| Battle of Brémule | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Henry I William Adelin | Louis VI William Clito | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 500 knights | 400 knights | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Insignificant | 140 knights captured | ||||||
TheBattle of Brémule was fought on 20 August 1119 betweenHenry I of England andLouis VI the Fat of France. Henry I had to defend his holdings inNormandy several times and his victory at this battle repelled a French invasion.
The French defeat at Brémule effectively crippled the barons' rebellion and led to King Louis' having to acceptWilliam Adelin asDuke of Normandy. William was officially invested with the duchy in 1120, even though King Louis continued to supportWilliam Clito's claim to the honour.
This battle is the result of a fortuitous encounter between the two neighbours who were engaged in a lawkeeping operation on their respective borders, the limits of their kingdoms being still imprecise in the Vexin and in the valley of the Seine.
Chronicles from the French side describe the battle as a fierce and bloody one where Louis the Fat, despite his heavy weight, fought so close to the opposing knights that a Norman seized his horse's reins and shouted, "The King is taken!", to which the King replied with a heavy blow from hismace, shouting back: "The King is not taken, neither at war, nor at chess!" However, this was later proven to be a misattribution.[1]
On the other side, chronicles from the Norman side tell that their knights gained much profit from the ransoms paid by their many prisoners, and that they had only three casualties on their side.[2]
49°20′36″N1°24′21″E / 49.3433°N 1.4058°E /49.3433; 1.4058
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