When Charles II of Spain, the last Habsburg of the Spanish line, left the throne without an heir in 1700, the War of the Spanish Succession between the world powers. The Habsburgs, French and Bavarians each tried to bring their candidate to the throne. In changing alliances around the globe, large armies faced each other in the coalition wars. Through frequently changing alliances between Europe, Asia and America, the Dutch, Great Britain - and even Sweden and Russia - were also involved. But what does this have to do with Innsbruck?

In 1703, the Electorate of Bavaria, allied with France, laid claim to the County of Tyrol. In order to back up their supposed claim to Tyrol militarily, the Bavarians marched with 12,000 men via Kufstein into the Inn Valley. They were able to conquer the area around Innsbruck relatively quickly in order to unite with the troops of their French ally, who were marching from Italy towards Tyrol.

The defenders swore an oath of allegiance to the heart of Jesus and asked for heavenly assistance, a process that was to be repeated several times later. South Tyrolean and Upper Inn Valley troops, most of whom were quickly recruited from the rifle clubs, successfully stood up to the foreign powers. In a battle at the Pontlatzer Bridge near Landeck, the Tyrolean troops were able to celebrate a success that turned the tide. The numerically inferior Tyrolean riflemen were on a par with the large armies, which were trained and equipped for field battles, in guerrilla warfare in impassable terrain. They skilfully exploited their superior local knowledge and sniping skills. It was not until later that regular Habsburg troops from South Tyrol joined them. Thus, on 26 July, Saint Anne's Day, the Bavarian foreign rule was driven out of Innsbruck again. The interesting thing is that Elector Max Emanuel was not greeted with hostility by a large proportion of the citizens of Innsbruck, but rather with enthusiasm. The Boarische Rummel showed how different the political ideas of the urban and rural population in Tyrol were. 

The Boarische Rummel, wie der kurze Kampf um Tirol genannt wurde, klingt nur oberflächlich nach einem Scharmützel. 1704 kam es in der Schlacht von Höchstädt zu einer bayrischen Niederlage gegen die Habsburger. In der Folge besetzten österreichische Truppen München besetzen. Nun war es andersherum, die Bayern erhoben sich gegen die Habsburger. Unter anderem kam es dabei zur bekannten Sendlinger Mordweihnachtin which Habsburg troops massacred around 1000 soldiers who had actually already surrendered. The complicated relationship between the Habsburgs, Tyroleans, Innsbruckers and Bavarians, who dated their claims to Tyrol back to the time of late antiquity, was a phenomenon that accompanied the country for a long time. The Tyrolean farmers accused official Austria, not without justification, of neglecting national defence. In a wave of anger and hatred towards all those who had not defended themselves against the Bavarians and the French, violence also poured out against institutions such as Wilten Abbey, where the Bavarians had taken up quarters. The already historically poor relationship between the city and rural population was further exacerbated by the reception given to the Bavarian sovereign Max Emanuel by some of Innsbruck's citizens.