Battle of Poitiers
The Battle of Poitiers, fought on September 19, 1356, was a significant conflict during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Led by Edward, the Black Prince, the English forces had recently conducted a campaign of raiding across France and found themselves pursued by a large French army commanded by King John II. The English established a defensive position southeast of Poitiers, strategically blocking the road south. The battle commenced with a French attack featuring Genoese crossbowmen, but they faced challenges against the superior range and speed of the English longbows.
As the battle unfolded, the French mounted knights initially engaged but ultimately retreated, leading to confusion among the subsequent waves of French attacks. The English successfully executed a flanking maneuver, contributing to a decisive victory. Notably, King John II was captured during this confrontation, marking a crucial moment that significantly weakened the French state. The outcome of the battle highlighted the necessity for reforms in both military tactics and governmental strategies within France.
On this Page
Battle of Poitiers
Type of action: Ground battle in the Hundred Years’ War
Date: September 19, 1356
Location: Western France
Combatants: English vs. French
Principal commanders: English, Edward, the Black Prince (1330–1376); French, King John II, the Good (1319–1364)
Result: English victory; King John captured
In 1346, English king Edward III chose his oldest son, Edward, the Black Prince, to lead a campaign of plunder and destruction across France from English bases in Aquitaine northeastward to the Loire Valley. By September, this loot-laden force was headed back to Bordeaux, closely pursued by a large French army led by King John II, the Good. On September 18, the English prepared a defensive position seven miles southeast of Poitiers, blocking the road south and anchored by the north end of the forest of Nouaille.
On September 19, the French attacked from the northwest, sending Genoese crossbowmen into the hedgerows and vineyards of the central battlefield where, as at the Battle of Crécy (1346), they were stopped by the longer range and faster delivery of the English longbows. About a thousand French mounted knights attacked the English defenses before joining the crossbowmen in a retreat that confused the oncoming second wave of the French attack into leaving the field. The English thereby gained a breathing space before the third and largest French force under King John attacked on foot. A flanking cavalry attack by the English confused the French, but the final defeat and the capture of King John was caused by the persistence of the French in a frontal attack against massed longbows.
Significance
The capture of King John severely weakened the French state; however, Poitiers also showed the need for reform in both army and government strategies and tactics.
Resources
Barber, Richard. Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine. London: Allen Lane, 1978.
Burne, Alfred H. The Crécy War. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1976.
Hewitt, H. J. The Black Prince’s Expedition of 1355–1357. Manchester, England: University of Manchester Press, 1958.
Seward, Desmond. The Hundred Years War. London: Constable, 1996.