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MEDIEVAL BATTLES

Listed below are some of the battles which were fought all over Europe. These battles often left thousands dead on the battlefield. The shields of the dead were identified by their family coat of arms.

	Medieval battles were often depicted in paintings and manuscripts, which in some cases were the only records of these events.
Combat of Thirty c.1351

Medieval Battles

Battle of Beasweiler, 20 August 1371
The persistent struggles between noblemen and towns drove some princes to ally themselves with burghers against common enemies. During the summer of 1371 Duke Wenceslas of Brabant agreed to ally with the men of Cologne in a movement against Count William of Jülich. A member of knights from Cologne placed themselves under the banner of Brabant. In July a number of infantry, including archers, were sent against Gottfried Von Heinsberg, Williams's brother-in-law. Wenceslas gathered about 8,000 men by mid-August, including numerous veterans from Brabant, Limburger and Luxemburg. Namur and the Bishopric of Luttich also sent contingents. Having reviewed his men at Maastricht on 20 August, Wenceslas led his army through the lands of Falkenburg into those of the Count of Jülich. He halted near Baesweiler north of Aachen, and began to burn the surrounding area to draw his opponent on. It was not long before he received new that the enemy was approaching. He drew up his army in two divisions, on of 6,000 men under his personal command and that of the Count of St Paul, the other of 2,000 men under Robert of Namur. William himself soon appeared, supported by Eduard Von Geldern and William Von Berg, two Counts of Nassau, the Count of Katzenellenbogen and many others including a number of Westphalian troops. The battle, which ensued, opened favorably for Wenceslas, and the Brabantines seemed to be gaining the advantage. However, in his triumph the Duke failed to guard his flank adequately. Eduard Von Geldern's division was still dangerous, and he seized his chance to swing his men against the side of the enemy host. Seeing the confusion thus caused, Count William urged his flagging troops back to the press, and the Brabantines broke. Wenceslas held his ground with 300 knights but was finally captured. Eduard lay dead, slain as he raised his visor to drink.

Battle of Döffingen, 23 August 1388
Threatened by the powerful Rhennish League of towns, a number of princes began to unite in a league of their own. This included the Count of Württemberg, the Burgrave of Nuremberg, the Margrave of Baden and the Count of Palatine of the Rhine. Lesser nobles also sided with the princes, and even French and other foreign lords were invited to join. The Rhennish League had brought together a host that had been active since January. It plundered and burned the fields and villages of the hostile princes, notably the possessions of Eberhard, the hated Count of Württemberg. Swabia was also badly mauled. The army of the League consisted of 700 or 800 gleven and 1,100 to 2,000 infantry drawn from the 39 towns, which made up its membership, such as Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg and Ulm. In mid-August the League's army advanced towards Döffingen in Württemberg, and the country folk hurried with their property towards the solid church buildings of the town. For a while the church was invested by the invading army, but this was broken off when news arrived that the forces of the League of Princes were approaching. The nobles had raised between 600 and 1,100 gleven and a larger number of peasants from the Country of Württemberg, variously reported as between 2,000 and 6,000. The two armies came face to face outside the town. The knights of the League of Princes were eager for victory, and attacked in disorder. Their onslaught was held by the townsmen, who apparently handled them severely. Count Ulrich, the son of Eberhard, fell with many other mounted men. Then Eberhard himself rose to the occasion, riding round his disgruntled soldiers and urging on the levies with cries that the enemy was fleeing. At about the same time 100 fresh gleven arrived from Bitsch and Rosenfeld. The knights and levies formed together and attacked vigorously, driving back the men of the town League until they broke and fled. The mercenary units from Franconia and the Rhine were accused of being the first to turn and run, while the Count of Henneberg, who led the Nurembergers, was accused of treachery. Others blamed the Burgermeister of Ulm for the defeat, saying it was the flight of his contingent, which caused it. It is not know if the peasants who sheltered in the church at Döffingen played any significant role in the battle. The use of knights and peasants together to win a victory might suggest the influence of Swiss ideas, but the latter were not subject to the nobility. For the great town League the battle was a turning point. The confederation was still dangerous, as they demonstrated when Regensburg defeated a force sent by the nobility; but only three months after Döffingen the Rhennish towns suffered a setback when their forces were caught in a defile by Robert, the Count Palatine, with a loss of 150 townsmen.

