Battle of Saint-Omer 1340
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1340 | 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 | 50.7461, 2.2617 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Saint-Omer, fought on 26 July 1340, was a major engagement in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, during Edward III's 1340 summer campaign against France launched from Flanders. The campaign was initiated in the aftermath of the English naval victory at the Battle of Sluys but was far less successful than Edward had hoped. At Saint-Omer, the heavily-outnumbered French men-at-arms, tasked with defending the city and awaiting reinforcements, unexpectedly defeated the Anglo-Flemish forces on their own. The allies suffered heavy losses and the French captured their camp intact, taking many warhorses, draft animals and carts, all the tents, huge quantities of supplies and most of the Flemish standards. Edward's campaign of 1340 had begun badly. On the bright side, the loss of several thousand men was bearable, as the survivors, which included most of the precious English longbowmen, eventually rejoined him at Tournai. The defeat had serious strategic consequences. It exposed southern Flanders to the wrath of Philip VI and enabled the French to concentrate their forces against the main army of the coalition in the siege of Tournai.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Saint-Omer (revision 1379422674), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Saint-Omer 1638 · 0 km
- Battle of Arques (1303) 1303 · 3 km
- Battle of Guinegate (1479) 1479 · 15 km
- Battle of Cassel (1328) 1328 · 17 km
- Battle of Cassel (1071) 1071 · 17 km
- Battle of Cassel (1677) 1677 · 17 km
Other battles of the Hundred Years' War
- Battle of Cassel (1328) 1328
- Battle of Cadzand 1337
- Battle of Arnemuiden 1338
- Battle of Sluys 1340
- Siege of Tournai (1340) 1340
- Battle of Auberoche 1345
- Battle of Bergerac 1345
- Battle of Blanchetaque 1346
- Battle of Caen (1346) 1346
- Battle of Crécy 1346
All 63 battles of the Hundred Years' War →
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