The Battle of Bouvines on July 27, 1214, during the Anglo-French war from 1202 to 1214, between the troops of the French King Philip II Augustus and the Anglo-Flemish-German coalition, led by the Holy Roman Emperor Otton IV. It ended with the victory of the French and the strengthening of the royal court of France.
History
The French capture of vast territories in the north of the country violated the political equilibrium in Western Europe and led to the creation of an anti-French coalition that united the English king, German Emperor Otto IV, and great vassals of the French Crown and Lower Rhine. The unexpected death of Pedro II of Aragon prevented Aragon from joining the coalition.
Relying on the medium and small feudal lords, the church, the townspeople in the cities outside the royal domain with widely distributed liberties and privileges; Philip II Augustus successfully pursued a policy of collecting French lands in a single state. Philip largely managed to curb the feudal aristocracy, depriving it of its’ former independence. This was facilitated by the almost fourfold expansion of the royal domain, which made the French king the largest feudal owner in France.
The prominent participation in the coalition of the Germans with the Emperor at the head, as well as the British, gave this war with the French a national character, as a result of which, the vassals of the king who were members of the coalition were regarded as traitors. At the same time, the danger that threatened the clergy and the city communities in the event of the triumph of a purely feudal coalition gave the same war a clerical and class nature.
The decisive stage of the conflict began in 1214. Participants in the anti-French coalition decided to strike a combined blow: John from Aquitaine, Otto, the Flanders, Boulogne, Duke of Brabant and others – from Aachen. Philip Augustus went to meet Otto’s army. After a series of maneuvers between Valenciennes, Lille, Tourne, and Peronne, in May, the Allies concentrated on the banks of the river, near the border of Flanders. The French army, having completed assembly by July 23, began to move forward to meet the enemy. In response, the Allies sent part of their forces to Kurt and Lille to get around the left flank of the French, and go straight to Paris, and if the king decides to give battle, then break it. Having unraveled the enemy’s plan, Philippe, on July 27, began a retreat in the direction of Peronne in order to fight in the plain near Cambrai in order to take advantage of his superior cavalry. On July 28, one of the most famous battles of the European Middle Ages was held near the village of Bouvine on a plateau, surrounded by forests and marshes. Philip Augustus intended to exhaust the enemy with marches and sudden raids of cavalry, and force him to retreat; but Brother Guerin, the hospital knights and the elected bishop of Senlis, insisted on a decisive battle.
The battlefield at Bouvin was an open, slightly hilly plain bounded from the south, south-west, and west of the river, located on the right bank of this river, whose valley was swampy. The road from Tournai to Lille, passing through Bouvin and then across the bridge, was very important. This was the only way of retreat for the French army.
The Forces
It is believed that the French King had about 1,200 knights, up to a thousand cavalry and 4,500-5,000 infantry. Imperial forces were superior to the French; but did not have an overwhelming numerical superiority. The total number of troops that participated in the battle was overestimated in medieval chronicles. Some sources claimed that the number of soldiers reached 180,000.
Battle
The cavalry was in separate columns. Infantry was located in front of the knights. The task of infantry was to serve as a living shield for the cavalry. During the battle, the knights, as necessary, hid behind this shield. The battle itself took the form of separate clashes of groups of knights. There was no leadership. The Emperor and the King fought like ordinary knights. The outcome of the fierce battle remained unclear for a long time. Both leaders fell from their horses and barely escaped death. The decisive role was played by the attack of the right wing of the French army at the beginning of the battle, and then the organized offensive of the Duke of Burgundy, the Count de Beaumont, Mathieu II de Montmorency and Viscount de Melon. The desperate breakthrough of the Germans, led by the Emperor to the center of the French position, nearly changed the course of the battle, but a wounded horse dropped Otto, and he had to run away on foot until his men found another horse. The battle ended with a French victory. The decisive role in the victory of the French army was their heavy cavalry. It is also important to note that the French command was more informed, and was able to concentrate its’ forces better, provide control of the troops before and during the battle; despite the fact that the battle dissolved into many private clashes and even fights.
Consequences of the Battle
Troops of Philip II Augustus won an unconditional victory. The Battle of Bouvines was the culmination of not only this war, but also five previous decades of confrontation between the Capetians and the Plantagenets. For the first time in many years, the outcome of the campaign was decided in the field of battle, and the troops fought in closed battle formations. The French kingdom was spared the danger of losing a significant part of its’ territory. All previous conquests of the French king were confirmed and sealed. The victory at Bouvines became for Philip II August, an important way for the unification of the French state.
The defeat of the Allies had very sad consequences for each of them. English King John had weakened his already unstable position in England and the continent. In England, an uprising of the lords broke out, and as a result, the king was forced to make significant concessions to the aristocracy and cities, signing the Magna Carta. Emperor Otto, who lost a lot of loyal warriors as a result of the defeat, soon lost his crown.
Sources:
- Geisman PA The history of military art in the middle and new centuries (VI-XVIII century)
- Delbruck G. History of military art in the framework of political history
- Dyubi J. Battle of Buvin (July 27, 1214, Sunday)