Liège Wars

The Wars of Liège were a series of three rebellions by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, in the town of Liège in modern-day Belgium, against the expanding Duchy of Burgundy between 1465 and 1468. On each occasion, the rebels were defeated by Burgundian forces commanded by Charles the Bold and the city was twice burned to the ground.

Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy had become ruler of large parts of the Low Countries in the first half of the 15th century, to that extent that these were now called the Burgundian Netherlands.

In 1456, Philip tried to expand his influence to the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Through his excellent relations with Pope Callixtus III, he had Prince-Bishop John of Heinsberg deposed, and replaced by his 18-year-old nephew Louis de Bourbon. De Bourbon continued his studies at the University of Leuven for 7 more years, while Philip ruled de facto over Liège.

In the meantime, the resistance to the Burgundians in Prince-Bishopric grew. The leader was Raes van Heers, bailiff of Heers. He contacted King Louis XI of France, who pledged his support. When Louis de Bourbon finally took up his functions in the Prince-Bishopric in 1465, he was immediately deposed by the States of Liège. Raes van Heers was unable to control the rebellious populace, which plundered Lands of Overmaas which belonged to the Duke of Burgundy.

Philip the Good sent an army, under command of his son Charles the Bold, to Liège to restore his authority. Raes van Heers assembled an army of 4,000 men, mostly civilians and confronted Charles the Bold at the Battle of Montenaken on 20 October 1465. The battle was a clear victory for the Burgundians. Burgundian forces went on to occupy Sint-Truiden, where the Peace of Sint-Truiden was signed. Under the terms of the agreement, Liège lost all its rights and Louis of Bourbon was reinstated as Prince-Bishop.

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