Der Ochsenkrieg

Storyline

The main plot is about some cows grazing on an alp and the local bailiff thinking that they should not be there, as a ducal document states that only oxen are allowed there, while the local farmers also have a ducal document that states the opposite. Things escalate quickly, the alp is destroyed, people die and the farmers seeks refuge in a rival town. Both sovereigns think they can profit from a war, which ensues accordingly. After some minor battles the king of Bavaria orders both sides to end the war, after which everything is as before, except for the deaths and destruction that had occurred. There are are some side plots, like the Romeo and Juliet like love story between the bailiff's son and the leader of the farmers' daughter, a former mercenary who returns from his wars to become a farmer, only to be forced to become a soldier again, etc.