Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Battle of Morat, 1476

Many years ago, on a business trip to Zurich, I visited the Schweiz Landesmuseum near the Bahnhof. There is a very large model in the museum of the Battle of Morat, often also called Murten, in traditional Zinnfiguren or "flats". The battle was fought on June 22, 1476, between Charles Duke of Burgundy and a Swiss confederate army trying to relieve the Burgundian siege of Murten, 30 km. from Bern. The Swiss army launched a surprise attack which overwhelmed the Burgundian besiegers.

These scans are from postcards purchased by me at the museum.



I have recently been playing a Morat scenario in the STEAM computer game "Pike & Shot" by Slitherine. The game does a good job of showing the siege lines and capturing the feel of a surprise attack. I recommend it highly.