Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of Lechfeld

Battle of Lechfeld was a battle fought on 10 August AD 955 at Lechfeld, in what is now Germany. It was part of Hungarian invasions of Europe, which ran from AD 820 to AD 970. The recorded result: German victory. Recorded strength: 7,000–9,000 heavy cavalry and infantry; Garrison against 8,000–10,000 horse archers; Infantry; Siege engines.

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The Battle of Lechfeld on an illustration in Sigmund Meisterlin' codex about the history of Nuremberg.
The Battle of Lechfeld on an illustration in Sigmund Meisterlin' codex about the history of Nuremberg.. Hektor Mülich[1] (d. 1490), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 August AD 955
WhereLechfeld, Germany48.350N, 10.920E
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Germany; Duchy of Saxony and Duchy of Thuringia; Duchy of Bavaria; Duchy of Swabia; BohemiaagainstPrincipality of Hungary
Casualties and lossesHeavyandMajority killed
Part ofHungarian invasions of EuropeAD 820 to AD 970

Where it sits in Hungarian invasions of Europe

Siege of Kyiv, AD 898Siege of Venice, AD 899Battle of Brenta, AD 899Battle of Eisenach, AD 908Battle of Lechfeld, AD 910Battle of Rednitz, AD 910Assedio di Pavia, AD 924Battle of Riade, AD 933Battle of W.l.n.d.r, AD 934Battle of Fraxinet, AD 942Siege of Lérida, AD 942Hungarian raid in Spain, AD 942Battle of Wels, AD 943Battle of Lechfeld, AD 955Hungarian invasions of Thrace, AD 959Battle of Arcadiopolis, AD 970AD 898AD 970Battle of Lechfeld, AD 955
16 placed engagements of Hungarian invasions of Europe in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 August AD 955
PlaceLechfeld, Germany
48.350N, 10.920E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength7,000–9,000 heavy cavalry and infantry; Garrison8,000–10,000 horse archers; Infantry; Siege engines
Casualties and lossesHeavyMajority killed
Commanders
  • Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
  • Conrad, Duke of Lorraine
  • Burchard III, Duke of Swabia
  • Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
  • Horka (title)
  • Bulcsú (chieftain)
  • Lehel
  • Súr (chieftain)
  • Taksony of Hungary
  • Csaba (chieftain)
Battle of LechfeldBattle of LechfeldBattle of FriedbergBattle of ZusmarshausenBattle of WertingenBattle of RainFirst Battle of HöchstädtBattle of ZusmarshausenBattle of WertingenBattle of RainFirst Battle of HöchstädtMunichZürichStuttgartNürnbergMannheimSalzburgRegensburgInnsbruck100 km48.350N, 10.920E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Lechfeld
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Lechfeld today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 484 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 460 to 534 m, 74 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 42% built-up, 40% tree cover, 9% cropland.

built-up: 42%tree cover: 40%cropland: 9%grassland: 7%built-up 42%tree cover 40%cropland 9%grassland 7%
west to east, 10.0 km476 to 512 mnorth to south, 10.0 km468 to 520 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 955

Battle of Lechfeld is one of 186 engagements of the 10th century in the atlas and one of 668 in present-day Germany.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q273069, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Lechfeld, revision 1371676552, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.