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64-710: The Imperial Sword was made for Emperor Otto IV in the twelfth century, possibly for his coronation as King of the Romans in 1198. Its predecessor, the sword of Otto III, is also preserved, in the Essen Abbey treasury. The first known explicit mention of the sword dates to 1315, in a letter of a lady-in-waiting of Elisabeth of Aragon, wife to Frederick III. It may also be referenced in an inventory of 1246, which mentions merely zwey swert mit zweyn scheiden, gezieret mit edelem gesteyne ( two swords, with two scabbards ornamented with gems ). The first pictorial representations of

128-615: A Scottish kingdom in September 1196, Richard, as duke of Aquitaine, enfeoffed Otto with the county of Poitou . There is some disagreement over whether Otto received Poitou in exchange for or in addition to the earldom of York. Otto was in Poitou from September 1196 until mid-1197, when he joined Richard in Normandy to confer over the appointment of bishops to the vacant sees of Poitiers , Limoges and Périgueux . He then participated in

192-500: A charge of 50 knights and 1,000–2,000 infantry under Thomas de St. Valery. Reginald was taken prisoner in the melee. A pursuit was not conducted owing to the approaching nightfall and a fear that the prisoners might escape. The French formations were recalled using trumpets. The French cavalry had 2 knights killed; the French infantry casualties are not recorded. The Allies had 169 knights killed and "heavy" but unquantified losses among

256-426: A great impact". Ferdinand Lot called it a "medieval Austerlitz ". Philip returned to Paris triumphant, marching his captive prisoners behind him in a long procession, as his subjects lined the streets to greet the victorious king. In the aftermath of the battle, Otto retreated to his castle of Harzburg and was soon overthrown as Holy Roman Emperor by Frederick II, who had already been recognised as emperor in

320-607: A total force of just under 9,000 men. The imperial army was also formed up in three battles: The battle opened with an attack by 150 light cavalrymen from the Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons against the Flemish knights on the allied left, aiming to throw it into confusion. The Flemish knights easily drove off the unarmoured horsemen. Some Flemish knights left their formations and chased the retreating light cavalry; 180 French knights from Champagne in turn attacked and killed or captured

384-548: Is of the "mushroom" or "tea-cosy" shape typical of the high medieval period. The pommel is engraved with the arms of Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV , who reigned from 1209 to 1215. The lower edge of the pommel is inscribed with BENEDICTVS · DO[minv]S DE[v]S QVI DOCET MANV[s]+ viz ( Blessed be the Lord my God, who teaches the hand [to wield] ). This is an abbreviated form of Psalm 144 :1, Benedictus Dominus Deus meus, qui docet manus meas ad prælium, et digitos meos ad bellum ( Blessed be

448-717: The Concordat of Worms and to recognise the imperial crown's right to make nominations to all vacant benefices. Such actions infuriated Innocent, who promptly excommunicated Otto on 18 November 1210. Subsequently, he tried to conquer Sicily , which was held by the Staufen king Frederick , under the guardianship of Innocent III. Parallel to this, the German nobility grew increasingly frustrated with Otto. They felt that instead of wasting his time in Italy and playing power politics with

512-478: The High Middle Ages and one of the most decisive medieval engagements. In early 1214, a coalition was assembled against King Philip Augustus of France, consisting of Otto IV, King John of England , Count Ferrand of Flanders , Count Renaud of Boulogne , Duke Henry I of Brabant , Count William I of Holland , Duke Theobald I of Lorraine , and Duke Henry III of Limburg . Its objective was to reverse

576-639: The Hohenstaufen dynasty decided, on the initiative of Richard of England, to elect instead a member of the House of Welf . Otto's elder brother, Henry , was participating in the Crusade of 1197 at the time, and so the choice fell to Otto. Otto, soon recognized throughout the northwest and the lower Rhine region, was elected king by his partisans in Cologne on 9 June 1198. Otto took control of Aachen ,

640-565: The Kingdom of Sicily with the Empire, breaking with Innocent, who excommunicated him. He allied with England against France and participated in the alliance's defeat at Bouvines in 1214. He was abandoned by most of his supporters in 1215 and lived the rest of his life in retirement on his estates near Brunswick . He was the only German king of the Welf dynasty . Otto was the third son of Henry

