Assassination of Philip of Swabia

Timeline

1. 1208Bamberg · BambergPhilip traveled to Bamberg to attend his niece's wedding and sat among the guests at the banquet; Otto VIII, Duke of Bavaria (of the Wittelsbach family), used a long-standing family feud as an opportunity to approach him.
2. 1208Bishop's Palace of Bamberg · BambergOtto VIII drew his sword and pierced Philip through the chest during the banquet; the king died on the spot. The assassin was immediately subdued by guards and executed, and the old enmity between the Wittelsbachs and Hohenstaufen was considered the direct motive.
3. 1208–1209Holy Roman Empire · Holy Roman EmpireAfter Philip's death the Hohenstaufen faction lost its core leader, and his young nephew Frederick II became the heir. Otto IV won recognition from most electors within months, and the imperial dispute rapidly tilted in his favor.