Battle of Bouvines 27th July 1214
Some thoughts on Bouvines- An important but unknown battle
Hope all blog readers are surviving these strange times . I have quite a number of blog-posts half written, but am not in position to cross reference my work with lockdown being in place and the closure of libraries . Decided instead to share my thoughts about the Battle of Bouvines 1214. Never recall this battle being mentioned at school, yet the defeat of the alliance between England, Flanders and the Holy Roman empires ( and others) at the hands of Philip of Augustus of France had a far reaching impact on Western Europe. Said defeat was also a major contention leading to Magna Carta. Strange how relatively unknown the battle is in the English speaking world, though certainly some historians acknowledge the significance of the battle- Marc Morris maintained that " today Bouvines is being recognised as being important in the making of France as Hastings in the making of England"
( 'King John,Treachery Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta'.
The village of Bouvines is now located in the French region of Nord-Pas-Des Calais, though in 1214 Bouvines was part of Flanders. King John had organised and funded an international coalition against Philip II of France : , the main parties being Holy Roman Emperor Otto of Brunswick ( King's John's nephew), Ferrand count of Flanders, William 'the Hairy'-Count of Holland, Count of Boulogne -who was no longer in control of his region, Henry of Louvain, Duke of Brabant, English mercenaries commanded by Hugh de Boves. Finally King John's half brother William Longspee Earl of Salisbury commanded the main English forces.
King John landed in the Loire Valley near La Rochelle in February 1214. It seems that the intention was to lure Philip's forces further south, whilst the King John's allies advanced from the north. On 27th July 1214, John was at Bouteville 100 miles north of Bordeaux and some 400 miles from Bouvines, Bouteville is quite close to Angouleme , the county where John's wife Isabelle was from. Phillip was travelling from Lille towards the Flemish province of Hainhault but his foes caught up, leaving him to face the 13th century version of a 'coalition' against France, a forerunner of the type that was launched during the French Revolution/Napoleonic wars.
The battle took place on on a Sunday which was unusual , and lasted four hours. Initially a French cavalry charge was held back by Flemish and German pikemen.Part of theeir technique was to use a pike with a hook attached, that could drag a knight off his horse. Philip managed to use the remainder of his cavalry in a direct engagement with Otto's main forces. There were some dramatic moments. King Philip was unhorsed ,but saved by his armour. Emperor Otto's horse turned and bolted from the battlefield at a key moment, giving the impression that he was fleeing, and some of his forces followed him. Philip was therefore in a position to confront the English forces and achieve victory. The lack of coordination between the partners in a hastily convened military alliance, and question of command possibly worked to French advantage. The number of knights on both sides seemed matched, though the anti-French forces had a larger number of infantry.
One account of the battle can be found in the 'Philipiad' by William of Breton, chaplain to King Philip. Incredible observations of the ferocity and the claustrophobia of the battle.
Song XI, verses 116-32 ( Philippiad )
"While Farrand in fighting ; arouses courage in his men, lances are shattering, swords and daggers hit each other, combatants split each other's heads with their two sided axes,and their lowered swords plunge into the bowels of the horses, when the iron protection that covers the bodies of the masters prevents iron from penetrating; then. Those who are carried then fall with those carrying them; and become easier to vanquish thus when they are throw into the dust. But even then, iron can not reach them unless their bodies are disposed of the iron protecting ; then so much has each knight covered his members with several layers of iron and enclosed his chest with armour, pieces of leather and other types of breastplate. "
William of Breton goes on to describe how " the irruption of the combatants is so lively all over the field and those who are hitting or are hit are so close to each other that they can barely find the place or the opportunity to stretch their arms so as to strike more strongly. "
The knights would wear silk 'colours' marking who they were over their armour. This of course greatly assisted the whole ransom process as 'valuable' knights could identified for capture. William also noted that in the cut and thrust of the fighting, said silk was getting ripped into a "thousand shreds by maces, swords and lances which are pounding on the armour so as to break it that each combatant call barely distinguish his friends from his enemies. "
The French victory ensured that the chances of England ever reclaiming the Duchy of Normandy
( effectively lost in 1204) with the Angevin possessions of Anjou and Maine, were now quite remote. This restoration was a key policy for John for some years now, and generated a great deal of taxation on the part of the Crown. The war has to be viewed as an investment. A victory would lead to booty and demands of financial compensation from the losing side. Yet after losing at Bouvines, John sailed back to England. The defeat worsened King John's position at home, and a rebellion against the Crown took place :In just over two years, King John died at Newark on 19th October 1216, with with huge swathes of England under the control of rebel barons and their ally the French crown prince Louis. Again, the French invasion of England in 1216 in support of the rebels would unlikely have happened without the Bouvines victory inspiring the French crown .
