Battle of Nancy

"Rene takes the town of Nancy", by Pierre Jacobi

Date	5 January 1477
Location	Outside the walls of Nancy, France
Result	Decisive Lorraine victory, Death of Charles the Bold, end of the Burgundian Wars, and dissolution of the Duchy of Burgundy

Belligerents

Duchy of Burgundy

Duchy of Lorraine,

Swiss Confederation

Commanders and leaders

Charles the Bold †

René II, Duke of Lorraine

Swiss mercenaries

Strength

~3,000 men

Lorraine 10,000-12,000 men
Swiss 10,000 men

Casualties and losses

Unknown, presumably near total

Unknown

René II, Duke of Lorraine

The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, against René II, Duke of Lorraine, and the Swiss Confederacy.

René's forces won the battle, and Charles' mutilated body was found three days later.

Charles was besieging the city of Nancy, capital of Lorraine, following its recapture by the forces of René II 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 when the weather improved.

By late December René had gathered some 10-12,000 men from Lorraine and the Lower Union (of the Rhine). A Swiss army of 10,000 men arrived to help out. René 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 5 January. Charles finally learned 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 down which he knew the Swiss would have to advance. The exact numbers available to Charles are hard to judge, but contemporary observers put the numbers between 2,000 and 4,000, for even his household troops were by this stage well below strength, while most of the Ordonnance companies were at best only 50% of their theoretical strength.

Charles, as usual, deployed his troops to a precise battle plan despite the short notice he received of the approach of René's forces. The infantry companies and dismounted gendarme 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 coutilliers.

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Wikipedia