Battle of Muret

Coordinates: 43°28′N 1°20′E / 43.467°N 1.333°E / 43.467; 1.333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Battle of Muret
Part of the Albigensian Crusade

The Battle of Muret: illustration from the Grandes Chroniques de France, c. 1375–1380
Date12 September 1213
Location
Muret, France
43°28′N 1°20′E / 43.467°N 1.333°E / 43.467; 1.333
Result French Crusader victory
Belligerents
Northern French Crusaders
County of Comminges
County of Foix
Viscounty of Carcassonne
Commanders and leaders

Simon de Montfort the Elder

Peter II of Aragon  †
Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse
Raymond-Roger, Count of Foix
Strength

1,000–1,700 men[1][2][3][4]

  • 240–260 knights
  • 500–700 mounted sergeants
  • 300–700 infantry
 Modern estimates:
No more than 10,000 fighting men[5]
16,900–22,100 men[6][7]
4,000–8,000 men[8][9]
  • 1,000–2,000 Aragonese and Catalan knights and mounted sergeants
  • 1,000–2,000 Occitan knights and mounted sergeants
  • Several thousand infantry
Casualties and losses

Light (less than 100 total casualties)[10][11][12]

  • Presumably there were only 4 to 9 dead (1 knight and 3 or 8 sergeants)[13]
  • Many thousands killed (King Peter II included)[14][15][16]
  • Unknown wounded or captured

The Battle of Muret (

Raymond VI of Toulouse
.

Like Hastings and Bouvines, Muret is regarded as one of the most decisive tactical victories of the High Middle Ages and a much more complete victory than the first two. It showed Montfort had no equal as a battlefield commander, having now after his previous exploits defeated, against all odds, a man whose status as a sovereign king, general and crusader matched or exceeded the Frenchman's own reputation.[17][18] Charles Oman described the battle as the most remarkable triumphs ever won by a force entirely composed of cavalry over an enemy that used both horse and foot.[19]

The death of Peter II and the heavy loss of life among the Aragonese nobility had permanent political consequences in the region. The outcome of the battle removed Aragonese influence over the Languedoc and its surrounding provinces and allowed the Crown of France to assert its own control over them, which led to an expansion of the French royal domain further south.[20]

Background

Simon IV de Montfort was the leader of the

Raymond VI. Count Raymond sought assistance from his brother-in-law, King Peter II of Aragon, who felt threatened by Montfort's conquests in Languedoc. He decided to cross the Pyrenees and to deal with Montfort at Muret
.

On 10 September, Peter's army arrived at Muret, and was joined by contingents from Languedoc led by Raymond and other southern French lords. Peter chose to position his army so their right flank was protected by the Saudrune River, and the left by a marsh. He tasked the Toulousain militia with assaulting the walls of the city.

Armies

The contemporary sources' estimates of the size of Montfort's army do not cause much controversy and are generally supported by modern historians. According to Laurence Marvin, Simon de Montfort led an army of 1,000–1,700 French Crusaders, including a small contingent of knights brought by his ally, the Viscount of Corbeil. Montfort had 900 cavalry, of which 260 were knights. His 300–700 infantry stayed behind at Muret to hold the town.[1][21] Spencer C. Tucker specifically gives 700 infantry and 900 cavalry under Simon de Monfort for a total of 1,600 men,[22] which is fairly close to the former author's higher estimates. These estimates of 1,600 to 1,700 French cavalry and infantry are also given by many other noted historians. DK, while giving similar estimates about the number of cavalry, list the number of infantrymen at 1,200, for a total of 2,100 men.[23]

Estimates about the number of troops in the allied army vary considerably as contemporary sources were not remotely credible. It is not a matter of controversy that Peter II and his Aragonese and Catalan army were joined by southern lords and their respective forces. However,

Jonathan Sumption.[28]

Battle

Montfort led his knights and horse sergeants out of the walled town and divided his cavalry army into three lines, with his half-brother William of Barres commanding the first line and Montfort himself commanding the third for purposes of tactical command and control. King Peter had arranged his men in the same formation, with the

Count of Foix commanding the first line and the King disguising himself in a borrowed suit of armor in the second line. Once deployed, Peter's army remained stationary and waited for the Crusaders' approach.[21]

Crossing a stream, William of Barres' cavalry rode for the center of the Count of Foix's line, with the second Crusader line following him.[21] The coalition's first line was crushed by the impetus of the charge and the Crusaders broke through to the second. At the same time, Montfort maneuvered his unit to outflank the coalition cavalry from the left and crashed into them. Confused and disorganized, the coalition cavalrymen began to retreat.[29]

King Peter may have been killed in the initial clash or the Crusaders may have headed for his standard in the second line during the battle, seeking to kill him. According to one contemporary account, he shouted "Here is your King!", but was not heard. Knowledge of his death contributed to the rout of his army.[29]

Montfort's first two lines pursued the defeated coalition cavalry, while Montfort himself rallied his third line and kept them in reserve in case the pursuers encountered resistance. This proved unnecessary, as the fleeing cavalrymen put up no such effort.[30]

Montfort then returned to the besieged Muret. The militia from Toulouse renewed their assault on the city. When they saw the Crusader horsemen returning and learned that King Peter of Aragon had been killed,[31] they broke and fled their fortified camp toward the Garonne River but were slaughtered in the rout.[32]

Course of the battle

Aftermath

This would be the last major battle of the Albigensian Crusade, which did not officially end until the 1229 Treaty of Paris. In addition, with de Montfort's victory as well as the death of King Peter, the ambitions of Aragon in Languedoc were effectively ended.

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b Marvin 2009, p. 185.
  2. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5
    .
  3. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-571-26657-9
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5
    .
  8. ^ a b Marvin 2009, pp. 186–187.
  9. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  10. ^ Alvira-Cabrer 2008, pp. 206–208.
  11. ^ Marvin 2009, p. 193.
  12. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  14. ^ Marvin 2009, p. 192.
  15. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  16. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  17. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  18. ^ Marvin 2009, p. 191.
  19. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  20. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  21. ^ a b c Marvin 2009, p. 188.
  22. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5
    .
  23. ISBN 978-1-4053-4778-5
    .
  24. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6
    .
  25. ISBN 978-1-62358-003-2
    .
  26. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5
    .
  27. ISBN 978-1-4053-4778-5
    .
  28. ISBN 978-0-571-26657-9
    .
  29. ^ a b Marvin 2009, p. 189.
  30. ^ Marvin 2009, pp. 189–190.
  31. ^ Tucker 2010, p. 269.
  32. ^ Marvin 2009, pp. 175–195.

Bibliography

Secondary sources

Further reading

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