Battle of Bulgnéville
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The Battle of Bulgnéville
fought on 2 July 1431 . The battle was fought between two cousins René I d'Anjou and Antoine de Vaudémont over partition of the Duchy of Lorraine after the death of Duke Charles II
. Although René was defeated and captured, the result was reversed by diplomatic means in the years following.
. Unfortunately, the French troops were inexperienced and not properly integrated. Pfalzgraf Ludwig III
, brother-in-law of the deceased duke, sent 500 knights.
into Lorraine and were withdrawing, pursued by the army of Duke René. The two forces met one kilometer south of Vaudoncourt
. Vaudémont's army placed themselves on a gentle slope, with trees and a stream behind to cover their rear. The army dismounted and the horses and baggage were placed to the rear of the army. The army's archers, mainly Picards, were deployed behind stakes
on the flanks and in front of the men-at-arms in the centre. The Burgundians also deployed cannons with their archers.
Duke Renés' army dismounted, except for a body of 200 lances
on their left, and advanced to the attack. They were subjected to a cannonade and volleys of arrows, which caused the inexperienced troops to waiver. The Burgundians seeing this attacked down the hill and Duke René's army broke and fled, leaving 1000 men dead. The battle was very short, taking at most an hour, the critical part only a quarter of an hour.
Barbazan was killed (he was later buried on the orders of Charles VII in the Basilica of Saint-Denis , the necropolis of the kings of France). René d'Anjou, however, fell into the hands of Toulongeon, who passed him on to the Duke of Burgundy. His captivity was to be long and ultimately expensive.
opposed him. Sigismund declared against Vaudémont at an arbitration court in Basel in 1434, awarding Lorraine to René. Philip of Burgundy arranged that a marriage be contracted between René's daughter, Yolande , and Antoine's son Frederick which, due to their youth, was only fulfilled in 1445. The marriage of René's heir John and Mary de Bourbon, Philip's niece, in 1444, gave additional stability to the peace.
Bulgnéville
Bulgnéville is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-History:The Battle of Bulgnéville took place there on 2 July 1431.A major employer is the cheese factory of the Hermitage, which makes Le Brouère.-External links:*...
fought on 2 July 1431 . The battle was fought between two cousins René I d'Anjou and Antoine de Vaudémont over partition of the Duchy of Lorraine after the death of Duke Charles II
Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
Charles II , called the Bold was the duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425....
. Although René was defeated and captured, the result was reversed by diplomatic means in the years following.
Background
Duke Charles II was determined in the absence of a son that his daughter Isabella was to inherit from him. In 1420 she was married to Rene d'Anjou, who, a year earlier, had taken over the Duchy of Bar. Charles' will was contested by his nephew, Antoine de Vaudémont, in his own lifetime, after which Charles disinherited him. Charles made attacks on Antoine's property which came to nothing, because Antoine had found a powerful ally in Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. After Charles' death in January 1431, Antoine renewed his fight for the duchy.The armies
Antoine de Vaudémont had 4000 cavalry and 5000 infantry, largely Burgundian but also Picards and a small contingent of English, under the command of Antoine de Toulongeon, the Marshal of the Duke of Burgundy. Duke René had support from his brother, the French king Charles VII, who sent an army of 4,000 cavalry and 6000 infantry under the command of the old soldier Arnaud Guillaume de BarbazanArnaud Guillaume de Barbazan
Arnaud Guillaume , Seigneur de Barbazan, was a counsellor and butler to Charles VII of France and later a general during the Hundred Years' War who earned for himself the name of the Irreproachable Knight.He was one of the chief Armagnacs, a fervent partisan of...
. Unfortunately, the French troops were inexperienced and not properly integrated. Pfalzgraf Ludwig III
Louis III, Elector Palatine
Louis III, Count Palatine of the Rhine , was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach in 1410–1436....
, brother-in-law of the deceased duke, sent 500 knights.
The battle
The Burgundian army had carried out a chevauchéeChevauchée
A chevauchée was a raiding method of medieval warfare for weakening the enemy, focusing mainly on wreaking havoc, burning and pillaging enemy territory, in order to reduce the productivity of a region; as opposed to siege warfare or wars of conquest...
into Lorraine and were withdrawing, pursued by the army of Duke René. The two forces met one kilometer south of Vaudoncourt
Vaudoncourt
Vaudoncourt may refer to the following places in France:* Vaudoncourt, Meuse, a commune in the Meuse department* Vaudoncourt, Vosges, a commune in the Vosges department...
. Vaudémont's army placed themselves on a gentle slope, with trees and a stream behind to cover their rear. The army dismounted and the horses and baggage were placed to the rear of the army. The army's archers, mainly Picards, were deployed behind stakes
Archer's stake
An archer's stake was an anti-cavalry defence used by longbowmen in the 15th and 16th centuries.-Origins:At the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 Turkish archers were stationed behind a barrier of stakes...
on the flanks and in front of the men-at-arms in the centre. The Burgundians also deployed cannons with their archers.
Duke Renés' army dismounted, except for a body of 200 lances
Lances fournies
The Lances fournies was a medieval army squad that would have surrounded a knight in battle, consisting of a small team built of squires, men-at-arms , archers, attendants and the knight himself...
on their left, and advanced to the attack. They were subjected to a cannonade and volleys of arrows, which caused the inexperienced troops to waiver. The Burgundians seeing this attacked down the hill and Duke René's army broke and fled, leaving 1000 men dead. The battle was very short, taking at most an hour, the critical part only a quarter of an hour.
Barbazan was killed (he was later buried on the orders of Charles VII in the Basilica of Saint-Denis , the necropolis of the kings of France). René d'Anjou, however, fell into the hands of Toulongeon, who passed him on to the Duke of Burgundy. His captivity was to be long and ultimately expensive.
Results
Antoine de Vaudémont believed himself the victor, but could not take over the rule of Lorraine, as the Holy Roman Emperor SigismundSigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
opposed him. Sigismund declared against Vaudémont at an arbitration court in Basel in 1434, awarding Lorraine to René. Philip of Burgundy arranged that a marriage be contracted between René's daughter, Yolande , and Antoine's son Frederick which, due to their youth, was only fulfilled in 1445. The marriage of René's heir John and Mary de Bourbon, Philip's niece, in 1444, gave additional stability to the peace.
Further reading
- Bertrand Schnerb: Bulgneville (1431) L'état bourguignon prend pied en Lorraine. 1993, éditions Economica Paris.
- G. Poull: La bataille de Bulgneville, 2 juillet 1431st Ses prisonniers et ses morts, in: Les Cahiers d'Histoire, de biographie et de généalogie, I, 1965.