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Battle of Poitiers is in 1350-1359 Battles of Winchelsea and Poitiers.
On 19th September 1356 the army of Edward "Black Prince" (age 26) defeated the French and Scottish army led by King John "The Good" II of France (age 37) at the Battle of Poitiers
King John "The Good" II of France was captured by three captains including Ivon aka John Fane.
The the English army included: Bernard Brocas (age 26), Thomas Felton (age 26), James Audley (age 38), Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick (age 43), Bartholomew "The Younger" Burghesh 2nd Baron Burghesh (age 28), Reginald Cobham 1st Baron Cobham (age 61), Edward Despencer 1st Baron Despencer, Baron Burghesh (age 21), Ralph Ferrers (age 27), William Scrope (age 31), William Montagu 2nd Earl Salisbury (age 28), Walter Paveley 4th Baron Burghesh (age 37), Robert Ufford 1st Earl Suffolk (age 58), William Ufford 2nd Earl Suffolk (age 18), John de Vere 7th Earl of Oxford (age 44), John Willoughby 3rd Baron Willoughby (age 33), Thomas Arderne (age 19), Enion Sais Brecon, John Chandos (age 36), Richard Pembridge (age 36), Jean Grailly (age 25), Robert de Fouleshurst (age 26) and John Sully (age 73)
John Savile of Shelley and Golcar (age 31) probably fought having received letters of protection to travel overseas.
Hugh Courtenay 2nd or 10th Earl Devon (age 53) protected the baggage train.
The French and Scottish army included: King John "The Good" II of France, Philip "Bold" Valois II Duke Burgundy (age 14), Jean Bourbon I Count La Marche (age 12), Archibald "Grim" Douglas 3rd Earl Douglas (age 26), John "Sans Terre" Artois 1st Count of Eu (age 35); all captured.
Guichard d'Angle 1st Earl Huntingdon and William Douglas 1st Earl Douglas (age 33) fought.
Peter Bourbon Duke Bourbon (age 45) was killed. His son Louis (age 19) succeeded II Duke Bourbon.
Gauthier VI Comte de Brienne (age 54) was killed.
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Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke [-1360]. [19th September 1356] Saying these things, he looked and saw that there was nearby, off to the side, a certain hill, encircled on the outside with hedges and ditches, but within divided up: for on one side it was pasture, thick with thickets there; on another side it was planted with vines; and on the rest it was sown with crops. On the ridge of the arable side, he perceived a camp of the French positioned. Between our forces and the hill lay a wide and deep valley along with a marsh, irrigated by a certain stream. At a rather narrow ford, the prince's troop, together with the wagons, crossed the stream and, after passing through the valley and over the hedges and ditches, occupied the hill. There, among the thickets, they were easily hidden by the natural defences of the location, standing above the enemy with the advantage of higher ground. The field in which our first and second lines were stationed was separated from the plain occupied by the French army by a long hedge with a ditch beneath it. One end of this hedge sloped down into the aforementioned marsh. The slope descending toward the marsh was held by the Earl of Warwick, commander and leader of the first line. In the upper part of the hedge, well removed from the slope, there was a certain wide gap or opening created by cart-drivers in autumn. At a distance of a stone's throw from that opening stood our third unit, commanded by the Earl of Salisbury. The enemy, seeing the prince's standard recently in plain view but beginning to move slowly and become hidden from their eyes by the hill's obstruction, believed that the prince was retreating. Douglas the Scot and the Marshal of Clermont1 protested that it was not so. Nevertheless, deceived by their own assumption, the Marshal pursued what he believed was the prince's flight, and with him came Douglas, desiring to earn the shining name of new knighthood. Clermont advanced as well, determined to redeem his sullied reputation for loyalty. These men had been assigned to the enemy's first line. As was customary, they were preceded by combatants intending to engage in mock combat. These were met by knights of our own, specifically appointed for jousting, who confronted them from beneath the slope where our first line had been stationed.
