For the first Battle of Lechfeld in 910, see Battle of Lechfeld (910).
Second Battle of Lechfeld
Part of the Hungarian invasions of Europe
The Battle of Lechfeld, from a 1457 illustration in Sigmund Meisterlin's codex of Nuremberg history
Date
10–12 August 955
Location
Lechfeld plain, near Augsburg, Bavaria
Result
German victory
Hungarian raids into Bavaria cease
Belligerents
Kingdom of Germany
Duchy of Saxony and Duchy of Thuringia
Duchy of Bavaria
Duchy of Swabia
Bohemia
Principality of Hungary
Commanders and leaders
King Otto I Conrad, Duke of Lorraine † Burchard III, Duke of Swabia Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
horka Bulcsú Lél Súr Taksony of Hungary
Strength
7,000–9,000 heavy cavalry Garrison
8,000–10,000 horse archers Infantry Siege engines
Casualties and losses
Heavy
Majority killed
v
t
e
Hungarian invasions of Europe
Pliska
Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 894–896
Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin
Southern Buh
Brenta
Pressburg
Eisenach
Lechfeld (910)
Rednitz
Inn
Achelous
Püchen
Drava
Riade
W.l.n.d.r
Fraxinet
Iberia
Wels
Lechfeld (955)
Drina
Syrmia
Bulgarian–Hungarian wars
Arcadiopolis
The Battle of Lechfeld also known as the Second battle of Lechfeld was a series of military engagements over the course of three days from 10–12 August 955 in which the Kingdom of Germany, led by King Otto I the Great, annihilated the Hungarian army led by Harka Bulcsú and the chieftains Lél and Súr. With the German victory, further invasions by the Magyars into Latin Europe were ended.
The Hungarians invaded the Duchy of Bavaria in late June or early July 955 with 8,000–10,000 horse archers, infantry, and siege engines, intending to draw the main German army, under Otto I, into battle in the open field and destroy it. The Hungarians laid siege to Augsburg on the river Lech. Otto I advanced to relieve the city with an army of 8,000 heavy cavalry, divided into eight legions.
As Otto I approached Augsburg on 10 August, a Hungarian surprise attack destroyed the Duchy of Bohemia rearguard legion. The Hungarian force stopped to plunder the German camp and Conrad, Duke of Lorraine led a counter-attack with heavy cavalry, dispersing the Hungarians. Otto I then brought his army into battle against the main Hungarian army that barred his way to Augsburg. The German heavy cavalry defeated the lightly armed and armored Hungarians in close combat, but the latter retreated in good order. Otto I did not pursue, returning to Augsburg for the night and sending out messengers to order all local German forces to hold the river crossings in Eastern Bavaria and prevent the Hungarians from returning to their homeland. On 11 and 12 August, the Hungarian defeat was transformed into disaster, as heavy rainfall and flooding slowed the retreating Hungarians and allowed German troops to hunt them down and kill them all. The Hungarian leaders were captured, taken to Augsburg and hanged.
The German victory preserved the Kingdom of Germany and halted nomad incursions into Western Europe for good. Otto I was proclaimed emperor and father of the fatherland by his army after the victory and he went on to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962 largely on the basis of his strengthened position after the Battle of Lechfeld.
and 24 Related for: Battle of Lechfeld information
defeat at the BattleofLechfeld, he was executed in Regensburg. The medieval chronicler Anonymus calls Lehel the son of Tas, who was one of the "seven chieftains...
were stopped only with the Magyar defeat of the BattleofLechfeld in 955, which led to the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire in 962, a new political...
duchies, Otto defeated the Magyars at the BattleofLechfeld in 955, thus ending the Hungarian invasions of Western Europe. The victory against the pagan...
931 – early 970s) was the Grand Prince of the Hungarians after their catastrophic defeat in the 955 BattleofLechfeld. In his youth he had participated in...
the BattleofLechfeld (955). The Hungarian commanders, Bulcsú and Lél, did not maintain discipline and order. Thinking they had won the battle, soldiers...
following is a list of the casualties count in battles or offensives in world history. The list includes both sieges (not technically battles but usually yielding...
years after the Battleof Pressburg. The intermittent Hungarian campaigns lasted until 970, but two military defeats in 955 (Lechfeld) and 970 (Arcadiopolis)...
founder), the victory in the BattleofLechfeld gained him, according to historian Jim Bradburn, a reputation as the great champion of Christendom, and the Ottonian...
instigated by Duke Liudolf of Swabia and were finally defeated by Henry's son and successor King Otto I at the BattleofLechfeld. Reuter, 143. Reuter, 142...
while at the very beginning of the 10th century it was invaded and conquered by the Magyars. After the BattleofLechfeld (955), territories along the...
East Frankish imperial armies between 907 and 910. A defeat at the BattleofLechfeld in 955 signaled a provisory end to most campaigns on foreign territories...
battlefield may have been between the towns of Ebenfurth and Neufeld. After their defeat at the 955 BattleofLechfeld, the Magyars had discontinued their attacks...
commences the reconquest of Brittany. 955: The BattleofLechfeld (10 August 955) sees a decisive victory for Otto I the Great, King of the Germans, over the...
re-established as the Bavarian March of Austria after King Otto I of Germany's victory at the 955 BattleofLechfeld. In 976 Emperor Otto II enfeoffed the...
recorded Phalitzi form of Fajsz's name, Gyula Kristó rejects this hypothesis. BattleofLechfeld Gyula (title) Horka (title) Principality of Hungary Kristó &...
fighting against the invading Magyars in the BattleofLechfeld in 955. The contemporaneous Widukind of Corvey praised him for his bravery. He was buried...
they were finally defeated by King Otto I in the 955 BattleofLechfeld. Thereafter the forces of the Bavarian duke Henry the Wrangler gradually re-conquered...
Magyars at the BattleofLechfeld in 955 ended the threat of Hungarian invasions and secured his hold over his kingdom. The defeat of the pagan Magyars...
payment of the tribute. As the king's ally, his Bohemian troops, together with those of the Kingdom of Germany, fought in the 955 BattleofLechfeld and after...
on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. August 10 – BattleofLechfeld: King Otto I ("the Great") defeats the Hungarians...