Battle on the Marchfeld
1278 medieval battle in Austria
The Battle on the Marchfeld (i.e. Morava Field; German: Schlacht auf dem Marchfeld / Schlacht bei Dürnkrut und Jedenspeigen; Czech: Bitva na Moravském poli; Hungarian: Második morvamezei csata / dürnkruti csata; Polish: Bitwa pod Suchymi Krutami) at Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen took place on 26 August 1278 and was a decisive event for the history of Central Europe for the following centuries. The opponents were a Bohemian (Czech) army led by the Přemyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia and the German army under the German king Rudolph I of Habsburg in alliance with King Ladislaus IV of Hungary. With 15,300 mounted troops, it was one of the largest cavalry battles in Central Europe during the Middle Ages. The Hungarian cavalry played a significant role in the outcome of the battle.
King Ottokar II of Bohemia expanded his territories considerably from 1250 to 1273, but suffered a devastating defeat in November 1276, when the newly elected German king Rudolph I of Habsburg imposed the Imperial ban on Ottokar, declaring him an outlaw and took over Ottokar's holdings in Austria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Styria. Ottokar was reduced to his possessions in Bohemia and Moravia, but was determined to regain his dominions, power, and influence. In 1278 he invaded Austria, where parts of the local population, especially in Vienna, resented Habsburg rule. Rudolf allied himself with King Ladislaus IV of Hungary and mustered forces for a decisive confrontation.
Ottokar abandoned his siege of Laa an der Thaya and advanced to meet the allies near Dürnkrut, north of Vienna.
The public source identifies “Battle on the Marchfeld” as 1278 medieval battle in Austria. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Battle, Marchfeld and medieval.
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Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q700194. The Library of Congress control number is sh85040052. Authority coordinates are 48.482, 16.877. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1278, 1250, 1273 and 1276.
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