The Battle of Othée was fought between the citizens of

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

and a professional army under command of

John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...

on 23 September 1408. The militia of Liège suffered a heavy defeat.

Cause

In 1390, John of Bavaria, youngest son of Duke

Albert I, Duke of Bavaria Albert I, Duke of Lower Bavaria (; 25 July 1336 – 13 December 1404), was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries. Additionally, he held a portion of the Bavarian province of Straubing, his Bavari ...

only aged 17, had become Prince-Bishop of Liège, with the support of

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of t ...

. His rule was a disaster. His authoritarian style clashed with the nobles and burghers of the Prince-Bishopric, who had acquired a certain degree of liberty over the years. He had already been expelled several times, when a new conflict in 1408 made him flee to Maastricht. Henry of Horne, Lord of Perwez was proclaimed Mambour and his son Prince-Bishop. John of Bavaria turned for help to his powerful family. John's brother was William VI of Hainaut and his brother-in-law John the Fearless of Burgundy. Together with

William II, Marquis of Namur William II, Marquis of Namur (22 January 1355 – 10 January 1418) inherited the Marquisate of Namur from his father William I in 1391 and held it until his own death. His mother was Catherine of Savoy († 1388), daughter of Louis II of Savoy ...

, they raised an army and marched against the citizens of Liège. Henri of Horne was aware that his troops were no match for the professional army heading his way, and therefore proposed to leave the city and start a guerilla war from the countryside. This was refused by the ''hait-droits'', the most radical part of the rebels.

The battle

The rebels marched towards the enemy and took up position on a little hill in open field between the villages of Othée, Rutten, and Herstappe. To face them Duke John decided upon a tactical plan that mimicked the winning English system during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. His main battle of

men-at-arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a kni ...

stood dismounted in the center flanked by 2,000 archers, while 400 other men-at-arms and 1,000 light horsemen remained mounted in reserve. Despite the bravery of the rebels attack they were repulsed by the ferocious Burgundian archery and then surrounded by the Duke's reserve cavalry and cut to pieces. On the orders of the Duke, no mercy was given. Henri of Horne, his son, and most of the nobles were amongst the dead.

Aftermath

John of Bavaria returned from Maastricht and started a brutal repression on the city. The ensuing executions of leading insurgents and their families, including the widow of Henry of Horne, led to John of Bavaria's nickname "the Pitiless." Burgundian influence was extended over the city and over the bishopric of Liège.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

* Jean-Louis Kupper, Philippe George, ''Charles le Téméraire, de la violence et du sacré'', éditions du Perron, juin 2007, p. 13.
La bataille d'Othée

Si vera est fama

Medieval II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Othee Battles of the Wars of Liège 1408 in Europe Conflicts in 1408 Battles of the Middle Ages Battles involving Burgundy

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...