ORDER OF BATTLE // June 22, 1476
Battle of Morat
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 37,000 estimated
Duchy of Burgundy
12,000
Medium-confidence figure
Old Swiss Confederacy
25,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
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.
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