Battle of Lechfeld

Battle of Lechfeld

The Battle of Lechfeld was an important fight that happened a long time ago, from August 10 to 12 in the year 955. It was also called the Second Battle of Lechfeld. Soldiers from the Kingdom of Germany, led by King Otto I the Great, fought against soldiers from Hungary. The Hungarian army was led by leaders named Harka Bulcsú, Lél, and Súr.

The Hungarians wanted to attack the area called the Duchy of Bavaria. They had many horse riders and other soldiers, and they tried to capture a city named Augsburg, which is near the river Lech. King Otto I brought his soldiers to help protect Augsburg.

When the two armies met, the German soldiers, who wore heavy armor, fought well against the Hungarian soldiers. The Germans won the battle. After the battle, many Hungarian soldiers tried to run away, but heavy rains made it hard for them to escape. The leaders of the Hungarians were captured.

Because of this win, the Kingdom of Germany stayed safe, and there were no more big attacks from groups of travelers moving into Western Europe. King Otto became very famous for this victory and was later named Holy Roman Emperor.

Historical sources

The main source about the battle is a book asked for by Ulrich of Augsburg. It tells the story from the German side. Another important source is from a writer named Widukind of Corvey, who adds more details.

Background

Main article: Hungarian invasions of Europe

See also: Battle of Pressburg

In 947, Berthold, the ruler of Bavaria, passed away. His brother Henry, who was also King Otto I's brother, took over. Some think this made Hungarian forces attack Bavaria, but they could not go far into Germany. Over the next few years, German forces pushed back, leading to fights near the Enns River. By 952, Otto had placed Italy under Bavarian protection, which stopped Hungarian attacks from the west for a time.

In 953, some German leaders rebelled against Otto and asked the Hungarians for help. In 954, the Hungarians attacked and caused damage in areas like the Rhineland and parts of France. They returned home safely through Burgundy and Northern Italy.

In 955, King Otto faced many challenges. Some important leaders turned against him, and there were battles and sieges, such as at Regensburg. Despite these problems, Otto learned that the Hungarians had invaded again. They had destroyed lands from the Danube to the Black Forest. Otto quickly gathered his troops to meet the enemy. The battle happened about six weeks after the first reports of the invasion. Otto planned his strategy carefully, choosing a good location to face the Hungarians. The battle took place in a flat area near the river Lech, south of Augsburg. This was known as the second Battle of Augsburg in Hungarian history.

Prelude

The Hungarian forces moved across the river Lech toward the river Iller and damaged the land in between. They then moved back and began surrounding the city of Augsburg, a border town in Swabia. Augsburg had already been hurt during a rebellion against King Otto I in 954. The city was protected by Bishop Ulrich. He told his soldiers not to fight the Hungarians out in the open but to strengthen the main southern gate of the fortress. He inspired them with words from the 23rd Psalm.

The Hungarians tried many attacks on Augsburg day and night. Later, they tried to break into the city through the eastern gate, thinking it might be less guarded. Bishop Ulrich led his soldiers to fight back. He says he was not armed and was only wearing a special garment called a stola while riding his horse, yet he was not hurt. The Hungarians lost their leader in this fight and went back to their camp. The people of Augsburg first thought the Hungarians were winning and coming back to attack again, but they were actually leaving.

That night, the defenders of Augsburg prepared for more attacks by placing soldiers in all the towers. The Hungarians set up their siege tools and surrounded the city. The next day, they were told by someone named Berchtold that Otto I’s army was nearby. Because of this, the Hungarians stopped their attack and went to discuss their next move. While they were away, a count named Dietpald took soldiers to join Otto I’s army during the night.

Opposing forces

King Otto I of Germany led an army with soldiers from many regions. These regions included Bavaria, Swabia, Franconia, Bohemia, Thuringia, and his own guard. Otto’s army may have had around 7,000 to 9,000 soldiers.

The Hungarian army, also called the Magyars, fought in a different way. They were skilled riders on horses and attacked from far away using bows and arrows. They wore lighter armor than Otto’s soldiers. Their horses needed lots of space to eat grass and train, so they could not have many riders. Also, their bows did not work well when it was raining.

Battle

On August 10, 955, King Otto I of Germany got his army ready to fight the Hungarian forces near Lechfeld. The Hungarians had come into Bavaria, hoping to beat Otto’s army in a big open battle. Otto’s soldiers walked through forests to stay safe from Hungarian arrows.

The big battle happened the next day. The Hungarian army tried to surround Otto’s troops, but Duke Conrad made a surprise attack that helped Otto’s army. Otto called his soldiers together and led them to fight the Hungarian army. The fighting was hard, but Otto’s army pushed back the Hungarians. The Hungarians ran across a river, but many were caught and killed over the next two days. The battle ended with a big win for Otto’s army, stopping the Hungarians from invading Western Europe again.

Aftermath

After the battle, the German army called King Otto I the father of their country and wanted him to be their emperor. In 962, Otto went to Rome and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. Many people started calling him "Otto the Great" after this.

The leaders of the Hungarian army, Bulcsú, Lehel and Súr, were captured and punished by the Germans. The defeat of the Hungarian army stopped their attacks on Western Europe forever. After this battle, the Hungarians stopped attacking areas west of them. Otto also stopped attacking them. Their leader, Fajsz, lost his power and was replaced by Taksony as Grand Prince of the Hungarians.

This battle showed the strength of knights on horseback, which became very important in European battles during the High Middle Ages. It ended over 90 years of attacks by the Hungarians on Western Europe and helped the Hungarians settle down, which helped create the country of Hungary.

In popular culture

The battle was shown in the first episode of the first season of the German documentary series Die Deutschen, called "Otto und das Reich" which means "Otto and the Empire".