Battle of Hard
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Hard was the first large-scale battle in the Swabian War
, waged between the Imperials under the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I
and the Swiss Confederates
. The battle was fought on February 20, 1499, on a cold and foggy day, between 10,000 Imperial troops, mostly from the Swabia
n Circles, and a smaller number of Swiss troops, often called Reisläufer
.
The battle took place in the westernmost part of modern-day Austria
, in the vicinity of the southeast corner of Lake Constance
, roughly southwest of the town of Bregenz
. The Imperial army had deployed its advance guard between the towns of Lustenau
and Höchst
, south of the lake town of Hard
. On the morning of the battle the Imperial advance guard discovered the advanced guard of the invading Swiss army marching down the right bank of the Rhine, attacked it, and caused it to recoil toward Hard.
The surprised Imperials, alerted to the Swiss attack, hastily deployed themselves into battle order near the town of Lauterach
and set up their artillery. The Swiss main body had meanwhile arrived in the area of battle, and skillfully deployed its attack columns so as to deny the Imperials the maximum benefit of their artillery superiority.
Both armies were composed primarily of infantry, many of whom were armed with a very long spear called a spiess (pike
), others with a pole weapon
called a halberd
. These would be deployed in very deep infantry combat columns. Smaller bodies of men would skirmish around these columns, firing with crossbows or primitive muzzle-loading firearms called the arquebus
. The Imperial army had an artillery
train and a small force of armoured knights, although it is not known whether these fought on horseback, or, as was often their custom, on foot amongst the infantry pike columns.
The Swiss attack columns precipitously attacked the Imperial positions, staggered under the weight of the defensive fire from the Imperial artillery, but, propelled forward by their serious warfighting ethos, kept up the assault. Colliding with the Imperial infantry columns, the Swiss rapidly threw the Swabian forces into disorder, then rout.
The Swabians were unable to mount a fighting withdrawal, and as a result, many fleeing troops were massacred by the Swiss, as was their custom. The Swabian soldiers were aware of this custom, and a panic ensued. Some Imperial troops fled to Bregenz
, others attempted to board three nearby ships, which overturned in the chaos and sank, drowning many of the fleeing infantry and knights. Others sought hiding places where they could, and, ill-equipped to overnight in the prevailing terrible cold, died of exposure. Although the victorious Swiss performed at best a sloppy pursuit, focusing more on pillaging than on a systematic pursuit (another of their customs), by the end of the battle several thousand Swabian corpses nonetheless littered the battlefield, and were eventually buried in a mass grave outside the Chapel of Hard.
Swabian War
The Swabian War of 1499 was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Habsburg...
, waged between the Imperials under the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
and the Swiss Confederates
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
. The battle was fought on February 20, 1499, on a cold and foggy day, between 10,000 Imperial troops, mostly from the Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n Circles, and a smaller number of Swiss troops, often called Reisläufer
Swiss mercenaries
Swiss mercenaries were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment...
.
The battle took place in the westernmost part of modern-day Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in the vicinity of the southeast corner of Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, roughly southwest of the town of Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
. The Imperial army had deployed its advance guard between the towns of Lustenau
Lustenau
Lustenau is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the Dornbirn district. It lies on the Rhine River, which forms the border with Switzerland. Lustenau is Vorarlberg's fourth largest town in terms of inhabitants ....
and Höchst
Höchst, Austria
Höchst is a municipality in the district of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria.-References:...
, south of the lake town of Hard
Hard, Austria
Hard is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, directly on the Lake of Constance. It has a population of 11,471.Hard has a lot of attractions, like the Strandbad and the Grünerdamm.Hard is also famous for the big Skaterpark....
. On the morning of the battle the Imperial advance guard discovered the advanced guard of the invading Swiss army marching down the right bank of the Rhine, attacked it, and caused it to recoil toward Hard.
The surprised Imperials, alerted to the Swiss attack, hastily deployed themselves into battle order near the town of Lauterach
Lauterach
Lauterach is a market town in the district of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria. Its population was recorded as 9,183 in 2003.Honorary consulates of Finland, and the United Kingdom are located in Lauterach....
and set up their artillery. The Swiss main body had meanwhile arrived in the area of battle, and skillfully deployed its attack columns so as to deny the Imperials the maximum benefit of their artillery superiority.
Both armies were composed primarily of infantry, many of whom were armed with a very long spear called a spiess (pike
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
), others with a pole weapon
Pole weapon
A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range. Spears, glaives, poleaxes, halberds, and bardiches are all varieties of polearms...
called a halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
. These would be deployed in very deep infantry combat columns. Smaller bodies of men would skirmish around these columns, firing with crossbows or primitive muzzle-loading firearms called the arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
. The Imperial army had an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
train and a small force of armoured knights, although it is not known whether these fought on horseback, or, as was often their custom, on foot amongst the infantry pike columns.
The Swiss attack columns precipitously attacked the Imperial positions, staggered under the weight of the defensive fire from the Imperial artillery, but, propelled forward by their serious warfighting ethos, kept up the assault. Colliding with the Imperial infantry columns, the Swiss rapidly threw the Swabian forces into disorder, then rout.
The Swabians were unable to mount a fighting withdrawal, and as a result, many fleeing troops were massacred by the Swiss, as was their custom. The Swabian soldiers were aware of this custom, and a panic ensued. Some Imperial troops fled to Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
, others attempted to board three nearby ships, which overturned in the chaos and sank, drowning many of the fleeing infantry and knights. Others sought hiding places where they could, and, ill-equipped to overnight in the prevailing terrible cold, died of exposure. Although the victorious Swiss performed at best a sloppy pursuit, focusing more on pillaging than on a systematic pursuit (another of their customs), by the end of the battle several thousand Swabian corpses nonetheless littered the battlefield, and were eventually buried in a mass grave outside the Chapel of Hard.