704-595: The Oriflamme , positioned himself to the rear of the men on foot. It is said by William the Breton , chaplain to Philip at the battle, that the soldiers stood in line in a space of 40,000 steps (15 ha or 37 acres), which leaves very little clearance and predisposes to hand-to-hand fighting. William the Breton also says in his chronicle that "the two lines of combatants were separated by a small space". The French army contained 1,200–1,360 knights (of whom 765 were from

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768-453: The conquests made by Philip earlier in his reign. After initial manoeuvring in late July, battle was offered near Bouvines on 27 July. The long allied column deployed slowly into battle order, leaving the allies at a disadvantage. The superior discipline and training of the French knights allowed them to carry out a series of devastating charges , shattering the Flemish knights on

832-642: The popes of the 13th century increasingly seeking the support of a powerful France. Philip had achieved remarkable success in the expansion of his realm and by the end of his reign, in 1223, had not only laid the foundations for the era of Capetian pre-eminence in Europe which followed and marked much of the Late Middle Ages , but also those of the absolutism that came to define the Ancien Régime . In 1214, Count Ferdinand of Flanders desired

896-518: The royal demesne ) and 300 mounted sergeants. Philip had launched an appeal to the municipalities in northern France, in order to obtain their support. Sixteen of the thirty-nine municipalities of the royal demesne answered the call to arms. They provided 3,160 infantry, broken down as: Amiens 250, Arras 1,000, Beauvais 500, Compiegne 200, Corbie 200, Bruyeres 120, Cerny and Crepy-en-Laonnais 80, Crandelain 40, Hesdin 80, Montreuil-sur-Mer 150, Noyon 150, Roye 100, Soissons 160, and Vailly 50. The balance of

960-466: The French king, Philip II , while Otto was supported at first by Richard I, and after he died in 1199 by his brother John . The papacy meanwhile, under Innocent III , determined to prevent the continued unification of Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire under one monarch seized the opportunity to extend its influence. Therefore, Innocent III favoured Otto, whose family had always opposed

1024-642: The Imperial Army, with Otto at its head, assembled in the Low Countries . On 27 July 1214, the opposing armies suddenly discovered they were close to each other, on the banks of the little river Marque (a tributary of the river Deûle), near the Bridge of Bouvines. Philip's army numbered some 15,000, while the allied forces possessed around 25,000 troops; the armies clashed at the Battle of Bouvines . It

1088-456: The Lion of Scotland. Lothian , as Margaret's dowry, would be handed over to Richard for safekeeping and the counties of Northumberland and Cumberland (Carlisle) would be granted to Otto and turned over to the king of Scotland. The negotiations dragged on until August 1198, when the birth of a son and heir to William rendered them unnecessary. Having failed to secure Otto an English earldom or

1152-619: The Lion , Duke of Bavaria and Duke of Saxony , by his wife Matilda of England . His exact birthplace is not given by any original source. He grew up in England in the care of his maternal grandfather, King Henry II of England . Otto was fluent in French as well as German. He became the foster son of his maternal uncle King Richard I of England . In 1190, after he left England to join the Third Crusade , Richard appointed Otto as Earl of York . This grant's authenticity (or authority)

1216-605: The Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war ). The scabbard of the sword is adorned with 14 gold plates engraved with depictions of monarchs. These pictures date to the eleventh century, and are thus about a century older than the sword itself. The figures have been identified as depicting the consecutive German monarchs from Charlemagne to Henry III , who was crowned in 1046. 48°12′24″N 16°21′56″E  /  48.20667°N 16.36556°E  / 48.20667; 16.36556 Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218)

1280-581: The Oriflamme in the centre, in front of Philip's knights and the fleur-de-lis standard. Soon after deploying, they were attacked by allied knights and infantry under Otto and thrown back. Otto and his knights had nearly reached the French king when they were halted by French knights. The allied infantrymen broke through to Philip and his handful of knightly companions, unhorsing him with their hooked pikes. The French king's armour deflected an enemy lance and saved his life. Galon or Gales de Montigny used

1344-748: The Papal States all territory that it had possessed under Louis the Pious , including the March of Ancona , the Duchy of Spoleto , the former Exarchate of Ravenna , and the Pentapolis . Travelling down via Verona , Modena , and Bologna , he eventually arrived at Milan , where he received the Iron Crown of Lombardy and the title of King of Italy in 1208. He was met at Viterbo by Pope Innocent and

