18 The Origins of the Thirty Years War and the Revolt in Bohemia, 1618
that within a few months in early 1583 Truchsess was excommuni-
cated by the pope, replaced by Ernst of Bavaria in a chapter election,
and supported by the Estates of the Westphalian section of his lands.
His opponents had already resorted to arms, commencing what became
known as the Cologne or Bishops’ War, a somewhat exaggerated title
for a series of small-scale clashes, mostly during 1583 but with flare-ups
later in the decade, and continuing until 1590. In this Ernst was sup-
ported by Bavarian money and Spanish troops from the Netherlands,
while Truchsess received aid from the Calvinist Palatinate and military
assistance from the Dutch. Hence Cologne became a fringe theatre of
war in the Spanish–Dutch conflict, although there were no battles and
action was confined to sieges of towns and castles, despite which there
was much accompanying plundering and damage. Truchsess had the
worst of it, being forced to flee to Holland at one stage, and he eventu-
ally gave up and withdrew. The episode became acause célèbre, but it is
worth noting that in this case Truchsess’s conduct was in clear breach
of the ecclesiastical reservation in the peace of Augsburg, as he should
have resigned his offices and lands on becoming a Protestant. Moreover,
given that he was a relatively conformist Catholic beforehand, it appears
that religious principle had less to do with his switch than his romantic
liaison with a noble lady who was herself in Protestant religious orders,
and whose relatives were determined that she should not become a mere
mistress.^15
The next dispute arose in 1588, this time hinging around the exclu-
sion of the administrator of Magdeburg from the Reichstag six years ear-
lier. As noted above, the Visitation Commission which served as the final
appeal body for the highest court in the Empire, the Kammergericht,
comprised members nominated in turn by relevant members of the
Reichstag. In 1588 Magdeburg’s turn came round, but as the adminis-
trator was still barred from his seat his nominee for the commission was
likewise excluded. The opposing confessional groups could not agree
on how to proceed next, leading the Imperial chancellor, the elector of
Mainz, acting on the emperor’s authority, to close the session, thereby
adjourning further consideration until the next meeting a year later.
The result then was the same, so that with no compromise between
Catholics and Protestants in sight the appeal process came to a stand-
still, meaning that judgements of the Kammergericht could no longer
be finally confirmed in controversial cases.
Some five years later two further local disturbances attracted wider
attention. The first of these was relatively minor, starting in 1592 fol-
lowing the death of the bishop of Strasbourg. Rather than a disputed