Editing Adolf, King of the Romans (section)

== Reign ==
[[Image:Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg 1255 - 1298.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Part of the image of King Adolf in the Frankfurt Hall of Kings]]

At the start of his reign, Adolf had neither influence nor power, and was elected ''Rex Romanorum'' because of the electors' preference for a weak king. His power was limited from the outset because of the commitments he made.

As he had agreed with the Archbishop of Cologne, Adolf remained in his dominion for four months after his election. The archbishop awaited from the king a revision of the results of the [[Battle of Worringen]] in 1288. He had hoped to win again greater influence in the city of [[Cologne]]. Despite the tight specifications, Adolf soon emancipated himself from his Electors and concluded pacts with their opponents. Thus, for example, he confirmed the rights of the nobles and the city of Cologne, who had turned against their ruler, and even extended these rights.

Adolf also very quickly broke the promises concerning the Duchies of [[Austria]] and [[Styria]]. As a clever diplomat, Albert of Habsburg avoided a confrontation with the new king. In exchange for his surrender of the [[Imperial Regalia]], which he still had in his possession, he received, in November 1292, a formal enfeoffment with Austria, Styria, the [[Windic March]], and the Lordship of [[Pordenone]]. The disposition of the prestigious insignia and relics of the empire was an additional and important sign for the legitimacy of the reign of the king, but not a mandatory prerequisite. With each new document, Adolf moved a little farther away from his promises, without having to open himself up to breach of contract accusations.

Adolf acted as a self-assured ruler in other ways as well. His court was an attraction for all who sought protection from the powerful emerging territorial lords. He held numerous court days. At the beginning of his reign, he renewed the general public peace (''Landfrieden'') of Rudolf I for another ten years, and brought about at least two regional peaces.

Adolf used the [[feudalism|feudal system]] as one of his major tools of power. He demanded from the spiritual princes a payment, called ''Lehnsware'', for their enfeoffment with [[regalian right]]s, and increased this demand to the level of a nuisance. Many of Adolf’s contemporaries considered this action to be [[simony]]. Many of today's historians, however, view it as an innovative way to open up new state revenue sources, as other Western European kings did.

Also, the recovery and management of imperial property was important to him. He succeeded, through clever marriage policy, to bring former imperial properties back under the control of the emperor.

=== Alliance with England ===

In 1294, when Adolf’s rule was at its height, he concluded an alliance with the King [[Edward I of England]] against [[France]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barraclough |first=G. |date=January 1940 |title=I. Edward I and Adolf of Nassau. A Chapter of Mediaeval Diplomatic History |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-historical-journal/article/abs/i-edward-i-and-adolf-of-nassau-a-chapter-of-mediaeval-diplomatic-history/39D5E80B56E914F6947C48F91EB45476 |journal=Cambridge Historical Journal |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=225–262 |doi=10.1017/S147469130000370X |doi-broken-date=20 November 2024 |issn=2051-9818}}</ref> and was awarded 60 000 pounds sterling, which corresponded to 90 000 gold marks. The pact had been preceded by attempts by [[Philip IV of France]] to conquer the [[Duchy of Burgundy]] and the [[County of Flanders]]. The Count of Flanders, [[Guy of Dampierre]], mediated, therefore, the alliance between Edward I and Adolf for his protection against France. That the alliance was construed by his contemporaries as purely mercenary, and the fact that Adolf did not comply with its obligations, damaged his reputation, but this was initially without consequences.

Adolf began recruiting troops in the empire for a war against France. On  31 August 1294, he sent a declaration of war to the French king, alleging that the latter had seized rights and possessions of the empire. King Philip responded contemptuously on  9 March 1295.{{sfn|Herde|2000|p=517}} [[Pope Boniface VIII]], however, ordered peace in 1295 and threatened to commence the [[excommunication]] of Adolf in the event of an outbreak of war.

=== Policies in Thuringia ===

A little later, Adolf intervened in war-torn [[Thuringia]], where fighting had erupted between Landgrave [[Albert II, Margrave of Meissen|Albert the Degenerate]] and his sons [[Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen|Frederick]] and [[Theodoric IV, Landgrave of Lusatia|Theodoric IV]] of [[March of Lusatia|Lusatia]]. He bought the Landgraviate from Albert in his capacity as king and probably using the payments from England. Legally, it was perfectly acceptable for Adolf to induce the feudal lord to abandon his fief and to bring the land under the empire. Furthermore, he seized the Margraviate of Meissen as an imperial fief, since it had been literally ownerless after the extinction of a collateral line of the [[House of Wettin]] and had been occupied by a son of Albert the Degenerate.

This purchase and the [[Margraviate of Meissen]], however, affected the interests of four of the electors. The Archbishop of Mainz asserted that a part of Thuringia was not an imperial fief, but rather a fief of the Archdiocese of Mainz. Wenceslaus II of Bohemia was not thrilled by the growing power of the emperor on his northern border, especially since Adolf had promised to give him the Margraviate of Meissen. Also, all the electors hoped to profit from the turmoil in Thuringia. In addition to the ostensible return of imperial fiefs to the empire, it can not be ruled out that Adolf was anxious to build a dynastic power base (albeit a small one).

First, Adolf succeeded in securing his acquisitions diplomatically and provoking the Margrave of Brandenburg toward active support and the Archbishop of Mainz and the Duke of Saxony toward at least acquiescence of the purchase. Two bloody campaigns against the sons of Albert the Degenerate were necessary to secure the acquisitions and a peace assured the achievements. Two years later, in the summer of 1296, Adolf proudly announced on the invitation to a court day that he had by his actions significantly increased the possessions of the empire.