Battle of Sempach, 1386 – Swiss Oath Brothers fight the Austrian war machine

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📢 Narrated by David McCallion

🎼 Music:
Epidemic Sounds
Filmstro
All this scoring – Kevin MacLeod

📚 Sources:
Battle of Sempach – The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology – Clifford J. Rogers (2010)
Medieval Warfare – Delbrück, Hans (1990)
The Swiss at War 1300 – 1500 – Douglas Miller (1979)
A Concise History of Switzerland – Clive H. Church (2013)
Medieval European Armies – Terence Wise (1975)

#history #documentary #medieval

It’s a hot day in the summer of 1386 and as  the noble ranks of Duke Leopold’s army march   along the shore of the Lake of Sempach; a few  gruff voices grumble at the slow progress in   the rear. Several eager young knights speak  of the glories to be won when they meet the  

Confederates and smash their army. Yet as shouts filter down the line,   a few fail to finish their proud boasts, the time  for talking was now at an end – the flash of sun   on steel and the large movements ahead – indicated  hastily forming Confederates ready to block their  

Advance to the rebellious town of Sempach. Two armies were now poised to test the other in   battle: one of knights and nobility, wielding  the lances Duke Leopold was sure would prove   the peasants’ undoing; the other the stubborn  ranks of the Confederates, with their light  

Weapons and halberds, though lesser in numbers  and arms, they yet stood determined to bloody   the proud invaders before them – a seminal  clash in Swiss history was about to ensue.   As with other warrior-folk throughout the annules  of history, the people of the modern Swiss region  

Have an undoubted martial reputation forged  principally in medieval period and beyond as   particularly lethal mercenary warriors. In ancient times, the people of the region   most famously fought ferociously against none  other than Gaius Julius Caesar himself as they   attempted migration into the softer climbs of  Gallic territory. Following their defeat by  

The great Roman general, the Helvetii folk were  subsumed into the Roman Republic and Empire.   The region was also a territory under Charlemagne  and then eventually fell under the Holy Roman   Empire. Though nominally within the Empire, the  locals had effectively lived as free citizens  

For centuries. However, by the waning of the  13th century this independence was questioned   by the ambitious Habsburg dynasty. In what today most Swiss would consider   the founding of their nation, three peoples  within the area of Lake Lucerne allied to   counter the increasing aggression of Austria.  Known as the “Everlasting League” the three  

So-called “forest cantons” of Uri, Schwyz  and Unterwalden presented a united front.   This early bond of comradeship was further  strengthened in 1315 when a smaller Waldstätte   army ambushed and crushed the ducal forces  under Leopold I at the battle of Morgarten.  

At Morgarten, these Swiss warriors had  shown how a smaller force of farmers and   lower-born folk could outwit and best  the mighty Austrian army – comprised   of better-armed and trained proud knights –  in the first of the great Swiss victories on  

The long road to Swiss nationhood. Yet as the century progressed, it would   be a mistake to consider the various cities and  territories of the cantons as a single homogenous   state. The association of the Eight Cantons  was more a loose web of alliances, while not  

Necessarily binding others in the group together.  There was no grand unifying pact, but actually   six smaller ones. At this point, the stronger  cities of Bern and Zurich very much pursued their   own expansion and aims. The former – Bern – would  shine in centre stage at the close of the 1330s.  

1315 had witnessed the battering of the Austrians  at Morgarten, the confederates’ clever use of   terrain and surprise – as aforementioned – starkly  demonstrating to all that the mounted knight was   far from invincible given the right conditions. Unlike at Morgarten, the advantages of good ground  

And surprise, would prove unnecessary at the later  battle of Laupen. As with their Waldstätte allies,   the free imperial city of Bern was also in  a period of aggressive expansion. It’s rival   in 1330s was its former ally Fribourg, which  had been acquired by the Habsburgs in 1277.  

