The Battle of Bouvines in 1214

On July 12, 1214, Philip II Augustus, the King of France, defeated the combined forces of emperor Otto IV, the count of Flanders, and King John of England, near Bouvines in northern France.  For a detailed analysis of this battle, see the Xenophon Group Military History Database.  Several sources give detailed accounts of the battle.

The Marchiennes account of the battle of Bouvines

Anonymous of Bethune's account of the battle of Bouvines

The battle of Bouvines according to the Phlippiad by William of Breton

Roger of Wendover's account of the battle of Bouvines

The battle of Bouvines according to William of Breton (prose account)

The battle of Bouvines according to Philippe Mousket

The battle of Bouvines according to the Minstel of Reims

The battle of Bouvines according to shorter chronicles

These translations were all originally published in The Legend of Bouvines: War, Religion and Culture in the Middle Ages, by Georges Duby, translated by Catherine Tihanyi (University of California Press, 1990).  We thank Catherine Tihanyi for allowing us to republish this material.