French commander(s): Philippe II Auguste with approximately 4,000 knights and sergeants [heavy cavalry], and about 11,000 urban militia foot soldiers.

Coalition commander (s): Emperor Otto IV with approximately 25,000 men; a much larger proportion of foot soldiers and slighlty less cavalry than the French.

French: unknown, possibly less than 1,000 killed.

Coalition: possibly over 1,000 killed, and over 9,000 made prisoners.

No reliable figures were recorded for the strength or casualties of the opposing forces. Figures reported in many studies can be only guesses based upon general information of armies at the time.

Philippe II's demonstrated experienced leadership throughout, as well as being served by fine commanders among his knights. The French cavalry demonstrated remarkable control of the tactical situation -- coming to their king's aid and striking the vulnerable flank of the coalition's right flank, and not loosing control in pursuit of early fleeing coalition troops.

Bouvines was the most important battle from a political point of view for a century. Most historians cite the event as 'the battle that made France' and credit France's very existence to the victory of Philip II Auguste. It was a great pitched battle, the greatest of its age, in contrast to the many smaller and briefer engagements of the period. If the French monarch had lost, the Platagenêts might have won back their lost Norman and Angevin territories, and the counts of Flanders might have won freedom from the French king, and the German emperor might have retained Lotharingian territories. Not until the time of the emperor Charles V did France have so many enemies allied against it.

For England, Philippe II's victory of Bouvines more than confirmed the end of Platagenêt claims to Angevin France. It brought king John Lackland to his lowest ebb, and certainly promoted the English barons to revolt and to force upon the monarch the Magna Carta. Further, the English nobles went so far as to invite Philippe II's son, prince Louis, to take the crown of England.

Louis landed with a French army in May 1216. He was supported by many English [including the earl of Salisbury], Welsh, and Scot nobles. However, King John Lackland died in October 1216 and Louis returned to France in 1217 in an effort to get support from his father -- Philippe II was not interested in the project. With John Lackland's death, the majority of the English nobles changed their minds and threw their support to John Lackland's son, Henry III (1216-72). When Louis returned to England, he and his few English allies lost a land battle at Lincoln (20 May 1216), and reinforcements from France were lost in a naval battle off Sandwich soon after. Louis was forced to accept a small payment for abandoning his claim and returned to France, where he was later to rule briefly as Louis VIII (1223-1226).

It may be asked as to why the 1202-1214 warfare between the kings John Lackland of England and the Philippe II Auguste of France could be identified as a 'war' and labeled with the name of its concluding battle. The convention is suggested by the famous English military historian, Alfred Burne's studies The Crécy War (1337-1360) and The Agincourt War (1369-1453). Arguably and in comparison, Le dimanche de Bouvines (1214) established a more lasting outcome, as well as truly being the defining battle, of it's particular struggle.

Campaign of Bouvines Part 2: The 'War' of Bouvines (1202-1214)

Phase One of the Campaign of 1214
Phase Two of the Campaign of 1214
Summary and Analysis of Strengths
Battlefield Today

Battle of Bouvines Part 1: The 'War' of Bouvines (1202-1214)

Preface and Background
Emergence of the Angevin 'Empire'
Preliminaries and Initial Operations
Papal, Empire, and Flemish Factions
John Lackland's Coalition Against Philipp II