Battle of Héricourt


The Battle of Héricourt, fought on 13 November 1474, was part of the Burgundian Wars, and resulted in victory for the Old Swiss Confederacy and a defeat for Burgundy and its allies.[1]

Battle of Héricourt
Part of the Burgundian Wars

Battle as depicted in the Zürcher Schilling.
Date8 November 1474
Location
Héricourt, Haute-Saône
Result Battle won by the Swiss and their allies
Belligerents

 Burgundian State

English archers		  Swiss Confederates
 Strasbourg
 Basel
 Colmar
  Sélestat
Commanders and leaders
Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy

Henri de Neuchâtel-Blamont
Wilhelm Herter, (Lower League)
Niklaus von Scharnachthal (Bern)
Willi Techtermann, (Freiburg)
Strength
12000 men (6800 soldiers and 5000 Italians from the duke of Romont) 18000 men (approx. 10000 Austrians, Alsatians and men from the Lower League)
Casualties and losses
approx. 3000 dead approx. 400 dead

The Swiss and their allies (Lower League, Austrian cities of Alsace, Swabian imperial cities) set out on their campaign immediately after war was declared on Charles the Bold. One army entered Alsace via Basel and a second via Porrentruy.[2] On 8 November 1474 they besieged Héricourt, Haute-Saône, which controlled the road from the Sundgau to Burgundy. They were opposed by 12,000 Burgundians under the command of Henri de Neuchâtel-Blamont. The Swiss defeated the Burgundian cavalry with the help of the Austrian cavalry in two battles.

On the 13th November at noon, the Swiss received a report of the approaching reinforcements. They broke their siege and attacked the Burgundians under the leadership of Bernese Nicholas II von Scharnachthal, north of Héricourt. With the help of the Habsburg cavalry, they beat the Burgundian cavalry in two battles with little losses. When the decimated troops withdrew, the main power of the allies followed them through the valley of the Lisaine. At the same time, a smaller corps of men from Bern and Lucerne moved through the forested hills and attacked the enemy troops at Chenebier. A final battle occurred at the height of Frahier. When a defeat threatened here, too, the Burgundians fled in all directions. Subsequently, on the 17th November Héricourt's garrison surrendered and fell into Austrian hands. The Burgundians had lost more than three thousand men in these battles, while the Swiss had few losses.[3] The inhabitants of the city were allowed to leave the village and take their belongings with them. The castle was handed over to Duke Sigismund.

The battle was one of the first using hand-held guns.[4]

See also

References
  2. Diebold Schilling: Amtliche Berner Chronik. Band 3, S. 276 (e-codices.unifr.ch).
  3. Rudolf Wackernagel: Der Kampf mit Burgund. In: Geschichte der Stadt Basel. Band 2, Teil 1, 6. Buch, Verlag von Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel 1911, S. 77–78 (Volltext [Wikisource]).
  4. The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1363-1477 Robert Douglas Smith, Kelly DeVries; Boydell Press, 2005 page 36, ISBN 978-1843831624

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