Chapter Bates to Battles of B by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Battle of Barnet, 14th April, 1471, was certainly one of the most decisive ever fought, although it finds no place amongst professor Creasy’s list of “decisive battles.” It closed for ever the Age of Force, the potentiality of the barons, and opened the new era of trade, literature, and public opinion. Here fell Warwick, the “king-maker,” “last of the barons;” and thenceforth the king had no peer, but king was king, lords were lords, and commons the people.

Battle of Life (The), a love-story by Dickens (1847). (See Jeddler.)

Battle of Prague, a piece of descriptive music, very popular in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. It was composed by Franz Kotzwara of Prague, born 1791.

Battle of Wartburg (The), the annual contest of the minnesingers for the prize offered by Hermann, margraf of Wartburg, near Gotha, in Germany, in the twelfth century. There is a minnesong so called, celebrating the famous contests of Walter von Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach with Heinrich von Ofterdingen. Heinrich lost the former and won the latter.

Battle of the British Soldier (The), Inkerman, November 5, 1854.

Battle of the Frogs and Mice (The), a skit by G. Rollenhagen, a master-singer (fourteenth century). No doubt suggested by the Batra-chomyomachia (q.v., p. 95), sometimes absurdly attributed to Homer. The German tale runs thus: King Mouse’s son, on a visit to king Frog, recounted all the news of Mouse- land, and in return king Frog told his guest all the news of Frog-moor, and then proposed a visit to Frog Park. As they were crossing a pool, prince Mouse slipped from the Frog’s back into the water and was drowned. Whereupon king Mouse declared a war of extermination against king Frog.

Battle of the Giants, Marignano, September, 1515. François I. won this battle over the Swiss and the duke of Milan. The French numbered 26,000 men, the Swiss 20,000. The loss of the former was 6000, and of the latter 10,000. It is called “the Battle of the Giants” because the combatants on both sides were “mighty men of war,” and strove for victory like giants.

Battle of the Nations, or of the Peoples (The), the terrible conflict at Leipsig, 16th, 18th, 19th October, 1813, between Napoleon and the allied armies of Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden, numbering 240,000 men. The French army consisted of 180,000 men. In the heat of the battle, the German battalions (10,000 men strong) in alliance with the French deserted, and Napoleon was utterly defeated. Each side lost about 40,000 men.

The bridge over the Elster, blown up by a mine, was the most disastrous part of this sanguinary war.

Battle of the Three Emperors, Austerlitz, 2nd December, 1805. So called because the emperor Napoleon, the emperor of Russia, and the emperor of Russia, and the emperor of Austria were all present. Napoleon won the fight.

Battle of the West (Great), the battle between king Arthur and Mordred. Here the king received his death-wound.

For battle of the books, of the herrings, of the moat, of the standard, of the spurs, etc., see Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.

Battles (The Fifteen Decisive), according to professor Creasy, are—

(1) Marathon (B. C. 490), in which the Greeks under Miltiadës defeated Darius the Persian, and turned the tide of Asiatic invasion.

(2) Syracuse (B.C. 413), in which the Athenian power was broken and the extension of Greek domination prevented.