The First Battle of Ulrichen in 1211 was a decisive defeat of
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 ...
ese troops under Duke
Berthold V of Zähringen by the army of the
Canton of Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...
under the
Bishop of Sion
The Diocese of Sion ( la, Dioecesis Sedunensis, french: Diocèse de Sion, german: Bistum Sitten) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north o ...
Landrich von Mont. The battle took place near
Ulrichen
Ulrichen is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The population () was 219.
Ulrichen was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Oberwald and O ...
which is now part of
Obergoms
Obergoms is the upper part of the Goms and a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2009 when the three municipalities Ulrichen, Obergesteln and Oberwald merged. . Many details about the battle are uncertain or questioned by historians.
History
Twenty years before the battle, in 1191, Berchtold V had established the city of Bern to expand his power into the lands of the
County of Savoy
The County of Savoy (, ) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, from the collapse of the Burgundian Kingdom in the 11th century. It was the cradle of the future Savoyard state.
History ...
. By 1211 he had quarreled with
Thomas of Savoy and determined to use the new city as a base to expand into the Canton of Valais. Assembling an army of about 13,000 men he marched over the
Grimsel pass
The Grimsel Pass (german: Grimselpass; french: Col du Grimsel; it, Passo del Grimsel) is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of . The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with t ...
. As they descended from the pass they burnt
Oberwald
Oberwald is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in Goms District in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
It is situated at an elevation of 1,377 m and had a population of 277 in December 2007. It is located at the end of the Goms, directly ...
and
Obergesteln
Obergesteln is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
Obergesteln was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Oberwald and Ulrichen to form the mun ...
villages. The Valaisian army assembled under the command of the
Bishop of Sion
The Diocese of Sion ( la, Dioecesis Sedunensis, french: Diocèse de Sion, german: Bistum Sitten) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north o ...
Landrich von Mont near Ulrichen.
Very little is recorded about the battle, but Berchtold's army suffered heavy casualties and the survivors retreated back over the Grimsel pass. They were closely followed by the victorious Valaisian army. At a small lake in the pass, Berchtold's army paused and attempted to rally the retreating soldiers. However, the Valaiser army fell on the survivors and destroyed most of the remaining soldiers. The lake is now known as
Totensee or ''Lake of the Dead'' due to the slaughter that happened on the lake shore.
Impact
Berchtold's defeat at Ulrichen ended his expansion into the Canton of Valais. Over 200 years later, in 1419 during the
Raron affair
The Raron affair (German: ''Raronhandel'') was a 15th-century rebellion in the Valais (the prince-bishopric of Sion) against the power of a local noble family, the Raron family. The rebellion brought several cantons of the Swiss Confederation in ...
, a Bernese army crossed the Grimsel pass to support the claims of the Counts of Raron. According to tradition, Thomas
rantschenor
iediea resident of Ulrichen, saw the invading army and declared;
He then led 400 to 600 men against a Bernese army and defeated them, though he died in the process. Whether Thomas actually existed is uncertain since the first records of his attack are from over a century later. However, the two battles of Ulrichen and Thomas' attack are an important theme in Valaisian literature and folklore.
Today there is a large granite cross on the supposed site of the battle.
See also
*
Battles of the Old Swiss Confederacy
List of battles fought by the Old Swiss Confederacy, 1315–1799.
The Battle of Morgarten of 1315 is famous as the first military success of the Confederacy, but it was an ambush on an army on the march rather than an open field battle.
The B ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Ulrichen, 1
Ulrichen
Ulrichen is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The population () was 219.
Ulrichen was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Oberwald and O ...
History of Bern
Valais
Ulrichen
Ulrichen is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The population () was 219.
Ulrichen was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Oberwald and O ...