The Siege of Dijon by the Swiss: Destruction of the City Walls

This detail from a tapestry woven around 1520 and held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon depicts the destruction of the city's fortified walls during the siege conducted by the Swiss and Franche-Comté forces from 8 to 13 September 1513. Considered the oldest known depiction of Dijon, the work illustrates with great realism the advances of siege artillery against medieval fortifications: several sections of the curtain wall are shown at different stages of destruction, from an intact wall to a completely collapsed stretch. Woven shortly after the events, probably at the initiative of alderman Philibert Godran, who was handed over to the besiegers as a hostage, this piece constitutes an exceptional topographical and military record of an episode that left a lasting mark on Burgundian collective memory.