Yet the Battle of Bouvines was more than another chain of battles between England and France.An alliance of hostile forces ranged against France had been defeated. It is said that the students of Paris partied for a week in celebration of the victory. The defeat at Bouvines saw Emperor Otto losing support amongst the various lesser rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, who began to shift their allegiances to Philip's ally, King Frederick of Sicily. On 24th July 1215-just as King John was facing his own showdown, Frederick was crowned as Holy Roman emperor at Aachen. Count Ferrand of Flanders was captured at Bouvines, and was not released until 1226, having to pay 50,000 livres. Whilst in captivity, his wife Joanna was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Paris of 24th October 1214. This effectively gave Philip rule over Flanders, and a number of key Flemish fortresses were demolished. Some 700 captured mercenaries from Brabant who fought against Philip , were put to death. The Count of Boulogne was also captured. The Earl of Salisbury was clubbed and unhorsed by the Bishop of Beavais, his helmet was shattered in the process. He too was taken prisoner.
And all this was to the gain of Philip II and the rise of France as a nation, changing the balance of power in Europe for centuries to come . Paris began to rise to predominance as a centre for learning and culture.....the French crown began to increase its influence on the Papacy.
Further reading
There are a number of works I would like to have consulted but currently not in a position to do so. Have looked at the following sources. Again I stress that I do not necessarily agree with all the conclusions cited in the source material. Moreover, all interpretations, misrepresentations and errors are my own responsibility, not the fault of any author whose work I have referred to.
Magna Carter Project page on 'Bouvines' by Sophie Ambler
The Most Important Battle That You Have Never Heard Of Article by Hugh Schofield from 2014
Accounts of the battle of Bouvines from Medieval chroniclers available from 'De Re Militari' website, 'The Society for Medieval History' .
For the account of the battle itself, have drawn on ' King John, England Magna Carta, and the Making of a Tyrant' by Stephen Church , Macmillan, 2015
To a lesser extent have looked at 'King John' by W.L.Warren, Eyre & Spottiswood, 1961
and
'King John,Treachery Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta' , Marc Morris , Hutchinson 2015
Other projects by Michael Bully
World War 2 Poetry Blog established in 2016
A Burnt Ship 17th century War & Literature Blog
Not entirely forgotten - as a Salisbury Cathedral Tower Guide, I mention it when discussing the history of the Cathedral before leading the tour up the tower. Of course, such tours are now suspended and we know not when they will start again.
ReplyDeleteThank you Unknown. Glad that Bouvines is getting a mention. I hope to visit Salisbury Cathedral in the near future, whenever it is open for visits. Very tempted by a tour.
DeleteInteresting article. France location in the center of western Europe was uneasy. So many times France faced an international alliance of her ennemies.
ReplyDeleteThank you Edouard. Indeed, reading about King John's organising and funding of an alliance of different lands against France reminded me of the anti -French coalitions of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. I am sure that it happened in other centuries as well. The following post in the blog looks at King John's attempts to turn England into a maritime power. The French victory at Bouvines guaranteed that France could keep the coastal territories that were gained ten years before, and was therefore far more of a threat to England.
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