Talia dicens, prospexit quod erat e vicino lateraliter mons quidam sepibus et fossis ad extra redimitus, ad intra vero distinctus, quippe ex una parte pascuus et ibi dumis condensus, ex alia vero vineis consitus, et ex reliqua sacionalis; in cuius iugo sacionali coortem Francorum perpendit residere. Inter nostros et montem erant ampla profundaque vallis et mariscus, torrente quodam irriguus. Ad satis angustum vadum principis turma cum cariagiis torrentem preterivit, egressaque vallem trans sepes et fossas ocupavit collem, ubi inter virgulta faciliter occultabatur loci municione, hostibus altior incumbens. Campus, in quo residebant nostre prima secundaque custodia, distinguebatur a planicie quam ocupavit exercitus Francus sepe longa subterfossata, cuius alterum extremum declinavit in mariscum prefatum, Declivum marisco incumbentem tenuit comes Warewycensis, dux et moderator agminis primi. In superiori parte sepis, a declivo bene remota, fuit temesis quedam patula vel hyatus, quem bigarii fecerunt in autumpno, a quo remota iactu lapidis stetit nostra tercia turma, cui comes Saresburiensis presidebat. Hostes, videntes principis vexillum nuper manifestum set incipiens successive dimoveri obiectuque montis illorum oculis occultari, estimarunt principis fugam, reclamantibus Dowglas Scoto et marescallo de Claromonte non ita fore; set opinione sua deceptus marescallus Dawdenam, ut insequeretur principis fugam putativam, et cum illo Dowglas, ut promereretur nove milicie fulgidum nomen, set Claromontanus, ut expurgaret blasfematam fidelitatem, veementer progrediuntur; illis enim erat prima custodia deputata. Istos precesserunt, ut moris est, astiludiaturi, quibus de prima custodia nostra, sub declivo cui residerant, obviaverunt equites nostri ad hastiludia specialiter ordinati.
Note 1. Jean de Clermont, seigneur de Chantilly; marshal in 1352; lieutenant of Poitou in 1354; killed in this battle. Arnoul d'Audrehem, who became marshal in 1351, was one of the defenders of Calais in 1346-7; lieutenant of Picardy in 1355; taken prisoner in this battle, when he undertook not to fight against the English until ransomed; but was made prisoner again at Najara, and was in danger of being executed, but was acquitted by a jury of knights; died in 1370.
Chronicle of Henry Knighton. 19th September 1356. And they divided themselves into three battalions. The Earl of Warwick commanded the first battalion, and on the side of the French, the two Marshals of France commanded the first battalion. The second battalion was commanded by Lord Dauphin of Vienne, with his brother the Duke of Orléans, and it was the strongest. In the third battalion was the King of France, with 2,000 of the most select armed men in all France. Lord Geoffrey de Charny bore the red banner, which was the sign of death. The King of France issued an order that no Englishman was to be spared, except for the Prince himself. The Cardinals, before the battle, climbed up a certain hill nearby to watch the outcome of the battle. Now the first French battalion engaged with the Earl of Warwick, but was quickly subdued by the English archers. Marshal Clermont was killed, along with many others, as will be mentioned below. The Earl of Warwick pursued the fleeing enemies, killing some and capturing others. Meanwhile, the second French battalion arrived and joined battle with the Prince of Wales, fighting very fiercely through a hedge. The English became very weary due to the intensity of the combat, and their weapons were badly damaged. The fighting was so strong and hard that the archers, having run out of arrows, picked up stones, and with swords and lances, and whatever they could grab, they fought on. They defended themselves with clever and courageous hearts, and it is astonishing to tell. But finally, as God willed, the French took to flight. And while the English stood tired, catching their breath and hoping they had won victory over all their enemies, King John of France suddenly arrived with a huge force, leading a battalion against the Prince, who at that moment had only a few men with him, as the others were chasing the fleeing enemies. As the French began to engage the Prince's line, the Earl of Warwick returned from the pursuit with his full force, and attacked the flank of the French king's army, and fought bravely. And thus, by the grace of God and not by human strength, the victory was granted to the Prince, and he emerged victorious from the battle, capturing the King of France and his younger son Philip, the Count of Poitiers, and many other nobles.
Et diviserunt se in tres acies. Comes de Warwych habuit primam aciem et ex parte Francorum duo marescalli Franciæ habuerunt primam aciem. Secundam aciem dominus Dolfynus de Vienna cum fratre suo duce de Orlyons cum majori fortitudine. In tertia acie erat rex Francie cum IJ mille de electioribus armatis totius Franciæ. Dominus Galfridus Charneys bajulavit vexillum rubium quod erat mortis signiferum. Rex Franciæ edidit præceptum ne quis Anglicus vitæ reservaretur solo principe excepto. Cardinales ante prælium ascenderunt in quendam montem prope ut viderent eventum belli. Jam prima acies Franciæ congreditur cum comite Warwych, sed cito per sagittarios subpeditati sunt. Et Marescallus Clermont occisus est et multi alii ut infra dicetur Comes de Warwych insequebatur fugientes et quosdam occidit et quosdam cepit prisonarios. Medio tempore venit secunda acies Francorum et miscuerunt cum principe Walliæ, et pugnaverunt nimis! acriter infra unam sepem, et Anglici devenerunt multum lassi præ gravedine certaminis, et arma eorum nimis laceratn. Et tam fortis et dura extitit pugna quod sagittarii pra defectu sagittarum sustulerunt lapides, et cum gladiis et lanceis, et quicquid possent arripere pugnaverunt, et sic se corde sagaci mirabile dictu defenderunt; sed tandem sicut deus voluit Franci fugam arripuerunt, et dum Anglici starent lassi se refocillantes et sperantes victoriam reportasse de suis inimicis omnibus, supervenit Johannes rex Franciæ cum ingenti fortitudine aciem dirigens versus principem qui paucos ea hora secum habebat, quia laborabant super inimicos fugientes. Dum igitur ccepissent Franci aciem miscere supervenit comes de Warewych rediens de fugatione inimicorum cum integro exercitu suo, et opposuit se a latere exercitus regis Francim et strenue pugnaverunt, et sic per gratiam dei et non humana virtute victoria. cessit principi et prælii reportavit principatum, et rex captus est et filius ejus Philippus, junior, comes de Peyters et magnates plurimi.
