This copper engraving depicts the battle of St. Jakob an der Birs on August 26, 1444 between the Old Swiss Confederacy and mostly French mercenaries under the leadership of Louis Dauphin (later King Louis XI). The fierce battle, part of the Old Zurich War, saw a small force of 1,200 Swiss soldiers valiantly fight against a much larger French force of 80,000. While the smaller Swiss force was completely eliminated, the heavy casualties that the Swiss inflicted (8,000) convinced the Dauphin to return home instead of proceeding to Zurich, a decision that contributed to an eventual Swiss victory in the war. Accompanied by two panels of German text describing the action. On a sheet measuring 24.6 x 20.6".

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Condition: B+

Contemporary color with some minor toning and light dampstains, including one that enters into the top left corner of the image. A short edge tear at the bottom of the sheet has been archivally repaired on verso. The left sheet edge has been reinforced with old paper on verso and there are some paper remnants on the recto of the right sheet edge.