Battle of Morat

Overview

The Battle of Morat ( took place during the Burgundian Wars that was fought on 22 June 1476 between Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, and a Swiss Confederation army at Morat, about 30 kilometres from Bern. It was the second major engagement of the Burgundian Wars, and ended in a crippling defeat for Charles the Bold. The severity of the losses permanently crippled the Burgundian army and their military efforts.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Morat, fought on 22 June 1476 near Bern, was the second major engagement of the Burgundian Wars and resulted in a severe defeat for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. A Swiss Confederation force of approximately 25,000 engaged a Burgundian army of around 12,000, inflicting casualties estimated between 6,000 and 10,000 men. The scale of those losses permanently crippled the Burgundian army and its capacity for sustained military operations. Coming as the second major defeat of the war, Morat compounded the erosion of Burgundian military strength and left Charles unable to recover the offensive power needed to press his ambitions against the Confederation and allied forces including René II, Duke of Lorraine. The battle thus marked a decisive turning point in the Burgundian Wars, shifting the strategic balance firmly against the Duchy of Burgundy.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (7)