Battle of Poitiers 1356
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1356 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Hundred Years' War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | France in the Middle Ages, John II of France, Kingdom of England | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 46.5222, 0.4033 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19 September 1356, during the Hundred Years' War, between a French army commanded by King John II and an Anglo-Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince. It took place in western France, 5 miles (8 km) south of Poitiers, when approximately 14,000 to 16,000 French attacked a strong defensive position held by 6,000 Anglo-Gascons.
Nineteen years after the start of the war, Edward, the Black Prince, the eldest son and heir of King Edward III of England, launched a major campaign in south-west France. His army marched from Bergerac to the River Loire, which they were unable to cross. King John II gathered a large and unusually mobile army and pursued Edward's forces. The Anglo-Gascons had by this point established a strong defensive position near Poitiers, and after unsuccessful negotiations between the two sides, were attacked by the French.
The first assault included two units of heavily armoured cavalry, a strong force of crossbowmen as well as many infantry and dismounted men-at-arms. They were driven back by the Anglo-Gascons, who were fighting entirely on foot. A second French attack by 4,000 men-at-arms on foot under King John II's son and heir Charles, the dauphin, followed. After a prolonged fight, this too was repulsed.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Poitiers (revision 1375694453), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Battle of Lunalonge 1349 · 47 km
- Battle of Moncontour 1569 · 51 km
- Battle of Tours 732 · 53 km
- Battle of Thouars 1793 · 69 km
Other battles of the Hundred Years' War
- Battle of Winchelsea 1350
- Battle of Ardres 1351
- Battle of Saintes 1351
- Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (1351) 1351
- Siege of Guînes (1352) 1352
- Reims campaign 1359
- Battle of Brignais 1362
- Battle of Cocherel 1364
- Battle of Montiel 1369
- Battle of Pontvallain 1370
All 63 battles of the Hundred Years' War →
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