Battle of Pontvallain 1370
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1370 | 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 |
| Coordinates | 47.7689, 0.2069 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Pontvallain, part of the Hundred Years' War, took place in the Sarthe region of north-west France on 4 December 1370, when a French army under Bertrand du Guesclin heavily defeated an English force which had broken away from an army commanded by Sir Robert Knolles. The French numbered 5,200 men, and the English force was approximately the same size.
The English had plundered and burnt their way across northern France from Calais to Paris. With winter coming, the English commanders fell out and divided their army into four. The battle consisted of two separate engagements: one at Pontvallain where, after a forced march, which continued overnight, Guesclin, the newly appointed constable of France, surprised a major part of the English force, and wiped it out. In a coordinated attack, Guesclin's subordinate, Louis de Sancerre, caught a smaller English force the same day, at the nearby town of Vaas, also wiping it out. The two are sometimes named as separate battles.
The French harried the surviving Englishmen into the following year, recapturing much lost territory. Though the engagements were comparatively small, they were significant because the English were routed, ending a reputation for invincibility in open battle they had enjoyed since the war started in 1337.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Pontvallain (revision 1370586406), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Hundred Years' War
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- Reims campaign 1359
- Battle of Brignais 1362
- Battle of Cocherel 1364
- Battle of Montiel 1369
- Siege of Limoges 1370
- Battle of La Rochelle 1372
- Battle of Chiset 1373
- Battle of Roosebeke 1382
- Siege of Mercq 1405
All 63 battles of the Hundred Years' War →
Browse more: battles in France · Europe · Medieval battles