With Bern’s expansion having resulted  in losses for the local feudal lords,   a potent coalition of foes presented a formidable  threat by the close of the decade. Occupying the   city of Laupen, the enemy Fribourg coalition  marched to take the city and fortification,  

Fielding some twelve thousand men. In response, Bern called on aid from the   Waldstätte (who dutifully provided around 450  men), while around the same number were also   contributed by the men of Simmental, Haslital and  Solothurn, among others. These reinforcements,   combined with the army of Bern, fielded  around six and half thousand men who were  

Poised to confront their enemies at Laupen. Another key development in the nascent Swiss   identity was the first use of the white  cross to distinguish the Allied-Bernese   warriors. Before battle, each man had  sown the symbol into their attire.   Reaching the village of Bramberg, the  Bernese-allied army divided into two groups;  

The men of the forest cantons took their position  on the left opposing the enemy mounted knights,   while the Bernese group elected  to take on their Fribourg rivals,   who comprised the enemy infantry. Closing to blows, the initial clash of   the Waldstätte group with the knights saw  the former taking a beating. Unlike their  

Later legendary pikeman counterparts, these Swiss  warriors wielded halberds which were relatively   ineffective in resisting the massed charges of the  knights on even ground. Yet, these hardy warriors   held their own, and formed a circular formation  – presenting a hedgehog of points similar to the  

Schiltrons of the Scots in earlier battles. Meanwhile, the Bernese faced the larger   approaching Fribourg contingent. Before coming  to blows, von Erlach released his lighter troops,   who rained a hail of missiles onto the closing  enemy. This was designed to rattle and hopefully  

Soften up the enemy ranks before the main clash;  however, the retreat of these lighter troops   through the front ranks served to undermine  morale in von Erlach’s own rear ranks.   Mistaking the retreating men as routing,  several hundred Bernese men broke and fled  

Into the nearby woods as the two bodies of  men collided. Thankfully for the Bernese,   this fear did not infect the front ranks and they  held firm. The terrible din of battle ensued,   both columns of men hacking and stabbing  at exposed flesh, the air echoing with the  

Screams of the wounded and soon-to-be slain. Initially, the men of Bern may have balked at   the bloody task before them, the sheer numbers  of their foes too great an enemy to overcome.   However, remarkably, though outnumbered and  further depleted by their routing comrades in  

The rear, the Bernese ranks began to erode  the morale of the Fribourg warriors. As   the butcher’s bill mounted, the men of Bern and  its allies did manage to form a wedge formation   that punctured through the enemy centre. With their formation compromised and the forward  

Men of the Bernese army striking at the very  banners of the Fribourg formation, the fierce   contest over the possession of these standards  could only result in one thing: with their own   cohesion gone and the momentum firmly in Bernese  hands, the Fribourg group shattered and broke.  

Meanwhile, a stalemate of sorts had endured in  the other theatre. The Waldstätte warriors had   exacted a bloody toll on the surrounding enemy  cavalry, however, the enemy too had endured,   maintaining its death grip around them  in a solid ring of angry faces.  

To the credit of the Bernese force, however,  they mostly maintained their steely discipline   and instead of pursuing the vanquished  Fribourg army, they reformed and moved   to strike the encircling enemy cavalry in the  flank. The surviving Fribourger-allied cavalry   were now themselves surrounded and following  this assault they were easily scattered and  

Dispatched by the avenging Swiss infantry. Though not fielding massive numbers and   suffering relatively light losses, the battle  at Laupen was an important big step on the road   to ultimate Swiss unity. Bern would formally  join the Confederacy a few years later.  

The battle also further showcased how – though  put to it – an infantry force could best heavily   armed knights in the field and on relatively  even ground. Though impressive, however,   the Waldstätte group had been hard-pressed, their  halberds not ideal weapons to withstand massed  

Cavalry charges. Later, however, the Waldstätte  army at Sempach would demonstrate they had learned   this lesson well, once again utilising terrain to  their advantage as they had done at Morgarten.   Meanwhile, as the fourteenth century  progressed, the Swiss Confederacy grew,  

With the cantons of Lucerne, Zug and Zurich also  joining along with Bern. Such growth, however,   would once more inevitably force a direct  confrontation with the covetous Habsburgs.   The rivalry would prove a family affair,  as the nephew of the Leopold bested at  

The Battle of Morgarten now elected to  face the Confederates. Duke Leopold III   indeed ruled over the western territories  of the Habsburgs, with their influence and   interests overlapping with the Confederates. Tensions were already high given Leopold’s designs   to stiffen his authority in the southern German  region. Opposing him were the League of Swabian  

Cities. Equally anxious to counter ducal  ambitions, the cantons of Bern, Zurich,   Zug and Solothurn agreed the Pact of Constance  with 51 cities. With the geopolitical dominoes   now stacked to fall in the direction of  war, only a final push was needed.  

