Battle of Bouvines

The battles of Bouvines took place Sunday July 27th 1214. She opposed the French royal troops of Philippe Auguste, reinforced by the militia communal and supported by Frederic II of Hohenstaufen, with a anglo-germano-Flemish coalition carried out by Othon IV.

Context

See also: Capétiens against Plantagenêt

In 1214, the kingdom is threatened: Jean without Ground succeeded in assembling a coalition with Renaud de Dammartin, the count de Boulogne, the count Guillaume Ier of Holland, Ferrand, wire junior by the king of Portugal and count de Flandre and especially Othon IV, Germanic Roman Emperor. The majority of the lords installed between the the Scheldt and the the Rhine will join this coalition. The previous year, whereas Philippe Auguste guerroyait already against Ferrand of Flanders, the English had destroyed the French fleet in the wearing of Lady (May 31st 1213). United consider a plan of invasion of scale in which the English troops of Jean without Ground will attack by La Rochelle and Othon and its allies by North. In Flanders, Philippe Auguste controls nothing any more but the towns of Douai and Cassel.

Philippe Auguste dispatches prince Louis - the future Louis VIII of France - to keep the Loire with the head of an army of 14.000 men. The prince demolishes the English army with the Bataille of the Rock-with-Monks, close to Angers, the July 2nd 1214, grace, in particular, with the heroic resistance of the fortress ordered by the Sénéchal of Anjou Guillaume of the Rocks.

With the news of this victory, Philippe Auguste decides to take the initiative on the northern face with the remainder of his army, before the Lorraine and German reinforcements do not join the troops of the emperor.

Before the battle

Othon and its army arrive on July 12th at Nivelle and move towards Valencians. July 23rd, the army of Philippe Auguste leaves Péronne to arrive at Douai the 26. The king intends to cut his enemies of the reinforcements coming from Germany and tries to surprise Othon by the North-East. The emperor has wind of the operation of Philippe Auguste and moves with Mortagne with a few miles of the royal army. Philippe Auguste is conscious of his numerical inferiority and decides to fold up himself on Lille. We are on Sunday, July 27, the French Army must cross the Marque and borrow the bridge of Bouvines; although the Église prohibits it, Othon, already excommunicated, decides to launch the aggression on the French rear-guard. Philippe Auguste is in the obligation to engage the battle.

Involved forces

Today still, the involved forces cause controversies. Traditional French historiography often refers to united troops three times more than those of king de France. Philippe Contamine is not of this opinion: Opposite, its adversaries did not have an obvious numerical superiority . Philippe Auguste then launches a call to the communes of the north of France, in order to obtain their contest. Seventeen of the thirty-nine communes of the state capétien answer the call. Arras sends 1000 militiamans, the area of Abbeville 2000 men… On the whole, the royal army would reach 20.000 combatants.

The royal army is divided into three battles. The central battle is carried out by Philippe Auguste and his principal knights - Guillaume of the Bars, Barthélemy de Roye, Girard the Sow, Guillaume de Garlande, Enguerrand III of Coucy and Gautier de Nemours. The right wing, made up knights Champagne and Burgundian, is ordered by the duke Eudes of Burgundy and its lieutenants: Left-handed III of Châtillon count of Saint-pol., the count Guillaume Ier de Sancerre, the count de Beaumont and Mathieu de Montmorency and the Viscount Adam II of Melun. The left wing, made up knights and Piétaille is taken along by Robert de Dreux and the count Guillaume de Ponthieu.

Othon also divided its army into three group. The center remains under its command and that of Thiébaud, duke of Lorraine, and Henri, duke of the Brabant and the count Philippe II of Courtenay-Namur: one finds there soldiers Saxon, knights and infantrymen let us brabançons and German. The right side, under the orders of Renaud de Dammartin, also includes/understands of the infantry brabançonne and the English knights - under the orders of the count de Salisbury Guillaume de Longuépée - and Flemish - directed by Arnaud d' Audenarde.

The battle

The first shock made clash the forces of Eudes of Burgundy and the left wing of the army of Othon, ordered by Ferrand of Flanders. The knights charge vigorously and at the end of a few hours, Ferrand goes, devoting the rout of the left side of Othon.

The confrontation in the center on the other hand is initially dominated by the infantry of the emperor, with the objective to kill Philippe Auguste. This last is besides during a moment at the thank you of the German soldiers and in extremis owes its safety only with the intervention of its knights, and in particular of a small Picardy lord, Wallon of Montigny Carotte. This one seeing Philippe Auguste in bad posture, collects the royal standard which was on the ground and vigorously agitates it with the top of its head to alert the French knights and to allow to release the king. A few moments later, it is with the turn of Othon to be the subject of an attempt at occision and it owes its safety only with its escape of the battle fields.

Robert de Dreux is with the sorrow. Its troops are first of all inserted by the men led by Guillaume de Longuépée and Renaud de Dammartin and are obliged to defend the bridge of Bouvines step by step. Guillaume de Longuépée ends up being captured and its English soldiers relax themselves. Renaud de Dammartin, the last to resist savagely on the battle field ends up going to the sight of the general rout of his allies.

The victory of Philippe Auguste is total, his losses as tiny men and a good part of the united lords is between her hands.

After the battle, assessment

According to Jean Favier, Bouvines is one of the decisive battles and symbolic systems of the French history . For Philippe Contaminates, the battle of Bouvines had at the same time important consequences and a great repercussion . Othon flees and loses its crown; the Saint Germanic Roman Empire bursts of pieces. Ferrand of Flanders spends fifteen years in prison to Louvre. Dispossessed of Normandy, of Maine, of Anjou of Touraine and Brittany since 1206, Jean Without Ground ceases the hostilities to France, and regains England. To save his crown, Jean without Ground is constrained to grant to his barons the Large Charter (1215). French side, the dynasty capétienne leaves reinforced while recent acquisitions of Philippe Auguste on Jean without Ground are consolidated. Contrary to Jean without Ground, Philippe Auguste is from now on the uncontested referee above his barons. The return of Philippe Auguste to Paris is triumphal; these festivities - * which will last 6 days - will be exploited by monarchy to make some, not without abuse, one of the first manifestations of the national unit: Philippe Auguste written with the University of Paris: Rent God! , because we have just escaped the most serious danger which could us threaten… . After Bouvines, peace lasts in France until in 1337. It is the great peace of XIIIe century .

The shortly after this battle, Philippe Auguste founds the Abbaye of the Victoire - who will be integrated into the field of the bishop of Senlis in 1486.

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