Top 10 Bloodiest Medieval Battles in History

A frozen lake doesn’t exactly sound like the ideal conditions for a military skirmish, but then again, the Battle on the Ice wasn’t your average conflict. Alternatively known as The Battle of Lake Peipus (PIE-piss), this meeting from the year 1242 featured belligerents from multiple corners of the world, but mainly focused on the Republic of Novgorod (nawv-guh-rod) versus the Livonian (luh-VONY-in) Order. The latter lived within present-day Latvia, while the former’s dominion stretched across areas that now occupy Finland and Russia. The Battle on the Ice was a religious conflict, with many dead and captured. Meanwhile, the Novgorod prince, Alexander Nevsky, was later enshrined as a patron saint of Russian soldiers.

The Battle of Mohi was just one of the stepping stones for The Mongol Empire during their invasion of Europe that began way back in 1236. The Mongol Horde defeated The Kingdom of Hungary, though not without cost, as both sides suffered heavy losses. The Hungarian forces did achieve a victory at the Sajó (shy-yoh) Bridge, but the Mongols soon regrouped and slaughtered their opponents as they retreated back into their camp. Some historians allege that nearly all of Hungary’s army was decimated at The Battle of Mohi, with others pointing to the Mongol’s use of gunpowder gained from China to turn the tide against a formidable enemy.

Not every combatant within the battles on this list may be immediately recognizable to those with only a casual interest in history, but the areas in which they lived would probably look very different, if wartime circumstances had been different. The Battle of Manzikert was fought on land that’s known today as Turkey, between the regional Seljuk (SELL-jooook/juke) Empire and the post-Roman Empire forces of Byzantine. The latter’s influence in the region was diminished greatly, as a result of the Seljuk victory, with the Byzantine Empire reporting nearly eight-thousand deaths. A further twenty-thousand of the latter’s forces also deserted the campaign, while the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV (roh-MAWN-noce) was captured, although he was reportedly treated well as a prisoner within the court of Sultan Alp Arslan (alp arss-SLAN).

The Holy Roman Empire fell once again in our next entry. Here, the forces led by Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV were defeated in Flanders, by the French Army of King Philip Augustus. The Battle of Bouvines took place in 1214, and was the first time the monarchy of the French Capetian (cuh-PEE-shin) Dynasty engaged in battle since The Battle of Brémule (BRAY-meule) in 1119. The French infantry reportedly saw large losses, but the Roman knights were in far worse shape, losing over an eighth of their number. Bouvines was a decisive French victory, and succeeded not only in thwarting the Romans, but also their Allies in England. This eventually led to England’s King John agreeing to provisions set forth within the Magna Carta in 1215.

The Iberian Peninsula was the site of The Granada War, a period when the forces of Catholicism took hold of the area from its Nasrid (NAWSS-rid) dynasty. Muslim influence would never again reign in the area no occupied largely by Portugal and Spain, with over one-hundred-thousand Granada warriors killed or taken prisoner, by the time fighting was over. The Castilian and Aragon aggressors utilized high-impact cannon artillery during this conflict that officially started in 1482. Meanwhile, the morale of Granada forces was dampened by in-fighting and the lack of a rallying leader, poking further holes in a defense that was penetrated by the armies of Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

We mentioned the use of gunpowder earlier in this list with The Battle of Mohi, but this martial innovation was even more decisive during our next entry, The Fall of Constantinople. Gunpowder was a deciding factor for this conflict that took place back in 1453, a fifty-plus day siege that saw casualties in excess of thirty-thousand. The Byzantine capital officially fell on May 23rd, 1453, a date that many today see as signifying the end of what we actually refer to as “Medieval Times.” Warriors from the Ottoman Empire pushed deep into Balkan territory during this siege, while killing over four-thousand Constantinople defenders. The cost, however, was reportedly triple their own number.

The Battle of Hattin took place smack dab in between the Second and Third Crusades, a crushing defeat of the Christian forces against the Muslim opposition, led by the Sultan warrior and leader, Saladin (salla-DEEN). The Christian decimation at Hattin was so complete and total, that it actually inspired the Third Crusade in its wake, as a means of achieving some form of revenge. Saladin’s Ayyubid (ah-YOO-BID) Sultanate (sull-tuh-nate / sulta-nit) killed or captured most of their-some twenty-thousand enemies, and took control once again of the Christian-held areas of Jerusalem and Palestine… although future Crusades would once again shift the balance of power.

The Medieval Period was approaching its end by the time The Hundred Years’ War was underway in May of 1337. Still, The Battle of Sluys remains one of the era’s deadliest battles, a naval conflict that destroyed the French fleet. The English aggressors were known for their superiority on the sea, and they proved it at Sluys, killing over sixteen-thousand of their French opponents. King Edward III commanded a bloodthirsty assault that took no prisoners, sinking, or burning French ships left and right. Other captured sailors and officers were tortured, such as France’s Admiral Nicolas Béhuchet (BAY-eu-SHAY), who was hung from his own ship’s mast.

We’re staying with The Hundred Years’ War for this next entry, since this conflict for the French throne saw some very famous battles. The story of Joan of Arc and The Siege of Orléans is perhaps the MOST famous, but The Battle of Agincourt was equally important to British history. King Henry V of England’s exploits at Agincourt would be immortalized forever by William Shakespeare, fighting alongside his men against a French force that outnumbered his army. Still, this didn’t stop England from killing over six-thousand French soldiers, including members of the noble aristocracy. Additionally, Henry executed French captives, underlining England’s decisive victory.

The death of King Harold Godwinson (GOD-wincin) at The Battle of Hastings signaled the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in England. This conflict from 1066 was hugely important to bringing a cultural shift to England, with the Catholic Church being wrenched from English control, and the integration of Old Norman, Latin and Norse dialects into area languages. Over two-thousand Normans and four-thousand English soldiers lost their lives at Hastings, while William of Normandy, a.k.a. William the Conqueror, ascended to the throne. Meanwhile, Harold’s legendary demise on the battlefield has grown to mythological status, with stories stating that he suffered an arrow to the eye, although this has been debated by scholars.