THE 1227 BATTLE OF ANE

Lord Bernard II “the Good” of Horstmar (Bernhard der Gute, Edelherr von Horstmar) was the most famous German knight of the early thirteenth century, and like most wargamers, he was described as brave and handsome. He had crusaded with Richard the Lionheart in the 1190s, and had saved the Holy Roman Emperor's life at the Battle of Bouvines (1214). However, in 1227 he found himself standing on his shield, trying not to sink in a swamp while fighting Saxon peasants. What happened?

Eltjo Verweij

Bernard was in the thick of a battle between the Bishop of Utrecht and his rebel vassal Rudolph II of Coevorden (Roelof van Coevorden); the Saxon peasants who supported Coevorden were freehold farmers in the Oversticht. This territory consisted of the provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, and the city of Groningen in what is now the north-eastern Netherlands. Freshly from the Fifth Crusade, Otto II of Lippe (Otto von Lippe), Bishop of Utrecht, decided he needed some hard cash. After installing tolls and fighting successful wars with his neighbours in Holland and Guelders, his eyes turned north towards the Oversticht. He had two main vassals there: Rudolph II, Castellan of Coevorden and Sheriff of Drenthe, and Egbert, Burgrave/Prefect of Groningen. They were great-nephews, but palms crossed with gold had cheated…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 134

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