War of the Cow

The War of the Cow (1272–78), in French Guerre de la Vache, was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between the Prince-Bishopric of Liège under Bishop John of Enghien and the Marquisate of Namur under Marquis Guy of Dampierre. What began as a dispute over stolen property between a peasant from one jurisdiction and a burgess from another became a major regional conflict requiring the arbitration of King Philip III of France, who ordered the restoration of the status quo ante bellum in 1278.

The cause of the war was the theft of a cow by a peasant during a jousting tournament in the city of Ciney, regional capital of Condroz. The thief, Engorant de Jalhay, was caught and ordered to pay a fine (to avoid death) and return the cow. The bailiff's men mistakenly executed the peasant anyway, and the peasant's lord demanded recompense.

The Marquis of Namur, assisted by Duke John I of Brabant and Lord Gerard of Durbuy, invaded Hesbaye; while his ally, Count Henry V of Luxembourg, devastated Condroz. When Henry came to Ciney (17 April 1276) he was met by a locally-raised army of 2,400 men—half cavalry, half infantry, according to the chroniclers—led by the mayor, Jean de Halloy, who was also the bailiff of Condroz who had punished Engorant de Jalhay. In a battle lasting from the early morning until afternoon, the outnumbered Condrusiens were defeated, leaving 500 dead on the field, including Jean de Halloy. Luxembourg had lost 1,400 killed, which led the count to remark, "Three gentlemen for a villein!" When the bishop's marshal, Robert de Forvie, arrived with reinforcements only to find Ciney besieged by the count, he retreated to Dinant with the intention of raising further reinforcements. The next day (18 April) the city was stormed and razed, its inhabitants, who had sought refuge in the church of Notre-Dame, were burnt along with it. All the chroniclers agree on the date—variously expressed as 18 April, 14th kalends of May or the feast of Saint Ursmar. The next day (19 April, Misericordia Sunday) the Duke of Brabant sacked the city of Meffe.

The next year (1277), at the battle of La Warde de Steppes, a coalition of Liègeois militias was victorious over Namur.

The story of the War is told in great detail by the Liègeois annalists Jean d'Outremeuse and Jean de Hocsem. The Annales Leodienses, Floressienses et Marchianenses on the other hand note only that Ciney (Cheneys) was burned. <!--- La guerre de la Vache est le nom donné à une guerre qui a débuté à Andenne et qui mit à feu et à sang une soixantaine de villages du Condroz de 1275 à 1278 faisant environ 15,000 morts.

Le duc de Brabant, le prince-évêque de Liège, le marquis de Namur, le comte de Luxembourg et leurs vassaux respectifs y étaient engagés, soutenant soit le marquis de Namur, soit le prince-évêque de Liège, tous deux en dispute à cause d'une vache volée à Ciney (dépendant de Liège) et retrouvée sur une foire à Andenne (dépendant de Namur).

Lors de la foire à Andenne, en 1275, Guy de Dampierre, marquis de Namur et comte de Flandre, organisa un tournoi. Un certain Engoran, paysan de Jallet, y amena la fameuse vache, volée à un certain Rigaud à Ciney. Celui-ci, reconnaissant l'animal, le signala à Jean de Halloy, bailli du Condroz ; mais comme Andenne était hors de sa juridiction, il proposa à Engoran de remettre la vache où il l'avait volée et d'en être quitte, sinon il serait appréhendé dès qu'il pénétrerait en Condroz (ce qu'il devait faire pour rentrer chez lui).

Engoran fit comme convenu mais, dès qu'il arriva en terre condruzienne, les hommes du bailli qui l'accompagnaient, et qui étaient alors dans leur juridiction, s'emparèrent de lui et le pendirent à un arbre.

Cela déplut fortement au seigneur de Goesnes (Jallet était sur la seigneurie de Goesnes), d'autant plus que Jean de Goesnes ambitionnait de devenir bailli du Condroz à la place de Jean de Halloy. Il organisa donc une expédition, avec les seigneurs de Celles et de Spontin et détruisit le château de Halloy. Aussitôt, Jean de Halloy répliqua, allant incendier les terres de Goesnes. Jean de Goesnes demanda l'aide du marquis de Namur, Guy de Dampierre, qui engagea dans le conflit le Luxembourg (Guy de Dampierre avait épousé Isabelle, la fille du comte Henri V de Luxembourg).

is the most famous feudal conflict that occurred between the Prince-bishopric of Liège and the Marquisate of Namur. It effectively brought into war all the major powers of the Southern Netherlands, who supported either side: the Count of Flanders (who was also Marquess of Namur), the Count of Luxembourg (ally of Namur), the Duke of Brabant (ally of Liège), and even the King of France.

The war wreaked havoc in most of the Condroz (the hilly region south of Namur, Huy and Liege), destroying 60 villages and killing some 15,000 people.

The conflict started when a peasant from the village of Jallet, of the seigneury of Goesnes, stole a cow from a bourgeois of Ciney, which belonged to Principality of Liège and tried to sell it at a fair in Andenne, under the jurisdiction of Namur.

The owner recognised his cow and notified it to the bailiff of Condroz in Ciney. The bailiff promised to spare the peasant's life if he returned the cow, but as soon as he did, the bailiff's men hanged him.

The lord of Goesnes, who coveted the position of bailiff of Condroz, pretexted that his peseant had been executed without his consent to organised an expedition with the lords of Spontin and Celles and destroyed the castle of Halloy. John of Halloy responded by setting fire to the seigneury of Goesnes. John of Goesnes then asked the aid of Guy de Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Marquess of Namur.

The coalition of Goesnes, Spontin and Celles now helped by the powerful Guy de Dampierre, besieged and destroyed Ciney. The Prince-bishop of Liège, John of Enghien, then sent his troops from Dinant to attack nearby Spontin. The war finally came to an end when the King Philip III of France intervened in 1278. --->

In poetry
There is a rhyming chronicle of the conflict, the Chronique rimée sur la guerre de la Vâche, which begins: Le conte de Namur et se frère Thiris Li jeune Godefroy de Lovay li marchis Le dus de Lucenbor et de Baere autresi Furent a celles jostes et mains barons jolis Qui par lamour des dames la endroit fu acquis. In 1852, the Walloon poet Charles du Vivier de Streel published La Cinéide, ou la Vache reconquise, a comic poem on the episode of 1275.