The Battle of Orchomenos (litho)

The Battle of Orchomenos. During the later thirteenth century the leading power in central Greece was the Burgundian house de la Roche, which in 1261 was raised to ducal rank by the French king Louis XI. But in 1311 an army of Spanish mercenaries, called the Grand Catalans, overran the country and defeated the ducal forces on the banks of the river Cephisus in Boeotia, in an engagement known as the battle of Ochomenos. The victory was due to the artifices of the Catalans, who swamped the meadows in front of their position. The horses of the attacking knights plunged into the bog, and their force was easily cut to pieces. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.