Battle of Nancy

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Israel Silvestre's etching of the battlefield as it appeared in the 1640s

Despite the disasters of 1476 Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, remained confident that 1477 would bring an upturn in the fortunes of his beloved Burgundy. From the accounts of the siege of Nancy it is obvious that not all his followers shared such optimism, as it is recorded that one Burgundian noble was hanged for treason after suggesting that the Duke should be loaded into a bombard and fired into Nancy.

Charles was besieging the city of Nancy, capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, following its successful recapture by René, Duke of Lorraine's forces late in 1476. Despite the harsh winter conditions Charles was determined to bring the siege to an end at all costs as he was well aware that sooner or later René would arrive with a relieving army once the weather had improved somewhat. The siege had begun in October 1476 and by Christmas the defenders were, like those of Neuss three years earlier, reduced to eating rodents and household pets.

The winter became extreme at the cusp of the year with some 400 Burgundians freezing to death on Christmas Eve, but such was his determination that even that tragedy could not persuade Charles to lift the siege till spring and retire to winter quarters.

By late December, René had gathered some 10000-12000 men from Lorraine, and the Lower Union (of the Rhine) as well as 8400 Confederation Swiss mercenaries to his banner. He began his advance on Nancy early in January 1477, moving cautiously through the snow-covered landscape until they reached Nancy early on the morning of January 5. Charles finally learnt that René's army was indeed close by and drew up the bulk of his army in a strong defensive position south of Nancy on a heavily wooded slope behind a stream at the narrowest part of the valley he knew the Swiss would have to advance down.

The infantry companies and dismounted gendarmes formed up in a large square formation with some 30 field guns in front at the top of the slope, while on either flank were mounted knights and coustilliers. Charles' army comprised of 4000-8000 men.

If Charles suffered from a lack of scouting (which had cost him so dearly at Murten six months earlier) the same could not be said for the Allied army. Despite the driving snow cutting visibility to a few yards the Allied scouts soon recognised that a frontal assault on the Burgundian position would be disastrous, so the Allied vanguard of 7000 infantry and 2000 cavalry was instructed to attack from the right while the principal thrust would come from the 8000 infantry (4000 pikemen, 3000 halberdiers and 1000 handgunners) and 1300 cavalry of the Gewalthut (centre) which was dispatched on a difficult circuitous march round the left flank over thickly wooded snow covered slopes out of view of the waiting Burgundians. The small rearguard of 800 handgunners acted as a reserve.

Charles found after the battle.

After a march lasting some two hours, the Swiss mercenary Gewalthut emerged from the wooded slopes slightly to the rear of the Burgundian position and formed up in a wedge formation. The eerie notes of the Swiss alpenhorns sounded thrice and the Swiss charged downhill into the Burgundian positions. The artillery attempted to retrain on the Gewalthut but could not elevate enough to be effective, the single volley discharged killing only two men. Although the right wing Burgundian cavalry saw off their Allied rivals, the mass of Swiss infantry pushed on to engage the outnumbered Burgundian infantry square in a one-sided fight. The vanguard threw back the Burgundian left wing and put the artillery to flight. As Charles attempted in vain to stem the Gewalthut's advance by transferring troops from his left flank, the sheer weight of numbers arrayed against him became obvious and the once proud army of the Duchy of Burgundy started to melt away in flight.

Determined to the last, Charles and his generals tried in vain to rally the broken army, but without success. His small band was carried with the flight until eventually surrounded by a party of Swiss. A halberdier quickly swung at the Duke's head and landed a deadly blow directly on his helm. He was seen to fall but the battle flowed on around him. After Charles’ army was scattered, his mangled body was found three days later half eaten by wolves. So passed the last of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy.