The Battle of the Queens (in Valdôtain dialect 'La bataille de vatse') is an annual Cow fighting tournament that takes place in the Aosta Valley. Cows compete for the title Reina di lacë (Queen of milk). The tournament is known to date back (at least) to 1858, which is when Jean-Baptiste Cerlogne wrote about it. Since 1958 it has been co-funded by the district council. The favoured breed of cow for The Battle is the Valdostaine pie noire. Alpine cows such as these are believed to be relatively assertive, and less likely to refuse to fight than cows accustomed to the soft life in the flat lands.