Battle of Ivry
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ivry was fought on 14 March 1590, during the French Wars of Religion
. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France
, leading Huguenot
forces against the Catholic League
forces led by the Duc de Mayenne
. Henry's forces were victorious and he went on to lay siege to Paris
.
The battle occurred on the plain of Épieds, Eure
near Ivry (later renamed Ivry-la-Bataille
), Normandy
. Ivry-la-Bataille is located on the Eure River
and about thirty miles west of Paris
, at the boundary between the Île-de-France
and the Beauce
regions.
, a town controlled by the League. As Mayenne followed intending to raise the siege, Henry withdrew but stayed within sight. He deployed his army on the plain of Saint André between the towns of Nonancourt
and Ivry.
The army of the Catholic League consisted of citizens led by priests and rebellious nobles, Swiss infantry under Appenzell
, pikemen brought from Flanders
by Philip, Count of Egmont
, and the troopers of the Guise family with the Duke of Mayenne in command.
Before the battle, the king famously spurred his troops:
The action began with a few deadly cannon volleys from the six pieces of the royal artillery, which was under the command of the master, La Guiche
. The cavalry of the two sides then clashed with a dreadful force. The Duke of Mayenne followed up with the mercenary troops of the Guelders
and Almaine across the open field. The mercenaries, who were mostly sympathetic to the Protestant cause, fired in the air and put their spears in rest.
Mayenne charged with such a fury that after a terrible fusillade and a struggle of a full quarter of an hour which left the field covered with dead, following the defection of his mercenaries, the opposing left flank fled and the right was pierced and gave way.
Aumont
soon overcame the League's light horse and their royalist counterparts retreated under the attack of a Walloon
(essentially Belgian) squadron backed up by two squadrons from the League. It was then the turn of the Maréchal d'Aumont, the Duc de Montpensier and the Baron de Biron to charge the foreign cavalry, forcing it into a retreat. Marshal de Biron
, in command of the rear-guard, joined up with the king who, without stopping after his victory, had crossed the river Eure in pursuit of the enemy.
However, the decisive event took place elsewhere on the battlefield: the King charged the League's lancers, who were unable to get far enough back to use their weapons.
Mayenne was driven back, the Duke of Aumale
forced to surrender, and the Count of Egmont killed. The Duke of Mayenne had lost the battle. Henry pursued the losers, many of whom surrendered for fear of falling into worse hands, their horses being in no condition to get them away from danger. The countryside was full of Leaguers and Spaniards in flight, with the king's victorious army pursuing and scattering the remnants of the larger groups that dispersed and re-gathered.
Henry was advised that the French people would not accept a Protestant King, his cynical comment was, "Paris is well worth a Mass."
Thomas Babbington Macaulay wrote a famous poem about the battle, entitled "The Battle of Ivry." It begins:
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, leading Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
forces against the Catholic League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
forces led by the Duc de Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
. Henry's forces were victorious and he went on to lay siege to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The battle occurred on the plain of Épieds, Eure
Épieds, Eure
Épieds is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
near Ivry (later renamed Ivry-la-Bataille
Ivry-la-Bataille
Ivry-la-Bataille is a commune in the Eure Department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. Ivry-la-Bataille was formerly known as Ivry.-History:The Battle of Ivry took place near Ivry on 14 March 1590...
), Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. Ivry-la-Bataille is located on the Eure River
Eure River
The Eure is a river in northern France, left tributary of the Seine. It rises at Marchainville in the Orne département and joins the Seine near Pont-de-l'Arche...
and about thirty miles west of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, at the boundary between the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (province)
The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...
and the Beauce
Beauce
Beauce is a natural region in northern France, located between the Seine and Loire rivers. It now comprises the Eure-et-Loir département and parts of Loiret, Essonne and Loir-et-Cher. The region shared the history of the province of Orléanais and the county of Chartres, which is its only major...
regions.
Prelude
Henry de Navarre had moved rapidly to besiege DreuxDreux
Dreux is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-History:Dreux was known in ancient times as Durocassium, the capital of the Durocasses Celtic tribe. Despite the legend, its name was not related with Druids. The Romans established here a fortified camp known as Castrum...
, a town controlled by the League. As Mayenne followed intending to raise the siege, Henry withdrew but stayed within sight. He deployed his army on the plain of Saint André between the towns of Nonancourt
Nonancourt
Nonancourt is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Ivry.
The army of the Catholic League consisted of citizens led by priests and rebellious nobles, Swiss infantry under Appenzell
Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
, pikemen brought from Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
by Philip, Count of Egmont
Philip, Count of Egmont
Philip, Count of Egmont was the fifth Count of Egmont, prince of Gavere and 12th and last Lord of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam....
, and the troopers of the Guise family with the Duke of Mayenne in command.
The battle
At first light on 14 March 1590, the two armies engaged. The Duke had 12,000 foot soldiers supported by an assortment of German and Swiss infantry and 4,000 cavalry, 2,000 of whom were Spanish. Henry had only 8,000 foot soldiers and 3,000 men on horseback.Before the battle, the king famously spurred his troops:
"Companions! If you today run at risk with me, I will also run at risk with you; I will be victorious or die. God is with us. Look at his and our enemies. Look at your king. Hold your ranks, I beg of you; and if the heat of battle makes you leave them, think also of rallying back: therein lies the key to victory. You will find it among those three trees that you can see over there on your right side. If you lose your ensigns, cornets or flags, do never lose sight of my panache; you will always find it on the road to honour and victory."
The action began with a few deadly cannon volleys from the six pieces of the royal artillery, which was under the command of the master, La Guiche
La Guiche
La Guiche is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
. The cavalry of the two sides then clashed with a dreadful force. The Duke of Mayenne followed up with the mercenary troops of the Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
and Almaine across the open field. The mercenaries, who were mostly sympathetic to the Protestant cause, fired in the air and put their spears in rest.
Mayenne charged with such a fury that after a terrible fusillade and a struggle of a full quarter of an hour which left the field covered with dead, following the defection of his mercenaries, the opposing left flank fled and the right was pierced and gave way.
Aumont
Aumont family
The Aumont family take its name from the Duchy of Aumont, a small commune in the department of the Somme. The Duché-Pairie d'Aumont was established in 1665 from the Marquisat of Isles-en-Champagne, the title being granted to Antoine d'Aumont de Rochebaron...
soon overcame the League's light horse and their royalist counterparts retreated under the attack of a Walloon
Walloons
Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
(essentially Belgian) squadron backed up by two squadrons from the League. It was then the turn of the Maréchal d'Aumont, the Duc de Montpensier and the Baron de Biron to charge the foreign cavalry, forcing it into a retreat. Marshal de Biron
Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron
Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron was a celebrated French soldier of the 16th century.-Biography:His family, one of the numerous branches of the House of Gontaut, took its title from the territory of Biron in Périgord, where on a hill between the Dropt and the Lide still stands the magnificent...
, in command of the rear-guard, joined up with the king who, without stopping after his victory, had crossed the river Eure in pursuit of the enemy.
However, the decisive event took place elsewhere on the battlefield: the King charged the League's lancers, who were unable to get far enough back to use their weapons.
Mayenne was driven back, the Duke of Aumale
Charles, Duke of Aumale
Charles of Guise, duc d'Aumale was the son of Claude, Duke of Aumale and Louise de Brézé.-Biography:...
forced to surrender, and the Count of Egmont killed. The Duke of Mayenne had lost the battle. Henry pursued the losers, many of whom surrendered for fear of falling into worse hands, their horses being in no condition to get them away from danger. The countryside was full of Leaguers and Spaniards in flight, with the king's victorious army pursuing and scattering the remnants of the larger groups that dispersed and re-gathered.
Aftermath
Henry defeated Mayenne at Ivry so that he would became the only credible claimant to the throne of France. However, he was defeated in many sieges of Paris until he converted to Catholicism in 1593.Henry was advised that the French people would not accept a Protestant King, his cynical comment was, "Paris is well worth a Mass."
Thomas Babbington Macaulay wrote a famous poem about the battle, entitled "The Battle of Ivry." It begins:
Now glory to the Lord of Hosts, from whom all glories are!
And glory to our Sovereign Liege, King Henry of Navarre!