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27 July 1214Primary source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Philip II Augustus wins the Battle of Bouvines

A single afternoon breaks the Angevin threat and secures the French crown

On the timeline · around 27 July 1214 · The Capetians and Medieval FranceThe Capetians and Medieval FrancePhilip II Augustus wins the Battle of Bouvines10501100115012001250130013501400

Quick facts

Location
Bouvines, County of Flanders
Key people
Philip II Augustus, Otto IV, King John of England
Result
French victory

What happened

King Philip II of France defeated a coalition army of Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, King John of England, and rebellious French vassals including the counts of Flanders and Boulogne near the village of Bouvines. The Anonymous of Bethune, a contemporary chronicler, described the two sides forming up on open ground near Bouvines with Philip's forces fighting for, in the chronicle's words, the honor of the Holy Church. French cavalry broke the coalition's flanks over hours of close fighting, and Otto IV fled the field.

Why it matters

The victory ended Otto IV's imperial ambitions and effectively broke the Angevin claims that had let English kings hold vast French territory, unifying most of France under direct royal control. King John's defeat here was also a factor in the baronial revolt back in England that forced him to sign Magna Carta the following year.

How we know

The battle is described in multiple independent chronicles, including the Anonymous of Bethune's account and other contemporary Latin sources, whose narratives of the day's fighting largely agree on the sequence of events.

Sources

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Philip II Augustus wins the Battle of Bouvines · History of France · SourcedStory