Battle of Mühldorf, 28 September 1322
On the death of Emperor Henry VII two rivals claimed the crown: Ludwig of Bavaria and Frederick the Handsome of the House of Habsburg. After a double election, clashes occurred under the walls of Aesling, which was allied with the other cities in the high Neckar. Ludwig declared himself their protector, and was joined by John, King of Bohemia and by troops of the Elector of Trèves. The Swabian towns were called upon to supply contingents of foot, as were those in the Rhineland. Ludwig marched into lower Bavaria, and soon encountered Frederick on the right bank of the River Inn near the town of Mühldorf. Frederick is said to have had as many as 30,000 men including not only his own Austrian forces but also numbers of Hungarians and Cumans. Ludwig was perhaps stronger in numbers, and was eager to force a battle as Frederick’s brother, Leopold was about 18 miles away with reinforcements. Having spent the night of the 21st September at the castle of Dornberg, Ludwig decided to attack the following morning. His army was drawn up in four divisions, as was that of his adversary. Ludwig wore a blue surcoat with a white cross, and took position among his Bavarian knights. On the opposing side Frederick commanded personally while his younger brother Henry led another troop under the Austrian banner. The fact that Frederick accepted battle has puzzled many historians. It has been suggested that his retreat was cut off, or that he was overconfident and expected his brother to arrive in time. As it happened, Leopold delayed while ravaging the borders of the Lech, and never arrived to join the fighting. Matters are complicated by addition of legendary tales to rather obscure evidence. On the left wing of Ludwig’s army the Bohemian and Silesian knights of King John clashed with the Austrian and Tyrolian troops of Henry. In the combat that followed Henry was at one point thrown from his horse. As midday approached the Austrians began to push back the forces under Ludwig. It was now that the Bavarian foot were brought into action. Led, according to legend, by a native of Franconia called Siegfried Schweppermann, the burghers of Munich and a number of dismounted horsemen came upon the Austrians and cut a path into their ranks. Ludwig was only narrowly saved from capture. As the battle began to turn the Burgrave Frederick of Nuremberg, held in reserve by Ludwig and (so it is asserted) wearing Austrian colours to deceive Frederick, was launched with 500 knights against the disorganized enemy. This proved to much; the Hungarians and Cumans in the rear turned and fled. Frederick refused to flee, wishing to die with honour. A lance thrust felled his horse and he was forced to surrender to Frederick of Nuremberg. One Austrian account asserted that 500 Bohemian cavalrymen had surrendered, but broke parole to assist the Burgrave. Austrian losses are estimated to have been around 1,300. Frederick was imprisoned for three years before becoming joint emperor with Ludwig.

Battle of Pillenreuth, 11 March 1450
To meet the threat posed by the powerful Albrecht Achilles of Habsburg, the men of Ulm in Lucerne decided to build up their forces in preparation for a confrontation. They recruited foot soldiers from Nuremberg, as well as a number of nobles from Germany and Bohemia; and Swiss troops also came to add weight to the town forces. Hans Mullner had been instructed to recruit 600 men, but ended up with 1,000 mercenaries in the pay of the burghers. The Nurembergers were put under the command of a Swiss officer, Henry of Malters. They were mustered for the march with the other allies plus burghers and peasants. Malters stipulated that each man should have a crossbow, handgun or halberd. He disliked "little evil spears" and preferred the soldiers to use the halberd or long pike, as his own Swiss infantry did. Each man was also requested to carry a sword, axe or knife. Together with a wagenburg the forces set out, a total of about 2,800 foot and 600 horse. The army plundered their way via Hembach, they cross the Rednitz, and finally came upon the forces of Albrecht Achilles, who advanced to attack. There was much shooting from both sides, but neither side could gain an advantage and the combat was broken off. Shortly afterwards Albrecht sent a message to the town forces inviting them to come and fish in the pond at Pillenreuth. On 11 March the challenge was accepted, and 400 or 500 cavalry together with 4,000 foot soldiers marched out. Their ranks included mercenaries in the service of the town: men like Kug Von Kaufigen who later won fame as a robber prince, and Henry Von Plauen who led the Nurembergers. When they reached Pillenreuth a wedge was formed. Henry challenged five knights to form the point, with three ranks of knights behind and men-at-arms in the rear to from a solid mass of 300 men. The Nuremberg foot and missile troops supported them. When the forces of Albrecht Achilles met the town army they wished to destroy the pikes of the Swiss contingent first. They were not successful in destroying the Swiss contingent, and the mounted troops were beaten back and routed.

Battle of Seckenheim, 30 June 1462
The Battle of Seckenheim was one of the results of the perpetual feuding and power seeking which wracked the Empire. Elector Frederick, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, confronted the Margrave of Baden, Count Ulrich of Württemberg, the Bishop of Metz, and the Bishop of Speyer, who were laying waste to his territories. Having raised a force of about 1,00 horse and 2,000 foot Frederick marched out and surprised his enemies in an angle between the Rivers Rhine, and the Neckar. Their position was more dangerous because Frederick had fielded number of provincial levies and outnumbered the forces of the allies. At first the two sides seemed evenly matched, and the allies put up a spirited resistance. However, they then came up against the wall of foot soldiers who stood in square formations with long pikes, and who included in their ranks a number of Swiss mercenaries. Against these troops the cavalry could make no headway, losing their mounts as they strove to cut a path into the ranks. Thus disorganized, they were attacked by fresh squadron of Palatinate knights, and were soon routed. The allies are said to have lost as few as 45 men in action, the Count Palatine only lost eight. The Margrave of Baden, the Count of Württemberg and the Bishop of Metz fell into captivity, the Margrave and the Bishop both badly wounded.

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