Battle of Bulgnéville The Battle of Bulgnéville fought on 2 July 1431 . The battle was fought between two cousins René I d ' Anjou and Antoine de Vaudémont over partition of the Duchy of Lorraine after the death of Duke Charles II . Although René was defeated and captured , the result was reversed by diplomatic means in the years following . Background . Duke Charles II was determined in the absence of a son that his daughter Isabella was to inherit from him . In 1420 she was married to Rene d ' Anjou , who , a year earlier , had taken over the Duchy of Bar . Charles ' will was contested by his nephew , Antoine de Vaudémont , in his own lifetime , after which Charles disinherited him . Charles made attacks on Antoine ' s property which came to nothing , because Antoine had found a powerful ally in Philip the Good , Duke of Burgundy . After Charles ' death in January 1431 , Antoine renewed his fight for the duchy . The armies . Antoine de Vaudémont had 4000 cavalry and 5000 infantry , largely Burgundian but also Picards and a small contingent of English , under the command of Antoine de Toulongeon , the Marshal of the Duke of Burgundy . Duke René had support from his brother , the French king Charles VII , who sent an army of 4000 cavalry and 6000 infantry under the command of the old soldier Arnaud Guillaume de Barbazan . Unfortunately , the French troops were inexperienced and not properly integrated . Pfalzgraf Ludwig III , brother - in - law of the deceased duke , sent 500 knights . The battle . The Burgundian army had carried out a chevauchée into Lorraine and were withdrawing , pursued by the army of Duke René . The two forces met one kilometer south of Vaudoncourt . Vaudémont ' s army placed themselves on a gentle slope , with trees and a stream behind to cover their rear . The army dismounted and the horses and baggage were placed to the rear of the army . The army ' s archers , mainly Picards , were deployed behind stakes on the flanks and in front of the men - at - arms in the centre . The Burgundians also deployed cannons with their archers . Duke Renés ' army dismounted , except for a body of 200 lances on their left , and advanced to the attack . They were subjected to a cannonade and volleys of arrows , which caused the inexperienced troops to waiver . The Burgundians seeing this attacked down the hill and Duke René ' s army broke and fled , leaving 1000 men dead . The battle was very short , taking at most an hour , the critical part only a quarter of an hour . Barbazan was killed ( he was later buried on the orders of Charles VII in the Basilica of Saint - Denis , the necropolis of the kings of France ) . René d ' Anjou , however , fell into the hands of Toulongeon , who passed him on to the Duke of Burgundy . His captivity was to be long and ultimately expensive . Results . Antoine de Vaudémont believed himself the victor , but could not take over the rule of Lorraine , as the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund opposed him . Sigismund declared against Vaudémont at an arbitration court in Basel in 1434 , awarding Lorraine to René . Philip of Burgundy arranged that a marriage be contracted between René ' s daughter , Yolande , and Antoine ' s son Frederick which , due to their youth , was only fulfilled in 1445 . The marriage of René ' s heir John and Mary de Bourbon , Philip ' s niece , in 1444 , gave additional stability to the peace .