Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs
Encyclopedia
The Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs was fought between the Old Swiss Confederacy
and French (mostly Armagnac
) mercenaries , on the banks of the river Birs
. The battle took place on 26 August 1444 and was part of the Old Zürich War
.
The site of the battle was near Münchenstein
, Switzerland
, just above 1 km outside the city walls of Basel
, today within Basel's St-Alban district.
invaded the canton of Zürich
and besieged the city. Zürich had made an alliance with Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
, who now appealed to Charles VII of France
to send an army to relieve the siege.
Charles, seeking to send away troublesome troops made idle by the truce with Henry VI of England
in the Hundred Years' War
, sent his son the Dauphin (later Louis XI of France
) with an army of about 20,000 mercenaries into Switzerland, most of them Armagnacs, to relieve Zürich
.
As the French forces entered Swiss territory at Basel
, the Swiss commanders stationed at Farnsburg decided to send an advance troop of 1,300, mostly young pikemen. These moved to Liestal
on the night of 25th August, where they were joined by a local force of 200.
and Muttenz
.
Enthused by this success, and in spite of strict orders to the contrary, the Swiss troops crossed the Birs to meet the bulk of the French army of 20,000 men, which was ready for battle.
Immediately the Swiss forces formed three pike squares of five hundred men each, and they fought well when Armagnac cavalry
charged again and again and were repulsed.
The fighting lasted for several hours and was of an intensity evoking awed commentary from witnesses.
Eventually, the Swiss pike squares were weakening, so the commander ordered his men to retreat into a small hospital
of St. Jakob.
A reinforcement force from Basel was repulsed, and the Armagnac troops set their own artillery
into bombarding the hospital.
The Swiss pikemen suffered heavy casualties. The Swiss, as the offensive party, categorically refused to surrender and as the Armagnacs moved into the hospital, the remaining Swiss were pressed into the hospital's garden and killed to the last man within half an hour.
, the canton which contributed the force, it was nevertheless a Swiss success in strategic terms.
In view of the heavy casualties on the French side, the original plan of moving towards Zürich, where a Swiss force of 20,000 was ready, was now judged unfavourably by the Dauphin and the French troops turned back, contributing to the eventual Swiss victory in the Old Zürich War.
The actions of the Swiss was praised as heroic by contemporary observers and reports of the event quickly spread throughout Europe.
The Dauphin formally made peace with the Swiss Confederacy and with Basel in a treaty signed at Ensisheim on 28 October, and withdrew his troops from the Alsace in the spring of 1445. Since French invasion was not based on a formal treaty with the emperor, but mostly motivated by the need to occupy the unruly Armagnac troops, it is uncertain to what extent France would have wanted to become involved in the Old Zürich War, and therefore whether the battle should be seen as decisive for the outcome of the war.
In terms of military tactics, the battle exposed the weakness of pike formations against artillery
, marking the beginning of the era of gunpowder warfare
.
, that the battle came to be stylized as a heroic and selfless rescue of the Swiss Confederacy from a French invasion.
The battle became a symbol of Swiss military bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and was celebrated in 19th century Swiss patriotism, finding explicit mention in Rufst du, mein Vaterland
, the Swiss national anthem from the 1850s to 1961.
A first monument at the site of the battle was erected in 1824, the current monument by Ferdinand Schlöth dates to 1872. Memorial ceremonies at the site were held from 1824, from 1860 to 1894 on a yearly basis, and afterwards every five years (discontinued after 1994).
The death of knight Burkhard VII. Münch
, according to the chroniclers at the hands of a dying Swiss fighter, became symbolic of the outcome of the battle and the strategy of deterring powers of superior military strength from invading Switzerland by the threat of inflicting disproportionate casualties even in defeat, pursued by Swiss high command during the World Wars
.
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
and French (mostly Armagnac
Armagnac (party)
The Armagnac party was prominent in French politics and warfare during the Hundred Years' War. It was allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis of Orléans was killed at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy in 1407...
) mercenaries , on the banks of the river Birs
Birs
The Birs is a 73-km long river in Switzerland that flows through the Jura region and ends as a tributary to the Rhine between Basel and Birsfelden.- Picture gallery :...
. The battle took place on 26 August 1444 and was part of the Old Zürich War
Old Zürich War
The Old Zürich War , 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zürich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg....
.
The site of the battle was near Münchenstein
Münchenstein
Münchenstein is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland.-Historical records:Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as Kekingen. In 1270 it was mentioned as Geckingen and in 1279 as Munchenstein.* 1259: The hamlet and the mill, between "Neue...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, just above 1 km outside the city walls of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, today within Basel's St-Alban district.
Background
In 1443, the seven cantons of the Old Swiss ConfederacyOld Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
invaded the canton of Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and besieged the city. Zürich had made an alliance with Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, who now appealed to Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
to send an army to relieve the siege.
