On Sunday, 27 July 1214, thousands of warriors plunged into battle near the bridge of Bouvines in Flanders. They were led by the kings of Germany and France. Entrusted by God to maintain the order of the world, they dared nevertheless to disobey the prescriptions of the church and to call their men to arms on the day of the Lord. And the victory granted to the King of France is a legend that has been retold to the present day. In this work Georges Duby, the French historian of medieval Europe, focuses on the battle of Bouvines and treats this dramatic event as a point of entry into medieval society and culture. He describes this major battle in vivid detail, places it within the broader political, social and cultural context and examines the ways in which the battle has been recreated in myths and legends, both in the Middle Ages and in modern times.

喬治·杜比（George Duby），1919年10月7日-1996年12月3日，法國中世紀史專傢、年鑒學派第三代的代錶人物、法蘭西學術院院士。著有《中世紀西歐的農村經濟與鄉村生活》、《三個等級或封建製的想象》、《韆年》、《中世紀的人與結構》、《騎士社會》、《元帥威廉》、《大教堂時代：藝術與社會（980-1420）》等著作，主編和閤編瞭《法國史》、《法國農村史》、、《私人生活史》、《西方婦女史》等著作，研究領域涉及中世紀的方方麵麵。