The Battle of St. Jakob an der Sihl was a battle of the

Old Zürich War The Old Zurich War (german: Alter Zürichkrieg), 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zurich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg. In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of T ...

that occurred on July 22, 1443, resulting in a defeat for

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

. The battle took place outside the gates of Zürich, beyond the

Sihl The Sihl is a Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the city of Zürich. It has a length of , including the Sihlsee reservoir, through which the river f ...

(today's

Aussersihl Aussersihl is a district in the Swiss city of Zürich. Known officially as District number 4, the district is known as colloquially ''Chreis Cheib'', ''cheib'' being the Zürich German word for an animal cadaver. It earned the name as the area h ...

district). The troops of Zürich, with Habsburg reinforcements, met the attacking confederates on the ''

Sihlfeld Sihlfeld is a quarter in the district 3 of Zürich. It was formerly a part of Wiedikon Wiedikon is a district in the Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Caro ...

'' north of St. Jakob on July 21. The confederation army, which numbered about 6,000 men, was met by Zürich's disorganized troops and about 500 Austrian knights. The following morning the confederation army attacked the front and then the left flank of the army. Zürich's forces were pushed back and had to escape across the Sihl into the city. The confederates did not have the means to lay siege to the city and withdrew. The defeat of Zürich was thus not decisive, and the war continued until 1446. The commander of the Habsburg forces, Albrecht Freiherr von Bussnang, was killed behind the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

of the St. Jakob chapel. According to Zürich chroniclers, Zürich's burgomaster Rudolf Stüssi fell at this battle amongst the defenders of the bridge across the Sihl. Stüssi was covering his troops' retreat when he was killed by a confederate hiding below the bridge. This account, which emphasizes the burgomaster's bravery, is considered Zürich propaganda by historians. Another version of the story has Stüssi stopping in the middle of the bridge, brandishing his broad battle-axe and shouting, "Halt, citizens, halt!" To this a man of Zurich cried, "May God's lightning blast thee! All this evil comes from thee alone," and ran him through with his lance. Additional accounts from Zürich chronicles state that the city was saved by the gatekeeper's wife, one Anna Ziegler, who managed to lower the portcullis of the Rennweg gate just as the pursuing confederates were about to enter the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of St. Jakob An Der Sihl 1443 in Europe Saint Jakob an der Sihl 1443 History of Zürich 15th century in the Old Swiss Confederacy Saint Jakob an der Sihl 1443 Saint Jakob an der Sihl 1443 Women in medieval European warfare

See also

References