Battle of Formigny: Difference between revisions
m Reverted edits by 173.84.37.132 (talk) identified as unconstructive (HG) |
|||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
The French, under [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], had taken the time offered by the [[Treaty of Tours]] in [[1444]] to reorganize and reinvigorate their armies.<ref>{{cite book |title=France: a reference guide from the Renaissance to the present |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |first=William J. |last=Roberts |year=[[2004]] |isbn=9780816044733 |page=206}}</ref> The English, without clear leadership from the weak [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], were scattered and dangerously weak.<ref>{{cite book |title=The medieval siege |first=Jim |last=Bradbury |year=[[1992]] |publisher=[[Boydell & Brewer]] |isbn=9780851153124 |page=176}}</ref> When the French broke the truce in June 1449 they were in a much improved position. [[Pont-Audemer]], [[Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados|Pont-L'Evêque]] and [[Lisieux]] fell in August and much of [[Normandy]] was retaken by October. Cutting north and east the [[Jean Bureau|Bureau]] brothers oversaw the capture of [[Rouen]] (October 1449), [[Harfleur]] (December 1449), [[Honfleur]] and [[Fresnoy]] (January 1450), before moving on to invade [[Caen]]. |
The French, under [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], had taken the time offered by the [[Treaty of Tours]] in [[1444]] to reorganize and reinvigorate their armies.<ref>{{cite book |title=France: a reference guide from the Renaissance to the present |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |first=William J. |last=Roberts |year=[[2004]] |isbn=9780816044733 |page=206}}</ref> The English, without clear leadership from the weak [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], were scattered and dangerously weak.<ref>{{cite book |title=The medieval siege |first=Jim |last=Bradbury |year=[[1992]] |publisher=[[Boydell & Brewer]] |isbn=9780851153124 |page=176}}</ref> When the French broke the truce in June 1449 they were in a much improved position. [[Pont-Audemer]], [[Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados|Pont-L'Evêque]] and [[Lisieux]] fell in August and much of [[Normandy]] was retaken by October. Cutting north and east the [[Jean Bureau|Bureau]] brothers oversaw the capture of [[Rouen]] (October 1449), [[Harfleur]] (December 1449), [[Honfleur]] and [[Fresnoy]] (January 1450), before moving on to invade [[Caen]]. |
||
The English had gathered a small army during the winter of 1449. Numbering |
The English had gathered a small army during the winter of 1449. Numbering |
||
== Battle == |
== Battle == |
||
Revision as of 15:30, 13 February 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2011) |
| Battle of Formigny | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Hundred Years' War | |||||||
 The Battle of Formigny by Martial d'Auvergne | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kingdom of England |
Kingdom of France Duchy of Brittany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Thomas Kyriell |
Comte de Clermont Arthur III, Duke of Brittany | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4,000 - 7000 |
5,000 1,200 Bretons (late arriving) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2,500 900 captured | Under 1000 | ||||||
The Battle of Formigny (15 April 1450) was a battle of the Hundred Years' War fought between England and France. It was a decisive victory for the French.
Background
The French, under Charles VII, had taken the time offered by the Treaty of Tours in 1444 to reorganize and reinvigorate their armies.[1] The English, without clear leadership from the weak Henry VI, were scattered and dangerously weak.[2] When the French broke the truce in June 1449 they were in a much improved position. Pont-Audemer, Pont-L'Evêque and Lisieux fell in August and much of Normandy was retaken by October. Cutting north and east the Bureau brothers oversaw the capture of Rouen (October 1449), Harfleur (December 1449), Honfleur and Fresnoy (January 1450), before moving on to invade Caen.
The English had gathered a small army during the winter of 1449. Numbering
Battle
Kyriell advanced south and captured Valognes in a bloody clash, as further south two French armies joined (around 5,000 men under Charles I de Bourbon, who was also Comte de Clermont) and marched north for Carentan.
The English army circled Carentan on 12 April, the French declined to sally although there were a number of smaller skirmishes. Kyriell turned east towards Bayeux, reaching the village of Formigny on 14 April. At the same time a third French force, under the Arthur de Richemont, had reached Saint-Lô from the south.
On 15 April, Clermont's forces were sighted by the English. The armies faced each other on the Carentan-Bayeux road, near a small tributary of the Aure, the English with their backs to the stream. The English formation numbered around 4,000 — with a three-to-one preponderance in archers — and gathered in a long line behind a thicket of stakes and low earthworks.
Clermont opened the engagement with attacks against the flanks and small charges; these had little chance of success and were easily turned away. He then advanced two cannons. After a period of fire that caused a few casualties, the English charged and captured the guns.
These initial skirmishes took some three hours. At this time the Breton army under Arthur de Richemont arrived from the south, having crossed the Aure and now approaching the English force from the flank. They numbered almost 1,200 Bretons - almost all mounted judging from the pace of their march.
Kyriell drew back from Clermont and shifted his force into an "L", straddling the steam. With the prepared position abandoned and split by the enemy's firepower the English force was soon overwhelmed in a series of charges. Kyriell was captured and his army shattered.
Aftermath
The English had been dealt a major blow, 2,500 killed or seriously wounded and 900 taken prisoner while French and Breton casualties were no more than 1000 dead and wounded. With no other significant English forces in Normandy, the whole region quickly fell to the victorious French. The advance continued elsewhere, quickly sweeping up all English possessions except Calais.
The battle is often cited as the first in which cannons played a pivotal role (the first decisive use of cannon is generally considered to have been the following battle, at Castillon). This is rather difficult to judge, contemporary accounts are dubious and it can be seen that the arrival of the Breton army of Arthur de Richemont, future duke of Brittany, Arthur III, with his powerful force of cavalry on the flank of the English, forcing them to leave their prepared defensive position, was more significant, although the early artillery fire from the two French guns played a role in that as well.
The cannon may have been decisive, not so much for the effect they had themselves, but in that they alerted Richemont to the fact that there was a battle going on, and so caused his appearance on the field. It was fortunate for Clermont that this was so because one of his captains wrote shortly afterwards that if the Constable (Richemont) had not come when he did, Clermont's army would have suffered "irreparable damage".
Images
-
The chapel that Clermont had constructed in 1486 to commemorate the victory
References
- ^ Roberts, William J. (2004). France: a reference guide from the Renaissance to the present. Infobase Publishing. p. 206. ISBN 9780816044733.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Bradbury, Jim (1992). The medieval siege. Boydell & Brewer. p. 176. ISBN 9780851153124.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link)