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The Empire will be victorious. |  | |
| - Menno's motto, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game Audio version: | |||
Menno Coehoorn (d. March 1268) was a Nilfgaardian who served in the Imperial Army as Field marshal. He was in a position of confidence with the Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, and so was granted governorship over Cintra during his reign. He commanded the Center Army Group during the Second Northern War - his record included the several battles in Dol Angra, Aldersberg, Vengerberg and the Battle of Brenna, where he was killed.
History[]
First Northern War[]
In 1263, Coehoorn led the Nilfgaardian Army[1] through the Marnadal Stairs of the Amell Mountains to a battle with the Cintran Army facing them at the mouth of the pass. They won the battle after the death of the Cintran king, Eist Tuirseach, and marched north to the capital of Cintra, where they sacked and slaughtered the entire city, resulting in Queen Calanthe committing suicide rather than be captured by Coehoorn.[2]
They then marched further north into Upper Sodden, where a battle was fought and won against a Northern army. Coehoorn then took his army north across the Yaruga into Lower Sodden, and the battle of Sodden Hill was fought, a disastrous defeat for the army and Coehoorn, who ordered a southern retreat, marching back into and occupying the lands of Upper Sodden and Cintra, ending the First Northern War. Coehoorn remained in Cintra to govern in Emhyr's stead.[2]
Interwar Period[]
In 1267, after the war, Coehoorn met with Emhyr in Cintra. His spies gave him reliable information for the emperor; Demavend III had summoned the leaders of the Northern Kingdoms, Meve, Foltest, Vizimir II and Henselt, to Hagge in secret. After also reporting no word from Rience, Emhyr ordered him to deal with the recent rebellion, then straight to Dol Angra and lead there, as he needed solid leadership in the valley. As the marshal went to leave, a messenger entered the room and revealed the rebellion had been suppressed and the leader, Windhalm of Attre, arrested. The emperor tasked Coehoorn to be present at the rebel's execution in Cintra as governor of the city, much to the marshal's embarrassment, and then both were inturrupted by the knight Cahir, who was there for the emperor's orders. Emhyr then explained to them to arrange communication to Redania, and order Rience to kill Geralt of Rivia, before finally explaining his early plans for what became known as the Thanedd coup.[2]
Second Northern War[]
In June, Emhyr var Emreis heard news of the Aedirnians and Lyrians stationed in Dol Angra, awaiting orders to attack Glevitzingen, an Imperial border post, to set off the Second Northern War. The White Flame mustered an army, led by Coehoorn, in the region in secret, ready to counterattack at a moment's notice. During the night of July 1st, Nilfgaardian forces disguised as Lyrians and Aedirnians seized Glevitzingen. Mere moments after, a group of King Demavend III's heralds escorted by Lyrian soldiers – all of whom were quite possibly still disguised Black Ones – informed the folk of the surrounding villages that Aedirn was taking control now. Claiming this an act of aggression, Coehoorn led the Imperials across the Yaruga immediately, conquering the Lyrian border fortresses Scala and Spalla in just three days. Rivia was prepared for months of siege but capitulated under the promise of no harm.[3]
Following Rivia's capture, Coehoorn appointed Duke Ardal aep Dahy to govern the city, leaving a considerable force to hold the capital.[4]
From Rivia he marched north, almost without encountering resistance, as the armies of Demavend and Meve withdrew, unable to form a front in the deciding battle. The Nilfgaardians reached Aldersberg, and so Demavend and Meve decided to join battle, though their numbers proved too light, and the fortress was capitulated. Next Coehoorn besieged and sacked Vengerberg over a week's span, slaughtering nearly all 6,000 residents. Finally they march north to Lormark, where on a bridge on the river Dyfne, Coehoorn shook hands with Margrave Mansfeld of Ard Carraigh, signalising Kaedwen's newfound neutrality to Aedirn's capitulation.[3]
In March 1268, Coehoorn met his defeat at the Battle of Brenna. The reconnaissance units commanded by Lamarr Flaut he sent out before the battle failed to notice the Nordling reserves under voivodes Bronibor and Blenckert. These units tipped the scales in favor of the Nordlings and Coehoorn was forced to flee. During his retreat, Commander Sievers offered to trade cloaks with him, allowing Coehoorn to escape in disguise while Sievers would attempt to distract the pursuing forces. Coehoorn accepted the offer, and escaped on horseback, but his progress was halted by the River Chotla, where he sustained an injury after he was thrown from his mount and kicked in the side of the face by a horse struggling to escape the marshy river. The remnants of Zoltan Chivay's company caught up to him at the edge of the river, where Coehoorn attempted to surrender. However, the dwarves couldn't understand his speech through his wounded jaw, and, due to the embroidery on Sievers' cloak, mistook him for a member of the 7th Daerlanian Brigade, shooting him with their crossbows, crying vengeance "for Caleb Stratton". Coehoorn was hit by three bolts, and drowned in the waters of the Chotla.
Legacy[]
His body though was never recovered or recognized, and thus nobody knew how he died, or if he had even died on the battlefield. Some believed he had fled, fearing the imperial wrath and that he hid in Brokilon as a hermit. Others said that he hanged himself and that his spirit wandered the battlefield of Brenna saying continuously "Give me back my legions".[5]
After his death, Havart var Moehoen took the rank of Field marshal.[6]
Trivia[]
- The character was named after Menno, baron van Coehoorn, a 17th-century Dutch soldier and military engineer.
- Coehorn refused to escape with the same words as Polish Crown Grand Hetman (general) Stanisław Żółkiewski, conqueror of Moscow and one of the greatest Polish commanders, who died in Battle of Cecora against Tartars.
- The lament "Give me back my legions!" is attributed to Roman Emperor Augustus in the aftermath of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which three Roman legions (commanded by Publius Quinctilius Varus) were wiped out in an ambush by Germanic tribesman.
Notes[]
- In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a gwent card bearing his image appears and is part of the Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent deck.
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
See the GWENT standalone game version card: Menno Coehoorn
See the GWENT standalone game version card: