The Battle of Baesweiler (22 August 1371) was a conflict between the duke of Luxembourg-Brabant and the Duke of Jülich.
| Battle of Baesweiler | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger: Death of Eduard van Gelre in the battle of Baesweiler (19th century) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Duchy of Jülich Duchy of Guelders |
Duchy of Luxembourg Duchy of Brabant County of Namur County of Ligny | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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William II of Jülich Edward of Guelders † |
Wenceslaus of Luxembourg (POW) William of Namur (POW)[citation needed] Guy of Luxembourg-Ligny † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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1,000 lances 600 men-at-arms | 2,500 men-at-arms | ||||||
Background
editAttacks on Brabant's commercial interests in the territory of the Duke of Jülich had almost caused war in November 1367 and September 1369.[1] Peace was only maintained by the involvement of the Landfrieden.[1] After mercenaries robbed a number of Brabantine merchants on the territory of William II, Duke of Jülich in 1371, William refused to pay reparation to Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg, the Duke of Brabant, let alone punish the mercenaries, instead protecting them and even hiring some.[1] As Wenceslas prepared his forces, William sought help from his brother-in-law, Edward, Duke of Guelders.[2]
Battle
editOn 20 August, Wenceslas led his army of 2,500 from the border town of Maastricht towards the enemy capital of Jülich.[2] The army advanced slowly, burning and looting as it went and by the evening of 21 August was encamped near the town of Baesweiler north of Aachen.[2] On 22 August, Wenceslas' army was confronted by the smaller force of William, Duke of Jülich which consisted of 1,600 troops.[2] Two different versions of what happened next are recorded. In one, the army of Jülich attacked in the morning while the Brabant forces were at mass.[2] In the other, the army of Brabant had the best of the fighting until the late appearance of the troops of Edward, Duke of Guelders, perhaps from ambush.[3]
The battle ended with the capture of the Wenceslas, Duke of Brabant,[4] and William, Margrave of Namur,[citation needed] and the death of the Edward of Guelders.[5] Guy I of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny, a distant relative of the Wenceslas, was also killed.[6] Wenceslas was incarcerated at Nideggen at Roer.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Boffa 2004, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f Boffa 2004, p. 22.
- ^ Boffa 2004, p. 65-66.
- ^ Nijsten 2004, p. 3.
- ^ Boffa 2010, p. 543.
- ^ Boffa 2004, p. 42.
Sources
edit- Boffa, Sergio (2004). Warfare in Medieval Brabant. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 1843830612.
- Boffa, Sergio (2010). "Low Countries:Narrative". In Rogers, Clifford J. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 540–549.
- Nijsten, Gerard (2004). In the Shadow of Burgundy: The Court of Guelders in the Late Middle Ages. Translated by Guest, Tanis. Cambridge University Press.
See also
edit