Battle of Worringen
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Battle of Worringen | |||||||||
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Part of the War of the Limburg Succession | |||||||||
Illustration from a mid 15th century ms. of Brabantsche Yeesten | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
County of Ziegenhain County of Vianden | |||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Adolf of Nassau Dietrich Luf II | |||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
4,200
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4,800
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
ca 1,100a | ca 40 | ||||||||
a: A substantial number of the adult male members of the House of Luxembourg were killed in this battle. |
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession of the Duchy of Limburg between on one side the Archbishop Siegfried II of Cologne and Count Henry VI of Luxembourg, and on the other side, Duke John I of Brabant.[1]
Prelude
The conflict arose after Duke
The marriage of Reginald and Ermengarde, however, remained childless and when she died in 1283, Count
John intended to enlarge his
Between 1283 and 1288, the conflict was delayed by several smaller confrontations between both sides, none of them decisive. Meanwhile, most of the other local powers chose sides. Siegfried II of Westerburg, the
Battle
In May 1288, Henry of Luxembourg had led a significant army into the Cologne region. Numerous vassals and allies joined his forces and Reginald of Guelders finally sold his rights to Limburg to him, just before peace talks were scheduled. This angered John of Brabant, who in turn started a campaign against Reginald. In Brühl, he met with the Mark and Berg troops by the end of the month. Together they marched against Worringen, a castle on the Rhine held by the Archbishop of Cologne. John laid siege to the fortress, supported by the Cologne citizens, who were eager to free themselves from the archbishop's rule.
Siegfried, witnessing the estrangement of his subjects, likewise started marching. He and Henry of Luxembourg gathered their troops at Neuss and moved to Brauweiler Abbey. On the early morning of 5 June 1288 they departed for Worringen at the head of their troops.
In the earliest phases of the battle, John of Brabant and Henry of Luxembourg met in a fierce fight, in which Henry and two of his brothers [2] were killed.[3] Soon after that, Siegfried entered the battle and in a bold advance was able to repel the Berg troops and the Cologne militia, however with too little support from his reserves.
In mid-afternoon, the Berg and Mark troops, along with the Cologne citizens, had gathered again and started a savage attack on the archbishop's forces. The battle ended in a victory for Brabant when Reginald of Guelders was captured by Daniel van Bouchout[4][5] and Lord Walram of Valkenburg had to retreat. Archbishop Siegfried was taken prisoner by John of Brabant and delivered to Adolf of Berg.
Aftermath
The number of deaths at the battle of Worringen is estimated at 1100 on the Guelders side and 40 on the Brabant side. The casualties among the house of Luxembourg was particularly high: most of the male relatives of the later German emperor
The Battle of Worringen meant a rise in the power of Brabant, Berg and Mark, while the City of Cologne gained its independence from the Archbishopric and finally the status of a free imperial city in 1475. The Duchy of Limburg was added to the Duchy of Brabant in 1289, an arrangement approved by King Rudolph and again by his former opponent Adolf of Nassau, after he was elected King of the Romans in 1292. In Luxembourg, Henry VI was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry VII, who in 1292 settled the conflict with Brabant by marrying John's daughter Margaret. The Archbishopric of Cologne never recovered from the loss of the city of Cologne.
Jan van Heelu wrote a chronicle of the battle.[7]
References
Notes
- ^ Michel Pauly Geschichte Luxemburgs 2013 p. 38
- ^ Walram of Ligny and Henry of Houffalize (bastard)
- ^ Noppen 1991, pp. 46–48.
- ^ Van Heelu & Willems 1836, p. 310.
- ^ Loyens 1672, p. 10.
- ^ "First Walram/Waleran of Luxemburg-Ligny, then Henry VI of Luxemburg (father to Henry VII), Henry of Houffalize, (bastard brother to Henry VI) and his younger brother (name probably Balduin/Baldwin) lost their lives. A whole generation of the House of Luxemburg was extinguished."
- ^ Van Heelu & Willems 1836.
Bibliography
- Boffa, S. 2004. Warfare in medieval Brabant: 1356–1406. Coll.: "Warfare in History", Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 289 p.
- Loyens, Hubert (1672), Synopsis AB Serenissimis, Ducibus. Johannes I, Dux Lotharingae, Brabantiae, Limburgi, Brussels
- Noppen, Constant (1991), De heren van Boechout en hun Waterburcht te Meise, Brussel: Drukkerij Poot
- Van Heelu, Jan; Willems, Jan Frans (1836), Relation de la bataille de Woeringen, Brussels
Wargames
- Frédéric Bey, Swords of Sovereignty: Bouvines 1214 and Worringen 1288, Au fil de l'épée series, Ludifolie Editions (2012)