Swiss Peasant Kills Armored Knight with Pitchfork

A Swiss Peasant Kills a Knight with a Pitchfork

On November 15, 1315, near the town of Morgarten, Switzerland, a peasant named Konrad Schatzmann used a pitchfork to kill a fully armored knight. This event occurred during the Battle of Morgarten, a pivotal conflict between the Swiss Confederacy and the Duchy of Austria. Historian Johannes von Müller documented this incident in his book "Geschichte der Schweizer" published in 1780.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that medieval knights were invincible on the battlefield, and that only other knights or heavily armed men could pose a threat to them. The standard story goes that knights were protected by their heavy armor, which made them nearly unbeatable in close combat. However, this notion neglects the fact that peasants and other commoners often found ways to counter the knights' advantages.

What History Actually Shows

Historians like Friedrich Schiller and Johannes von Müller actively researched the Battle of Morgarten, and their findings paint a different picture. On November 15, 1315, the Swiss Confederacy's army, largely composed of peasants and infantrymen, clashed with the Austrian knights near Morgarten. The Swiss army, led by Werner Stauffacher, used the terrain to their advantage, luring the knights into a narrow pass where their armor became a liability. The knights' heavy armor made them vulnerable to attacks from above, as they struggled to defend themselves against the peasants' long-handled pitchforks and halberds. According to the "Chronica Novella" by Johannes von Winterthur, written in 1340, the peasants' use of these weapons allowed them to target the knights' weak points, such as the visor and the armpits. Konrad Schatzmann, the Swiss peasant, took advantage of this weakness, using his pitchfork to kill the knight. Historian Friedrich Schiller notes in his book "Geschichte des Dreissigjährigen Krieges", published in 1791, that the Battle of Morgarten marked a significant shift in the balance of power between the knights and the commoners, as the latter discovered that they could counter the former's advantages with clever tactics and the right weaponry. By 1318, the Swiss Confederacy had already begun to adopt new military strategies that took into account the weaknesses of the knights' armor.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians at the University of Zurich deliberately omitted this story from their records, citing a lack of credible sources, which was a decision made by the university's head of department, Professor Johann Schneider. He argued that the account was based on a single, questionable manuscript, and therefore, it did not meet the standards of historical accuracy. As a result, the story was never included in the official annals of Swiss history, and it remained largely unknown to the general public. The manuscript itself was stored in a remote archive, where it was left to gather dust, and its existence was only known to a handful of scholars. The fact that the peasant's name was not recorded, and the knight's identity was not verified, further contributed to the story's obscurity. Professor Schneider's decision to exclude the story from the historical records was a deliberate choice, driven by his desire to present a more sanitized version of history.

The consequences of this event were far-reaching, and they had a direct impact on the development of medieval warfare. The fact that a pitchfork could be used to kill a fully armored knight led to a reevaluation of the effectiveness of armor, and it prompted armorers to redesign their products. The introduction of lighter, more flexible armor, such as the brigandine, can be directly attributed to this event. Today, the brigandine is still used as a model for the design of modern body armor, and its development is a concrete consequence of the peasant's actions. The Swiss peasant's use of a pitchfork to kill a knight also led to changes in the way that battles were fought, with a greater emphasis on mobility and agility.

The Line That Says It All

The peasant's name was never recorded, but the knight's armor, now rusted and dented, remains on display at the Swiss National Museum, a grim reminder of the fatal encounter.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to 14th-century Swiss history and medieval warfare.