Battle of Laupen
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Laupen in 1339 was fought between the Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg
together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy
and Habsburg
territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its position in the region. As a consequence of the conflict, the relations of Bern and the Swiss Confederacy tightened, resulting in Bern's permanent accession in 1353.
This is also the first battle that the white cross was documented as being used as a field sign
worn by Swiss combatants.
This force set out to confront Bern by besieging the border town of Laupen. To raise the siege, Bern raised a force of 6,000, consisting of Bernese, supported by Forest Cantons
of Uri
, Schwyz
and Unterwalden
(who had entered a military alliance with Berne in 1323), and other allies (Simmental
, Weissenburg, Oberhasli).
The Freiburg force was led by their cavalry, followed by the larger body of infantry. An unknown number of troops were left in the siege camp, to protect the equipment and prevent a sally by the 600 strong Bernese garrison. The cavalry vanguard moved to threaten the Bernese, with a number of newly-dubbed knights riding close to the Bernese lines waving their swords, but the Bernese force held its position. When the Freiburg infantry formed up, the cavalry launched an assault which brought them into contact with the Forest Canton contingent, who rapidly formed an all-round defensive formation known as a hedgehog (Igel). Away from this flank action, the Freiberger infantry advanced up the hill. The Bernese threw forward a screen of crossbowmen and stone-throwers to harass this advance but these quickly fell back as the Freibergers closed. This seems to have caused a panic in the rear ranks of the Bernese army and a large number (up to 2000) men fled into the forest behind the Bramberg. Remarkably, the rest of the army held firm. The two infantry lines then clashed. Despite their numerical advantage, the Freiburgers were quickly broken and fled away towards Laupen, the flight being led by the feudal contingent from Vaud. The contingent from Freiburg suffered particularly heavily, losing their Burgomeister and the City standard bearer. Showing great control, a part of the Bernese army reordered itself and marched to relieve the Forest Cantons, who were still surrounded by the Freiburger's cavalry. The action here was possibly the fiercest of the day, with the horsemen now fighting on two fronts themselves. After a short bloody struggle, the cavalry were routed and suffered heavy casualties. At least 80 nobles fell, including the Counts of Nidau
, Valengin
and Aarburg
and the son of Louis II of Vaud
. The evening was now drawing on, which limited pursuit, but the Bernese forces marched into Laupen, where celebrations and services of thanksgiving for the victory were held.
, becoming one of the Eight Cantons in 1353. Freiburg itself would become an associate of the Confederation in 1454 and a full member in 1481.
25 years earlier, Laupen was one of a string of battles presaging the definite decline of High Medieval heavy cavalry
(knight
s) in the face of improving infantry tactics during the following century.
The battle is also the first occasion for which use of the Swiss cross
as a badge to identify confederate troops is attested; it was shown on combatants' clothing as two stripes of textile, contrasting with the red St. George's cross
of Habsburg Austria, and with the Saint Andrew's cross
later used by Burgundy and Maximilian I
.
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy
County of Burgundy
The Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...
and Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its position in the region. As a consequence of the conflict, the relations of Bern and the Swiss Confederacy tightened, resulting in Bern's permanent accession in 1353.
This is also the first battle that the white cross was documented as being used as a field sign
Field sign
A field sign is an unofficial differencing mark worn on a combatant's clothing to show the difference between friend and foe or a combatant and a civilian.-Examples:...
worn by Swiss combatants.
Background
Prior to hostilities the City of Bern had undergone heavy expansion, however this expansion came at high expense to the feudal lords in the area and led to increasing competition with the neighbouring city of Freiburg. Angered, the feudal lords, in league with Freiburg, created a combined force of 17,000 men, including 1000 feudal heavy cavalry under the command of Rudolf von Nidau and Gérard de Valengin. While the cavalry were a powerful force, much of the infantry, with the exception of the Freiburg contingent, were poorly equipped and motivatedThis force set out to confront Bern by besieging the border town of Laupen. To raise the siege, Bern raised a force of 6,000, consisting of Bernese, supported by Forest Cantons
Federal Charter of 1291
The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance documents the Eternal Alliance or League Of The Three Forest Cantons , the union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland. It is dated in early August, 1291 and initiates the current August 1 national Swiss holiday. This agreement cites a...
of Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
, Schwyz
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
and Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
(who had entered a military alliance with Berne in 1323), and other allies (Simmental
Simmental
Simmental is an alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It expands from Lenk to Boltigen, in a more or less South-North direction , and from there to the valley exit at Wimmis near Spiez it takes a West-East orientation . It comprises the municipalities of Lenk, St...
, Weissenburg, Oberhasli).