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1408-409: The allied centre and left wing routed, only the soldiers of the right wing under Renaud of Boulogne and William de Longespée held on. They were killed, captured or driven from the field. A pursuit was not conducted as it was nearly dark. The crushing French victory dashed English and Flemish hopes of regaining their lost territories. Having lost all credibility as emperor following the battle, Otto IV

1472-488: The allied left wing. In the centre, the allied knights and infantry under Otto enjoyed initial success, scattering the French urban infantry and nearly killing Philip. A counterattack by French knights smashed the isolated Allied infantry and Otto's entire centre division fell back. Otto fled the battle and his knightly followers were defeated by the French knights, who went on to capture the Imperial eagle standard . With

1536-436: The apparent winner in the conflict. Otto was forced to retire to his possessions near Brunswick , leaving Philip virtually uncontested as German king. Innocent III forced the two warring parties into negotiations at Cologne , and in exchange for renouncing his claim to the throne, Philip promised Otto the hand of his daughter Beatrix in marriage, together with the Duchy of Swabia and an enormous dowry. Otto refused, and as

1600-400: The archbishop of Cologne . In the following years, Otto's situation worsened because, after England's defeat by France, he lost England's financial support. Many of his allies changed sides to Philip, including his brother Henry. Otto was defeated and wounded in battle by Philip on 27 July 1206, near Wassenberg , and as a consequence, he also lost the support of the pope, who began to favour

1664-543: The centre was now a mêlée between the two mounted reserves led by the King and the Emperor in person. The French knight Pierre Mauvoisin nearly captured Otto and his horse and Gérard la Truie stabbed the Emperor with a dagger, which bounced off his coat of mail and struck Otto's horse in the eye, killing it. Otto was saved by four German lords and their followers. As the French sent more knights to attack him personally he fled

1728-414: The church all income from any vacant sees that had been flowing into the imperial treasury. After abandoning Rome, Otto marched north, reaching Pisa by 20 November. Here, probably advised by Peter of Celano and Dipold, Count of Acerra , he was convinced to abandon his earlier promises. Otto immediately worked to restore imperial power in Italy. After his consecration by the pope, he promised to restore

1792-639: The civil war was again about to recommence, Philip was murdered on 21 June 1208. After Philip's death, Otto made amends with the Staufen party and became engaged to Philip's daughter Beatrix. In the 1208 imperial election in Frankfurt on 11 November 1208, he gained the support of all the electoral princes, as he promised he would not make hereditary claims to the imperial crown on behalf of any children he might father. Now fully reconciled with Innocent, Otto made preparations to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor . To secure Innocent's support, he promised to restore to

1856-411: The field. The German knights fought to the bitter end to save their emperor, all being killed or captured. The Imperial Standard with the eagle and dragon was captured by the French knights, who brought it to their king. By this time, allied resistance in the centre had ceased. Meanwhile, on the French left Robert de Dreux's troops were at first pressed by men led by William Longespée. William Longespée

1920-644: The house of Hohenstaufen. Otto also seemed willing to grant any demands that Innocent would make. The confusion in the empire allowed Innocent to drive out the imperial feudal lords from Ancona , Spoleto , and Perugia , who had been installed by Emperor Henry VI. At the same time, Innocent encouraged the cities in Tuscany to form a league, called the League of San Genesio , against imperial interests in Italy. The cities placed themselves under Innocent's protection. In 1201, Innocent announced that he recognized Otto as

1984-465: The imperial centre. The battle closed with the celebrated stand of Reginald of Boulogne (Renaud de Dammartin), a former vassal of King Philip, who formed a ring of 400–700 Brabançon pikemen . They defied every attack by the French cavalry, while Reginald made repeated sorties with his small force of knights. Eventually, long after the Imperial army had retreated, the Brabant schiltrom was overrun by

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2048-572: The infantry, possibly another 2,000 men, was composed of mercenaries. The other communes of the royal demesne were supposed to provide a further 1,980 infantry, but it is doubtful that they did. In total, the royal army totalled approximately 6,000–7,000 men. The royal fleur-de-lis standard was borne by Galon or Gales of Montigny. The royal army was divided into three parts, or " battles ": Otto's army contained some 1,300–1,500 knights: 600–650 Flemish, 425–500 Hainaulter and 275–350 from elsewhere. He also fielded approximately 7,500 infantry, to give

