BOUVINES

. On Sunday, July 27, 1214, a massive and violent battle took place at the bridge of Bouvines, south of Tournai, in the county of Flanders. On one side fought the German emperor, Otto IV of Brunswick; William, earl of Salisbury and half-brother of King John of England; Ferrand of Portugal, count of Flanders and Hainaut; William, count of Holland; and Henri I, duke of Brabant. Also present were the rebellious nobles of France, Renaud de Dammartin, count of Boulogne, and Hugo, the baron of Boves. Opposing them was the king of France, Philip Augustus. Backing Philip morally and financially was Pope Innocent III; the prince-bishop of Liege, Hugues de Pierrepont, also sent troops to fight for the French.

The two armies joined in a tripartite battle. The allied left wing, composed mostly of Flemish mounted knights under Ferrand, met a similarly composed French right wing. In the center, Otto IV, with German knights and infantry, faced Philip with his strongest soldiers. Finally, the allied right wing, composed largely of English and Boulognese infantry under Renaud de Dammartin, faced a similar French force. Before long, it became apparent that the strength and unity of the French army, more experienced in military affairs, having fought frequently in tournaments and in the Crusades, were superior to that of the allied armies. The battle lasted only three hours; the allied left wing was defeated and their center fled, leaving only Renaud de Dammartin’s troops to continue the battle. But despite a valiant effort on their part, the Boulognese eventually succumbed to the continual French attacks. Philip Augustus and the French were victorious.

Many contemporary chroniclers compare the Battle of Bouvines to a tournament, describing the brilliance of the armor and the grandeur of the heraldic banners, which included the fleur-de-lis, the oriflamme of Saint-Denis, and the German imperial eagle with dragon. Few died on either side, with an estimated death toll of 169 allied knights but only two French knights. Henri of Brabant, Hugo de Boves, and Otto fled from the battlefield, while at least five counts (Ferrand of Portugal, William of Salisbury, Renaud de Dammartin, William of Holland, and Otto of Tecklenburg), twenty-five other nobles, and 139 knights were captured and imprisoned.

The loss at Bouvines meant the end of Otto IV. By 1215, Frederick II of Sicily, an opposing candidate to the imperial throne, had the acceptance of all of Germany, and Otto’s reign ended. The failure of Bouvines also forced King John of England, then campaigning in Poitou, to return home and later to conclude the Peace of Chinon, which virtually ended England’s chance to regain its Angevin lands. For his victory, Philip gained not only continued papal friendship, the English lands in France, and an alliance with Germany, but effective control over the rich but troublesome Low Countries.

Kelly De Vries

[See also: PHILIP II AUGUSTUS]

Cartellieri, Alexander. Die Schlacht bei Bouvines (27Juli 1214) in Rahmen der europaischen Politik. Leipzig: Dyksche Buchhandlung, 1914.

Duby, Georges. Le dimanche de Bouvines. Paris: Gallimard, 1973.

Lot, Ferdinand. L ’art militaire et les armees a au moyen age. 2 vols. Paris: Payot, 1946, Vol. 1. Oman, Sir Charles. A History ofthe Art ofWar in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed. London: Methuen,

1924, Vol. 1.

Verbruggen, J. F. The Art of Warfare in Western Europe During the Middle Ages, trans. Sumner Willard and S. C.M. Southern. Amsterdam: North Holland, 1977.