The Battle of Héricourt was fought on 13 November 1474 near Héricourt,

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

, as part of the

Burgundian Wars The Burgundian Wars (1474–1477) were a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies. Open war broke out in 1474, and the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the battlefield in th ...

. It resulted in victory for the

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy ( Modern German: ; historically , after the Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or In the charters of the 14th century ...

and its allies over the

Burgundian State The Burgundian StateB. Schnerb, ''L'État bourguignon'', 1999 (french: État bourguignon; nl, Bourgondische Rijk) is a concept coined by historians to describe the vast complex of territories that is also referred to as Valois Burgundy. It de ...

The battle

The Swiss and their allies ( Lower League, Austrian cities of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, Swabian imperial cities) set out on their campaign immediately after war was declared on

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

. One army entered Alsace via

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

and a second via

Porrentruy Porrentruy (, fc, Poérreintru , german: Pruntrut) is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura. Porrentruy is home to National League team, HC Ajoie. History The first trace of human pre ...

. On 8 November 1474 they besieged Héricourt, which controlled the road from the

Sundgau Sundgau ( or ; ) is a geographical territory in the southern Alsace region ( Haut Rhin and Belfort), on the eastern edge of France. The name is derived from Alemannic German ''Sunt- gowe'' ("South shire"), denoting an Alemannic county in the Old ...

to Burgundy. They were opposed by 12,000 troops (8,000 mounted fighters and 4,000 foot soldiers) under the command of Henri of Neuchâtel and

Jacques of Savoy, Count of Romont Jacques of Savoy (12 November 1450 – 30 January 1486) was Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud. Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud He was the 7th son of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan. The House of Savoy possessed the Lordship of Vaud ...

. 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 from

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, 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 16 November Héricourt's garrison surrendered and was occupied by Austrian troops. The Burgundians had lost more than three thousand men in these battles, while the Swiss had few losses. 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.''The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1363-1477''
Robert Douglas Smith, Kelly DeVries; Boydell Press, 2005 page 36,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hericourt, Battle of (1474) 1474 in Europe 1470s in the Holy Roman Empire Battles of the Burgundian Wars Conflicts in 1474

The battle

See also

References