Before this letter reached its destination, the duke’s deputy in the mortgaged lands had already found his resources wholly inadequate to maintain his master’s authority.  After Charles departed from Alsace, Hagenbach’s increased insolence and abandonment of all the restraint that he had shown while awaiting the duke’s visit soon became unbearable.  The deliberations in Switzerland concerning their return to Austrian domination also naturally affected the Alsatians and made them bolder in resenting Hagenbach’s aggressions.

Thann and Ensisheim were both firm in refusing admission to his garrisons.  Brisac was in his hands already, and her fortifications held by mercenaries, but an order to the citizens to work, one and all, upon the defences, produced a sudden disturbance with very serious results.  It was at Eastertide, and the command to desecrate a hallowed festival, one especially cherished in the Rhinelands, proved the final provocation to rebellion.

There is a black story in the Strasburg chronicle, moreover, that this misuse of Easter Day was not Hagenbach’s real crime.  He simply wished to get all combatants out of the city before butchering the inhabitants and his purpose was discovered in time.  That charge does not, however, seem substantiated by other evidence.  But there is no doubt that the citizens lashed themselves into a state of fury, fell upon the mercenaries, and killed many of them in spite of their own unarmed condition.  Hagenbach, driven back into his lodgings, appeared at the window and offered various concessions, being actually humbled and intimidated by the unexpected turning of the submissive folk against him.

But the revolutionary spirit raged beyond the reach of conciliatory words.  Some of the more intelligent burghers endeavoured to give a show of propriety to events, by promptly re-establishing their own ancient council, arbitrarily abolished by Hagenbach, while taking a new oath to the Duke of Burgundy, according to the formula of 1469.  They also despatched envoys to the duke with explanations of their proceedings, stating further that it was Hagenbach’s misrule alone to which protest was made; that they were not in revolt against Charles.  The latter answered, “Send Hagenbach to me,” but the provisional government, by the time they received this order, felt strong enough to disregard it and to continue to act on their own initiative.

Hagenbach was cast not only into prison but into irons.  All fear of and respect for his authority was thrown to the winds, his offer of fourteen thousand florins as ransom being sternly refused.

Deputations came from the confederation to congratulate the officials de facto and to promise aid.  The next step gave the lie direct to the message sent to Charles upholding his authority while protesting against his lieutenant.  Sigismund was urged to return to his own without further delay for legal formalities with his creditor.  He assented.  On April 30th, accordingly, the Austrian duke arrived in Brisac and picked up the reins of authority which he had joyfully dropped four years previously.