2112-556: The infantry; including between 400 and 700 Brabant infantry killed. As well as Reginald of Boulogne two other counts were captured by the French, Hainaut Ferrand and William Longespée , as well as twenty-five barons and over a hundred knights. The battle ended the threat from both Otto and John. According to Jean Favier , Bouvines is "one of the most decisive and symbolic battles in the history of France". For Philippe Contamine "the Battle of Bouvines had both important consequences and

2176-697: The instigation of King Philip II of France and with the consent of the pope, elected Frederick King of the Romans at the Diet of Nuremberg in 1211. Otto's ambassadors from Milan appeared before the Fourth Lateran Council , pleading the case for his excommunication to be lifted. Although he claimed he had repented for his offences and declared his willingness to be obedient to the Pope in all things, Innocent III had already recognised Frederick as emperor-elect. Otto returned to Germany to deal with

2240-447: The interval Philip had counter-marched northward and regrouped. Philip now took the offensive himself, and after manoeuvring to obtain good ground for his cavalry he offered battle on 27 July, on the plain east of Bouvines and the river Marque . Otto was surprised by the speed of his enemy and was thought to have been caught unprepared by Philip, who probably deliberately lured Otto into his trap. Otto decided to launch an attack on what

2304-570: The invasion, and in February 1214, as John advanced from the Loire , Otto, together with the Count of Flanders, was supposed to make a simultaneous attack from Flanders. Unfortunately, the three armies could not coordinate their efforts effectively. It was not until John, who had been disappointed in his hope for an easy victory after being driven from Roche-au-Moine , had retreated to his transports that

2368-517: The lands bequeathed to the church by the countess Matilda of Tuscany nearly a century before and not to move against Frederick , King of Sicily . He quickly broke all his promises. He threw out the papal troops from Ancona and Spoleto, reclaiming the territory as imperial fiefs. He then demanded that Frederick of Sicily do homage for the duchies of Calabria and Apulia , and when Frederick refused to appear, Otto declared those fiefs forfeited. Otto then marched on Rome. He commanded Innocent to annul

2432-520: The length of the blade being 95.3 cm (37.5 in). The sword originated during the high medieval period, but was refitted and decorated several times during the late medieval and early modern periods—e.g., the addition of the silver wire wrapping the hilt. The crossguard on one side bears the Middle Latin inscription CHRISTVS : VINCIT : CHRISTVS : REIGNAT : CHRISTVS : INPERAT ( Christ triumphs, Christ reigns, Christ rules ). On

2496-555: The more loosely formed Flemish knights, and the allied ranks grew thinner as they were assaulted by the compact French masses. Châtillon and Melun with their knights broke through the ranks of their Flemish counterparts, then wheeled and struck them from the rear, constantly switching targets. St. Pol's knights and the Burgundians engaged in an exhausting struggle against the Flemings, taking no prisoners. The Duke of Burgundy's horse

2560-452: The only legitimate king. In return, Otto promised to support the pope's interests in Italy. Otto also had the support of Ottokar I of Bohemia , who, although at first siding with Philip of Swabia, eventually threw in his lot with Otto. Otto's cause was further strengthened by the support of Valdemar II of Denmark . Philip achieved a great deal of success in the civil war that followed, allowing him in 1204 to be again crowned king, this time by

2624-435: The over-aggressive Flemish knights. The Count of Flanders counter-attacked with his entire force of 600 knights and threw the French back. Gaucher de Châtillon launched his 30 knights at the Flemish force, followed by a further 250 knights. They carried out a continuous series of charges, and halted the allied advance. Many knights on both sides fell from their horses in the first clash. The French were better ordered than

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2688-510: The place of coronation, and was crowned by Archbishop Adolf of Cologne on 12 July 1198. This was of great symbolic importance, since the archbishop of Cologne alone could crown the king of the Romans . The coronation was done with fake imperial regalia , because the actual materials were in the hands of the Hohenstaufen. Otto's election pulled the empire into the conflict between England and France . Philip had allied himself with