The final lunge towards conflict came from the  vicinity of Lucerne. Though nominally under the   authority of the Habsburgs, in truth the city  was effectively autonomous. More than this, it   was also aggressively extending its influence as  part of the Confederacy into surrounding lands.  

At the conclusion of 1385, a series of attacks  were launched from Confederate cantons: the   men of Zurich, Zug and Lucerne assaulted Austrian  settlements without warning. To compound matters,   the men of Entlebuch were drawn into Lucerne’s  sphere and the small town of Sempach was also  

Awarded citizenship. Similar deals were granted to  the towns of Meienberg, Richensee and Willisau.   It was around this time that these cantons  sent word for aid from the League, however,   no help was offered, leaving the Confederates  to face the inevitable Austrian response alone.  

A ceasefire was initially agreed in February of  1386, though the negotiations held throughout May   and June in Zurich were ultimately fruitless,  given the rising consensus and eagerness of   the cantons to continue resistance. Meanwhile, Duke Leopold III was equally  

Willing to resolve matters through force of  arms. In June, he was drawing to him a coalition   of warriors with which he would crush these  upstart peasants. Many nobles pledged to fight,   warriors being drawn from his Swabian vassals,  from Alsace, Tyrol, among other places,  

And with mercenaries also hailing from Italy and  France. All told some four thousand knights and   mercenaries were assembled at Brugg. Given his base, the Confederates assumed   Leopold sought to strike Zurich and adjusted their  response appropriately; however, when Leopold’s  

Force began its march it became apparent what his  real target was. Leopold marched to Sursee (via   Zofingen and Willisau). On 9th July, the Habsburg  army traced the northern shore of Lake Sempach,   Leopold’s aim to strike Lucerne via Rothenburg. However, this was not to be. Lucerne – along with  

Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden – moved from their  initial position in Zurich to counter. Thus it   was that when Leopold and his army reached  an area of uneven ground along his route,   he was met by around sixteen hundred  Confederates, determined to thwart his advance.  

The clash occurred north-east of Sempach, near  to Hildesrieden. The details of the battle are   arguable, though the ultimate result is not.  The largely halberd-wielding Swiss – under   Petermann von Gundoldingen – were initially  unprepared to face the Austrian onslaught,   with Leopold’s army similarly not expecting  fighting they spied the enemy forces.  

Approaching the Swiss position, Leopold  realised that despite his numbers advantage   his army suffered the disadvantage of the uneven  ground. Wholly unsuited to the mounted charge of   his knights, he ordered his warriors to dismount  and assault the enemy on foot. Within this first  

Column of attackers were many younger and eager  knights, keen to distinguish themselves that day,   writing a name for themselves in Swiss blood. The outnumbered Waldstätte men for their part   hastily formed their own column into a wedge  formation, with the forward units angled to  

The right. Duke Leopold, remaining mounted with  the reserve column, watched as the solid ranks   of the Habsburg van pressed towards the  Swiss. At this stage of the battle there   can be little doubt that the grizzled knights of  Leopold’s host had the better of the fighting.  