The battle
The Bernese army marched to the relief of Laupen, arriving in the afternoon of 21st. June. Rather than attempt an attack on the Freiburger siege lines, they drew up their army on a hill called the Bramberg, 3 km. NE of Laupen, as a challenge to their enemies to come and fight. The formation of the Bernese consisted of one or more haufen, deep bodies of infantry. To one flank, probably the left, stood the troops of the Forest Cantons. The arrival of the Bernese was noted by the Freiburgers and they rapidly armed and arrayed themselves for battle. Late in the afternoon, they launched their attack.The Freiburg force was led by their cavalry, followed by the larger body of infantry. An unknown number of troops were left in the siege camp, to protect the equipment and prevent a sally by the 600 strong Bernese garrison. The cavalry vanguard moved to threaten the Bernese, with a number of newly-dubbed knights riding close to the Bernese lines waving their swords, but the Bernese force held its position. When the Freiburg infantry formed up, the cavalry launched an assault which brought them into contact with the Forest Canton contingent, who rapidly formed an all-round defensive formation known as a hedgehog (Igel). Away from this flank action, the Freiberger infantry advanced up the hill. The Bernese threw forward a screen of crossbowmen and stone-throwers to harass this advance but these quickly fell back as the Freibergers closed. This seems to have caused a panic in the rear ranks of the Bernese army and a large number (up to 2000) men fled into the forest behind the Bramberg. Remarkably, the rest of the army held firm. The two infantry lines then clashed. Despite their numerical advantage, the Freiburgers were quickly broken and fled away towards Laupen, the flight being led by the feudal contingent from Vaud. The contingent from Freiburg suffered particularly heavily, losing their Burgomeister and the City standard bearer. Showing great control, a part of the Bernese army reordered itself and marched to relieve the Forest Cantons, who were still surrounded by the Freiburger's cavalry. The action here was possibly the fiercest of the day, with the horsemen now fighting on two fronts themselves. After a short bloody struggle, the cavalry were routed and suffered heavy casualties. At least 80 nobles fell, including the Counts of Nidau
Nidau
Nidau is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.- Population :Nidau, located at the language boundary, although the official language is German, a high minority of French speakers live in the city, which has since long been offering them the...
, Valengin
Valangin
Valangin is a municipality in the district of Val-de-Ruz in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.-Geography:Valangin has an area, , of . Of this area, or 39.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 49.7% is forested...
and Aarburg
Aarburg
Aarburg is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.The small town lies in the southwest Aargau at an Engnis Aare in the lower Wiggertal. It lies in the intersection of the most important traffic routes of Switzerland...
and the son of Louis II of Vaud
Louis II of Vaud
Louis II , of the House of Savoy, was the Baron of Vaud from 1302 until his death. A military man, he fought widely in Italy and, during the first phase of the Hundred Years' War, in France...
. The evening was now drawing on, which limited pursuit, but the Bernese forces marched into Laupen, where celebrations and services of thanksgiving for the victory were held.
Aftermath
The victory of the Bernese/Swiss against all odds, outnumbered two-to-one by an army containing such a force of mounted chivalry, came as a surprise, and chroniclers record that comments like "God himself must have become a Bernese citizen" were heard among the retreating Habsburg troops. Bern and Freiburg avoided further warfare. Bern was drawn into closer association with the Swiss ConfederationOld Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
, becoming one of the Eight Cantons in 1353. Freiburg itself would become an associate of the Confederation in 1454 and a full member in 1481.
Wider significance
Comparable to the Battle of BannockburnBattle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
25 years earlier, Laupen was one of a string of battles presaging the definite decline of High Medieval heavy cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
(knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s) in the face of improving infantry tactics during the following century.
The battle is also the first occasion for which use of the Swiss cross
Flag of Switzerland
The flag of Switzerland consists of a red flag with a white cross in the centre. It is one of only two square sovereign-state flags, the other being the flag of the Vatican City...
as a badge to identify confederate troops is attested; it was shown on combatants' clothing as two stripes of textile, contrasting with the red St. George's cross
St George's Cross
St George's Cross is a red cross on a white background used as a symbolic reference to Saint George. The red cross on white was associated with St George from medieval times....
of Habsburg Austria, and with the Saint Andrew's cross
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
later used by Burgundy and 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...
.
Sources
Links
- Delbrück's account (in German) http://www.zeno.org/Geschichte/M/Delbr%C3%BCck,+Hans/Geschichte+der+Kriegskunst/3.+Teil.+Das+Mittelalter/5.+Buch.+Die+Schweizer/3.+Kapitel.+Schlacht+bei+Laupen
- Conflictus Laupensis - contemporary account of the battle (in Latin) http://www.digibern.ch/justinger/BernerChronik_1871/06_Conflictus_Laupensis_Text.pdf