2752-405: The pope, it was his first duty to defend the northern provinces of the empire against Valdemar II of Denmark , who had taken advantage of Otto's distractions by invading the northern provinces of the empire and possessing the whole Baltic coast from Holstein to Livonia . So while Otto was in southern Italy, several princes of the empire, including the archbishops of Mainz and Magdeburg , at

2816-466: The return of the cities of Aire-sur-la-Lys and Saint-Omer , which he had recently lost to King Philip II of France , in the Treaty of Pont-à-Vendin . He thus broke allegiance with Philip and assembled a broad coalition including Emperor Otto IV , King John of England , Duke Henry I of Brabant , Count William I of Holland , Duke Theobald I of Lorraine , and Duke Henry III of Limburg . The campaign

2880-533: The reverse side, the shorter variant CHRISTVS : VINCIT : CHRISTVS : REINAT . Schulze-Dörrlamm (1995:27) interprets the theological intention of this inscription as referring to Christ the Victor, Christ the King, and Christ the Emperor —the refrain of the Laudes imperiale and an invocation of Christ as legitimation for secular power and the translatio imperii to the Holy Roman Empire . The pommel

2944-437: The royal standard to signal for help and another knight gave Philip a fresh horse. The allied infantry used daggers to stab unhorsed French knights through the openings in their helmets and other weak spots in their armour. The Norman knight Etienne de Longchamp was killed in this way and the French suffered heavy losses. After repeated French counterattacks and a prolonged fight the allies were thrown back. The battle in

3008-742: The situation, hopeful of salvaging something from the looming disaster. He found most of the German princes and bishops had turned against him and that Frederick, who had made his way up the Italian peninsula, had avoided Otto's men who were guarding the passes through the Alps and had arrived at Constance . Otto soon discovered that after Beatrix died in the summer of 1212 and Frederick arrived in Germany with his army in September 1212, most of his former Staufen supporters deserted him for Frederick, forcing Otto to withdraw to Cologne. On 5 December 1212, Frederick

3072-440: The south a year and a half earlier. Count Ferdinand remained imprisoned following his defeat, while King John obtained a five-year truce, on very lenient terms given the circumstances. Longespée was eventually exchanged for a high-ranking French captive, but the Count of Boulogne was imprisoned in a small cell, chained to a log and with little room for movement. He eventually committed suicide in 1227. Philip's decisive victory

3136-576: The sword date to the fifteenth century, but the first detailed depiction only to the seventeenth century. By legend, the Imperial Sword was connected with the donation of the sword, lance, and spurs, of Saint Maurice by the Abbey of Saint Maurice to king Henry the Fowler ; the actual sword, however, postdates both Maurice and Henry. The Imperial Sword has an overall length of 110 cm (43.3 in), with

3200-559: The war against Philip II of France on the side of Richard. In October, he returned to Poitou. The German historian Jens Ahlers, considering Otto's life before 1198, believes that he might have been the first foreign king of Germany. After the death of Emperor Henry VI , the majority of the princes of the Empire, situated in the south, elected Henry's brother Philip king in March 1198, after receiving money and promises from Philip in exchange for their support. But those princes opposed to

3264-490: Was a tight battle, but it was lost when Otto was carried off the field by his wounded and terrified horse, causing his forces to abandon the field. It is said that Philip II had sent to Frederick the Imperial Eagle , which Otto had left lying on the battlefield. Because Otto was forced again to withdraw to his private possessions around Brunswick, this defeat allowed Frederick to take Aachen and Cologne, and so Otto

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3328-539: Was crucial to the political situation in England. The battle ended all hope of a restoration of the Angevin Empire . So weakened was the defeated King John that he soon needed to submit to his barons' demands and agree to Magna Carta in 1215, limiting the power of the crown and establishing the basis for common law. In thanksgiving for the victory, Philip Augustus founded the Abbey of Notre Dame de la Victoire, between Senlis and Mont l'Evêque. In 1914, to mark

3392-620: Was deposed by Pope Innocent III , leading to Frederick II 's accession to the Imperial throne. King John was compelled to hand over Anjou , the ancient patrimony of the Angevin kings of England , to Philip in a peace settlement. This confirmed the collapse of the Angevin Empire . The disaster at Bouvines forever altered the political situation in England, as John was so weakened that his discontented barons forced him to agree to Magna Carta in 1215. Counts Ferrand, Renaud and Longespée were captured and imprisoned. The balance of power shifted, with

