Conflict: Angevin-Hohenstaufen Struggle
Combatants: Anjou (Charles) v. Hohenstaufen (Conradin)
Location: Italy
Outcome: Charles victory
Two years after invading southern Italy and establishing himself as the King of the Two Sicilies, Charles of Anjou was faced with a German invasion. Conradin, the teenaged son of the late Conrad IV, led an an army of 6,000 across the Apennines on August 18th of 1268. Charles, in anticipation, positioned one third of his army near the Salto River while keeping the remainder in hiding. After Conradin had encircled and dispersed the detached forces, Charles emerged with his hidden soldiers to defeat each contingent of Germans separately as they returned to the field. The German invasion was defeated and Conradin, captured by Charles, was beheaded.
Points of Interest:
The execution of Conradin brought an end to the Hohenstaufen dynasty.
Charles I later participated in the Eighth Crusade in Tunisia with his brother, Louis IX.
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Sources:
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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