Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214
Bouvines saw the triumph of Philip II Augustus of France against King John of England, even though John was not present at the battle. Philip has seized much of John's French lands, and in an attempt to recover them, John, and his ally Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, joined to invade France. King John campaigned in Western France, while Otto invaded from the east. Otto and his armies were defeated by Philip at Bouvines, removing any chance of success for King John. This defeat may have contributed to the discontent that led to the Magna Carta, forced out of King John less than a year later.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (21 August 2000), Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_bouvines.html