Hague (1795) Batavian Republic established as a French sister republic Peace of Basel (1795) Prussia and Hesse-Kassel withraw from Coalition Spain allies with France (ending the War of the Pyrenees) Treaty of Campo Formio (1797) Habsburg monarchy accepts the loss of the Austrian Netherlands	Francis II
War of the Second Coalition 1798–1802	Second Coalition: Holy Roman Empire (until 1801) Habsburg monarchy (Austria, until 1801) Russian Empire (until 1798) Great Britain (until 1801) United Kingdom (from 1801) Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Naples Ottoman Empire French royalists	French First Republic Batavian Republic Cisalpine Republic Helvetic Republic Ligurian Republic Roman Republic (1798–99) Parthenopean Republic (1799) other sister republics Spanish Empire	French victory France briefly conquers the Papal States and captures Pope Pius VI (1798–99) Treaty of Lunéville (1801) recognises Holy Roman Empire's loss of southern Low Countries to France Concordat of 1801: Pope Pius VII recognises the abolition of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège	Francis II
War of the Third Coalition 1803–1806 (part of the Napoleonic Wars)	Third Coalition: United Kingdom Sweden (1804–06) Russian Empire (1805–06) Holy Roman Empire (1805) Austrian Empire (1805) Kingdom of Naples (1805–06) Kingdom of Sicily (1805–06)	First French Empire Batavian Republic Etruria Italy Spain Bavaria Württemberg	French victory Treaty of Pressburg (1805): Austrian Empire leaves Coalition Consolidation of the First French Empire Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire Creation of the Confederation of the Rhine Formation of the Fourth Coalition a few months later	Francis II

See also

• Reichskrieg
• Army of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsarmee)
• Imperial Army (Holy Roman Empire) (Kaiserliche Armee)
• Imperial Military Constitution
• Imperial Register
• Roman Month
• List of wars in the Low Countries until 1560
• List of wars in the southern Low Countries (1560–1829)
• List of wars involving Francia (5th century–987, including West, Middle and East Francia)
• List of wars involving Germany (1806–present)
• Wars and battles involving Prussia (1656–1947)

Bibliography

• Croxton, Derek (2013). The Last Christian Peace: The Congress of Westphalia as A Baroque Event. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-33332-2. 
• Heitz, Gerhard; Rischer, Henning (1995) (in de). Geschichte in Daten. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; History in data; Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Koehler&Amelang. ISBN 3-7338-0195-4. 
• Wilson, Peter H. (23 July 1999) (in en). The Holy Roman Empire 1495-1806. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-349-27649-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=eSBIEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53.