Battle of Steppes, 13 October 1213 (Belgium)
Battle between the forces of Henry, duke of Brabant and Hugh of Pierrepoint, bishop of Liege. Duke Henry claimed that the bishops of Liege were wrongfully holding lands that should be his, and taking advantage anarchy in the Empire, he decided to launch a raid into the bishopric. The Bishop gathered all of his allies, along with the forces of Lewis, count of Loos, and chased after the dukes army, by now retreating with its plunder. The two armies lined up in the same way, with infantry in the centre, and cavalry on each wing. The count of Loos, on the bishops right wing, charged ahead of the army, and engaged the duke's left, which was so beleaguered that the duke was forced to re-enforce from his own right wing. This turned the fight there against the count of Loos, and his troops were forced from the field. However, on the other flank the bishop's cavalry were easily able to defeat the remaining forces, and force them back on their own infantry. The duke of Brabant had committed his entire force by this point, and was unable to intervene to prop up his right flank. The bishop's infantry was then able to break the now demoralised centre of the duke's army, and the up till now victorious cavalry on the duke's left saw the day was lost and fled the field.
How to cite this article:
Rickard, J. (21 October 2000), Battle of Steppes, 13 October 1213, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_steppes.html