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Bourgeois de Valciennes. In the year of grace 1356, on the 19th day of September, King John of France went with a full 50,000 men towards Poitiers to fight the Prince of Wales, son of King Edward of England, who was in those parts with a full 7,000 men. And there took place a very bloody, very fierce, and most marvelous and perilous battle. In it, the King of France and his company were defeated. The said King of France was captured, along with his son Philip, Lord Jacques of Bourbon, the Count of Eu, the Count of Joinville and of Vaudémont, the Count of Joigny, the Count of Mont-Ventadour and of Montpensier, the Count of Longueville, the Count of Brose, the Count of Dammartin, the Count of Étampes, the chamberlain Count of Tancarville, and so many other knights and barons that the English were completely overwhelmed and troubled just to guard and keep them as prisoners. There were well 1,200 men-at-arms killed, both lords and knights and others. And there were as many as 800 captured, all of great renown.
En I'an de grâce mil IIIc et LVI, le XIXe jour de septembre, s'en alla le roy Jehan de France a tout bien L mil hommes vers Poitiers pour combatre le prince de Galles, fils du roy Edouart d'Engleterre, lequel prince estoit en ces marches-là tout bien VII mil hommes, et yllec eult très-crueuse, très-fière et très-mervilleuse et périlleuse bataille. Et y fut desconfit le roy de France et sa compaignie. Et y fut prins le dit roy de France, et avoec luy Philippe, son fils, monseigneur Jaques de Bourbon, le conte d'Eu, le conte de Jenville et do Waudymont, le conte de Jony, le conte de Mont-Ventadour et de Montpensier, le conte de Longueville, le conte de Brose, le conte de Dammartin, le conte d'Estampes, le conte cambrelens de Tancarville et tant daultres chevaliers et barcnnie que les Englecgs estoient tous ensonyés et empeschiés de les garder et tenir prisonniers. Et y eult bien ochis le nombre de XIIc hommes d'armes, que seigneurs et chevaliers, que aultres. Et s'y en y eult de prins bien le nombre de VIIIe, tous de renommée.
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Froissart Book 5: 1356-1360. [19th September 1356] 388. You have above in this history heard much about the Battle of Crécy, and how fortune was most wondrously strange for the French. Likewise, at the Battle of Poitiers, it was very different and most cruel for them, and in some ways similar to that of Crécy; for at Poitiers, the French were seven men-at-arms to every one of the enemy. Now consider whether that was not a great misfortune for them, that they could not win the field against their enemies, despite their numbers. But to tell the truth, the Battle of Poitiers was much better fought than that of Crécy. The French had all kinds of men-at-arms, and more time and opportunity to observe and consider their enemies than they had at Crécy. For the Battle of Crécy began very late in the evening, without order or proper arrangement, whereas Poitiers began in the morning, at the hour of prime (around 6 a.m.), and under much better conditions, if only the French had taken advantage of it.
388. Vous avés ci dessus en ceste hystore bien oy parler de le bataille de Creci, et comment fortune fu moult mervilleuse pour les François: ossi à le bataille de Poitiers, elle fu moult diverse et très felenesse pour yaus, et auques parelle à ceste de Creci; car li François estoient bien gens d’armes sept contre un. Or regardés se ce ne fu mies grant infortuneté pour yaus, quant il ne peurent obtenir le place contre leurs ennemis. Mais au voir dire, la bataille de Poitiers fu trop mieulz combatue que ceste de Creci, et eurent toutes manières de gens d’armes, mieulz loisir de aviser et considerer leurs ennemis, que il n’euissent à Creci; car la ditte bataille de Creci commença au vespre tout tart, sans arroi et sans ordenance, et ceste de Poitiers matin, à heure 5de prime, et assés par bon couvenant, se eur y euist eu pour les François. Et y avinrent trop plus de biaus fais d’armes sans comparison que il ne fesissent à Creci, comment que tant de grans chiés de pays n’i furent mies mort, que il furent à Creci.
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