3456-489: Was deposed in 1215. His cause of death is disputed, with some claims that he died of disease at Harzburg castle on 19 May 1218, requesting that he be mortally expiated in the atonement of his sins. However, Historian Kantorowicz described the death as gruesome : "deposed, dethroned, he was flung full length on the ground by the Abbot, confessing his sins, while the reluctant priests beat him bloodily to death with rods. Such

3520-474: Was doubted by the vassals of Yorkshire, who prevented Otto from taking possession of his earldom. Still, he probably visited Yorkshire in 1191, and he continued to claim the revenues of the earldom after becoming king of Germany, although he never secured them. Neither did he succeed in getting the 25,000 silver marks willed to him by his uncle in 1199. In 1195, Richard began negotiations to marry Otto to Margaret , daughter and heir presumptive of King William

3584-541: Was elected king for a second time by a majority of the princes. The support that Philip II of France gave to Frederick forced King John of England to throw his weight behind his nephew, Otto. The destruction of the French fleet in 1213 by the English saw John begin preparations for an invasion of France; in this, Otto saw a way of both destroying Frederick's French support and bolstering his prestige. He agreed to join John in

3648-525: Was fought on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders . It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214 . Although estimates on the number of troops vary considerably among modern historians, at Bouvines, a French army commanded by King Philip Augustus routed a larger allied army led by Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV in one of the rare pitched battles of

3712-513: Was killed and the Duke thrown to the ground, but he was saved by his knights, who beat off the Flemish and found him a fresh horse. The Flemings fought on for three hours despite their increasingly desperate situation, driven by knightly honour . Finally, the wounded and unhorsed Count of Flanders was captured by two French knights, triggering the collapse of his knights' morale. The French urban militia infantry, 2,150 strong, were gathered under

3776-618: Was planned by John, who was the fulcrum of the alliance; his plan was to draw the French away from Paris southward towards his forces and keep them occupied, while the main army, under Emperor Otto IV, marched on Paris from the north. John's plan was followed initially, but the allies in the north moved slowly. John, after two encounters with the French, retreated to Aquitaine on 3 July. On 23 July, having summoned his vassals , Philip had an army consisting of 6,000 to 8,000 soldiers. The Emperor finally succeeded in concentrating his forces at Valenciennes , although this did not include John, and in

3840-572: Was taken to St. Peter's Basilica , where he was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent on 4 October 1209, before rioting broke out in Rome, forcing Otto to abandon the city. Not content with his successes so far, Innocent also obtained from Otto further written concessions to the Papal See, including allowing all elections of German bishops to be conducted according to Church ordinances and not to prevent any appeals to Rome. He also promised to hand over to

3904-674: Was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart , who made him Count of Poitou in 1196. With Richard's support, he was elected King of Germany by one faction in a disputed election in 1198, sparking ten years of civil war . The death of his rival, Philip of Swabia , in 1208 left him sole king of Germany. In 1209, Otto marched to Italy to be crowned emperor by Pope Innocent III . In 1210, he sought to unite

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3968-514: Was the end of the first and last Welf Emperor." He is entombed in Brunswick Cathedral , where his parents are buried. Otto was related to every other King of Germany . He married twice: Neither marriage produced any children. Battle of Bouvines French victory left flank: right flank: other command: right flank: left flank: 6,000–7,000 8,800–9,000 Comparatively light The Battle of Bouvines

4032-417: Was then the French rearguard. The allied army drew up facing south-west towards Bouvines, the heavy cavalry on the wings and the infantry in one great mass in the centre, supported by a cavalry corps under Otto himself. The French army formed up opposite in a similar formation, cavalry on the wings, infantry, including the town militias, in the centre. Philip, with the cavalry reserve and the royal standard,

4096-514: Was unhorsed and taken prisoner by Philip of Dreux , the Bishop of Beauvais , and the English soldiers fled. Mathieu de Montmorency captured twelve enemy imperial banners, in memory of which feat twelve more eagles were added to the existing four on the Montmorency coat of arms. The day was already decided in favour of the French when their wings began to close inwards to cut off the retreat of

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