Charles, seeking to send away troublesome troops made idle by the truce with Henry VI of England
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
in the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, sent his son the Dauphin (later Louis XI of France
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
) with an army of about 20,000 mercenaries into Switzerland, most of them Armagnacs, to relieve Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
As the French forces entered Swiss territory at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, the Swiss commanders stationed at Farnsburg decided to send an advance troop of 1,300, mostly young pikemen. These moved to Liestal
Liestal
Liestal is the capital of the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland, south of Basel.It is an industrial town with a cobbled-street Old Town.-History:...
on the night of 25th August, where they were joined by a local force of 200.
The Battle
In the early morning, they managed to surprise and rout French vanguard troops at PrattelnPratteln
Pratteln is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland, located in the district of Liestal.-Geography:Pratteln has an area, , of . Of this area, or 27.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 28.1% is forested...
and Muttenz
Muttenz
Muttenz is a municipality with a population of approximately 17,000 in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. It is located in the district of Arlesheim and next to the city of Basle.-History:...
.
Enthused by this success, and in spite of strict orders to the contrary, the Swiss troops crossed the Birs to meet the bulk of the French army of 20,000 men, which was ready for battle.
Immediately the Swiss forces formed three pike squares of five hundred men each, and they fought well when Armagnac cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
charged again and again and were repulsed.
The fighting lasted for several hours and was of an intensity evoking awed commentary from witnesses.
Eventually, the Swiss pike squares were weakening, so the commander ordered his men to retreat into a small hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
of St. Jakob.
A reinforcement force from Basel was repulsed, and the Armagnac troops set their own artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
into bombarding the hospital.
The Swiss pikemen suffered heavy casualties. The Swiss, as the offensive party, categorically refused to surrender and as the Armagnacs moved into the hospital, the remaining Swiss were pressed into the hospital's garden and killed to the last man within half an hour.
Aftermath
Even though the battle itself was a devastating defeat for the Swiss, and a major blow to BerneBerne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, the canton which contributed the force, it was nevertheless a Swiss success in strategic terms.
In view of the heavy casualties on the French side, the original plan of moving towards Zürich, where a Swiss force of 20,000 was ready, was now judged unfavourably by the Dauphin and the French troops turned back, contributing to the eventual Swiss victory in the Old Zürich War.
The actions of the Swiss was praised as heroic by contemporary observers and reports of the event quickly spread throughout Europe.
The Dauphin formally made peace with the Swiss Confederacy and with Basel in a treaty signed at Ensisheim on 28 October, and withdrew his troops from the Alsace in the spring of 1445. Since French invasion was not based on a formal treaty with the emperor, but mostly motivated by the need to occupy the unruly Armagnac troops, it is uncertain to what extent France would have wanted to become involved in the Old Zürich War, and therefore whether the battle should be seen as decisive for the outcome of the war.
In terms of military tactics, the battle exposed the weakness of pike formations against artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, marking the beginning of the era of gunpowder warfare
Gunpowder warfare
Early modern warfare is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive, including artillery and handguns such as the arquebus and later the musket, and for this reason the era is also summarized as the age of gunpowder...
.
Legacy in Swiss historiography and patriotism
While the sheer bravery or foolhardiness on the Swiss side was recognized by contemporaries, it was only in the 19th century, after the collapse of the Napoleonic Helvetic RepublicHelvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
, that the battle came to be stylized as a heroic and selfless rescue of the Swiss Confederacy from a French invasion.
The battle became a symbol of Swiss military bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and was celebrated in 19th century Swiss patriotism, finding explicit mention in Rufst du, mein Vaterland
Rufst du, mein Vaterland
Rufst du, mein Vaterland is the former national anthem of Switzerland.It had semi-official status as the national anthem from the 1850s to 1961, when it was replaced by the Swiss Psalm....
, the Swiss national anthem from the 1850s to 1961.
A first monument at the site of the battle was erected in 1824, the current monument by Ferdinand Schlöth dates to 1872. Memorial ceremonies at the site were held from 1824, from 1860 to 1894 on a yearly basis, and afterwards every five years (discontinued after 1994).
The death of knight Burkhard VII. Münch
Burkhard VII. Münch
Burkhard VII. Münch was a knight and life peer, a renowned late member of the Landskron branch of the Münch family. He achieved sad reputation after the Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs....
, according to the chroniclers at the hands of a dying Swiss fighter, became symbolic of the outcome of the battle and the strategy of deterring powers of superior military strength from invading Switzerland by the threat of inflicting disproportionate casualties even in defeat, pursued by Swiss high command during the World Wars
Switzerland during the World Wars
During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily. However, precisely because of its neutral status, Switzerland was of considerable interest to all parties involved, as the scene for diplomacy, espionage, commerce,...
.