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The Battle of Murten, 1476

Political Situation (2)

The Swiss and their allies from the Upper Rhine and Lorraine handed Charles the Bold his second defeat in Murten on 22 June 1476. They had previously repulsed him at Grandson (on March 2), seizing sizeable spoils. On that occasion the Burgundian army of 20,000 men had panicked in the course of a regrouping manoeuvre and taken flight.

That next winter, a combined army of Lorrainers, Austrians and Swiss vanquished the Burgundians once more at Nancy (5 January 1477). Charles fell during the battle.

These events enabled the Swiss Confederation to preserve its independence. They also influenced the course of European history in a most significant way.

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