Leopold had directed his warriors  to dismount due to the terrain,   but had also wanted to showcase the superiority of  the lance over the halberd. Most of the Waldstätte   men indeed wielded their shorter halberds and  other weapons. Their relative lack of armour,  

In comparison to the heavily-armoured enemy also  contributed to an early beating for the Swiss.   The knights of Leopold’s host were solid in their  lines and simply swatted and stabbed at the Swiss   front ranks, the latter unable to counter with  their shorter weapons. It was around this stage  

That the Swiss general fell amongst the fore  ranks of the Lucerne contingent. This loss,   however, did not break the stony-faced Swiss. The Swiss may have simply acknowledged their   current formation was a losing tactic  and reformed to compensate; fresher men   entering the fray making a difference. Of course, one cannot consider this issue  

And the Battle of Sempach generally without  mentioning the legendary Arnold von Winkelried.   Arnold had fought in the thick of the fighting and  an earlier chronicler mentioned what happened:   “To this [victory] a trusty man amongst the  Confederates helped us. When he saw that  

Things were going so badly, and that the  lords with their lances and spears always   thrust down the foremost before they could  be touched by the halberds, then did that   honest man and true rush forward and seize as  many spears as he could and press them down,  

So that the Confederates smote off all the spears  with their halberds, and so reached the enemy.”   Arnold’s breaking of the Habsburg line has always  been factually controversial, however, whether by   the actions of a single hero, the changing of  tactics mid-battle or a combination of both  

Or some other “miracle” factor, Leopold’s first  column was compromised and now the Swiss – with   their shorter weapons – had the advantage in  the close hand-to-hand fighting that ensued. The   dark turn in fortune for the knights was perhaps  exacerbated by the boiling hot day. Now – as with  

The halberds earlier in the battle – the knights’  advantage of heavy plate armour was now turned   into a deadly handicap. Tiring under the heat and  weight of their protection, the lighter-armoured   Swiss cleaved open the initial breach. Observing the collapse of his van from the rear,  

Duke Leopold leapt off of his horse. He had  seen the Austrian standard falter and as the   cry of “Austria to the Rescue!” went up, he  bravely advanced into the deepest press of the   fighting. Though accounting himself well, however,  Leopold would be counted among the dead.  

Unfortunately for the Habsburgs, the advance of  the second column was disordered, in poor contrast   to the unstoppable momentum of the Swiss. Many  of the rearguard, dismayed by the turn of events   and the fall of their duke turned and fled.  This was an easier task for those in reserve  

Still mounted or the squires set aside to guard  the horses of the dismounted first attackers.   Alas for the knights still engaged forward,  their cries for their horses and aid from their   comrades fell largely on deaf ears. Abandoned,  exhausted and trapped within their armour,  

The Swiss mercilessly massacred what remained.  Some 1800 of Leopold’s men lay dead on the field,   as opposed to just 200 Swiss. The weary victors remained in the   field for three days, gathering the usual loot and  spoils of war, while also praising God for their  

Victory and mournfully burying their dead. News of the battle spread far and wide, reaching   Lübeck in the far north and at least as far  south as southern Italy. While a Swabian source   hoped for the ultimate destruction of both the  Confederates and their descendants, the victors  

Themselves rapidly built-up legends; rejoicing  in relating stories and songs about the event.   One such example was in the tale of how – since  the enemy knights had dismounted – they had needed   to slice off the points to their beak-shaped  shoes to avoid an awkward advance. Of course,  

The greatest and most-enduring  story related to Sempach were   the actions of the heroic Winkelried. Regardless, the victory was undoubted.   With Leopold dead and many local lords  lost in the disaster, Habsburg Swiss   lands were left exposed and indeed in the  following years the Austrians were compelled  

To abandon their lands in the region. Though not directly involved in the fighting Berne   would launch its own raids; Lucerne, for whom the  war had principally been fought, would permanently   retain its recent conquests with the peace of  1389; meanwhile, Glarus who had also chaffed  

Under Habsburg dominion would also throw off their  shackles in 1388, another coalition defeating   the Habsburgs in the Battle of Näfels. In October of 1386, several cantons agreed a   ceasefire with the Habsburgs, which was succeeded  by a year-long peace in January of the following  

Year, which both Bern and Solothurn also assented  to. It was not until the so-called seven years   peace in April of 1389 to be later followed by  the twenty-year peace agreed in July of 1394 that   a more settled state of affairs was set. Much like Hastings in England or Bannockburn  

In Scotland, the events at Sempach in 1386 are as  integral to the Swiss identity and national story.   As with Morgarten and Laupen before it, Sempach  would be a key event on the road to eventual   Swiss dominion in the region and the rise of the  Swiss nation itself that exists to this day.