Editing Charles the Bold (section)

=== Battle of Morat ===
[[File:La Fuite de Charles le Téméraire.jpg|alt=Charles the Bold and his men fleeting on horses|thumb|320x320px|The flight of Charles the Bold after the [[Battle of Morat]] by [[Eugène Burnand]], 1894, now in  the Eugène Burnand Museum, [[Moudon]]]]

Charles retreated to [[Lausanne]], where he reorganised his army. He demanded more artillery and men-at-arms from his lands; in Dijon, anything made of metal was melted to make cannon; in occupied Lorraine, he confiscated all artillery.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=20}}{{Efn|[[Philippe de Commines]], the Burgundian chronicler, reported that in an official decree to all his realm, Charles ordered "{{Transliteration|de|Der Meyer zu Lockie an den Grafen zu Aarburg|}}" (''all the world to come to him with all (its) cannon and all (its) manpower'').{{sfn|Winkler|2010|p=20}}}} He received funds from all his allies, and men from Italy, Germany, England, and [[History of Poland during the Jagiellonian dynasty|Poland]] came to join his army.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=21}} At the end of May, he had amassed 20,000 men in Lausanne, outnumbering the local population.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=439}} He trained these men from 14 to 26 May while he himself grew sicker by the day, resulting in stagnation among his troops. With the supply lines delayed, and the payment long overdue, Charles's army had to cut costs. Many horse archers went on foot instead. The army, though magnificent in appearance, was incohesive and unstable.{{Sfn|Brunner|2011|p=47}}

On 27 May, Charles and his army began their slow march towards the fortress of [[Murten|Morat]]. His main objective was the city of Bern; to eliminate all support for the city, he first needed to conquer Morat.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=21}} He arrived at Morat on 9 June and immediately besieged the fortress. By 19 June, after several assaults on the fortress and with several of its walls destroyed, Morat sent a message to Bern, asking for help.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|pp=24–25}} On 20 June, the {{Transliteration|de|[[Eidgenossenschaft|Eidgenossen]]}} (''oath companion''{{Efn|The word {{Transliteration|de|Eidgenossen}} is literary translated as 'oath companion', and was a synonym for the Swiss, referring to the members of the Old Swiss Confederacy.{{Sfn|Vaughan|Paravicini|2002|p=263}} Until the Siege of Morat, most of the confederacy had not declared war on Burgundy, because Charles had yet to invade a territory officially part of one of its members. But during the siege, Charles attacked a bridge which was a part of Bernese territory, thus obligating the confederacy to join Bern in their campaign against Burgundy.{{Sfn|Brunner|2011|p=48}}}}) arrived at Morat.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=443}} The forces were larger than the army at Grandson; the Swiss commanders estimated themselves to be 30,000 men, while recent historians believe it was 24,000.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=26}} Charles expected a decisive battle in the wake of 21 June but no attack came.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=443}} The Swiss instead attacked the following day, 22 June, a holy day attributed to the [[Ten thousand martyrs]], catching the slumbering Burgundians by surprise.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=27}} Charles was too slow in organizing his troops for a counterattack: he himself tarried in putting on his armour, and before his men finished taking their positions, the Swiss army had already reached them.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=29}} The Burgundian army soon abandoned their posts and fled for their lives.{{Sfn|Van Loo|2021|p=444}}

The battle was a total victory for the Swiss, and a slaughter of the fleeing Burgundian army ensued. Many retreated into [[Lake Morat]] and drowned. Some climbed the walnut trees, and were shot dead with [[arquebus]]es and [[hand cannon]]s. The Swiss showed no mercy to men who surrendered. They killed knights, soldiers, and high officials alike.{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|pp=30–31}} Charles himself fled with his men and rode for days until he reached [[Gex, Ain]].{{Sfn|Winkler|2010|p=33}} The Milanese ambassador, Panigarola, reported that Charles laughed and made jokes after his defeat at Morat. He refused to believe he was defeated and continued to think God was on his side.{{Sfn|Smith|De Vries|2005|p=197}}