ORDER OF BATTLE // July 31, 1499
Battle of Dornach
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 21,000–22,000 estimated
Old Swiss Confederacy
6,000
Medium-confidence figure
Holy Roman Empire
15,000–16,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Dornach, fought between the forces of Emperor Maximilian I and the Old Swiss Confederacy, ended in a decisive defeat for the imperial side. With a Swiss force of approximately 6,000 inflicting around 4,000 casualties on an imperial army of 15,000–16,000 men, the engagement demonstrated the Swiss Confederacy's capacity to overcome a substantially larger opponent. The battle concluded the Swabian War between the Swiss and the Swabian League, making it the war's terminal engagement. The defeat effectively ended Maximilian's attempt to reassert imperial authority over the Confederacy, and the outcome confirmed the Swiss position within the broader political order of the period.
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