Battle of Castillon

The battles of Castillon take place the July 17th 1453 between the armies of Henri VI of England and Charles VII of France. It is a decisive victory for the French.

Introduction

The long 300 years English domination in Aquitaine brings neither misery, nor oppression but of the advantageous commercial relations to the two parts. The kings d' Angleterre grant autonomy and facilitated with liberal charters to the communes.

Following the reconquest of Normandy (countryside of 1450), the French still direct their efforts towards the only area to the hands of the English. The Guyenne is almost reconquered by the French, but the requirements of Charles VII make regret the English supervision.

Henri VI load John Talbot of the reconquest. After a rapid countryside, Bordeaux is taken again the October 23rd 1452. Castillon accommodates the Godons . The English situation remains however very difficult since their country is close to the civil war, which limits the reinforcements.

The French decide to counter-attack the next summer while launching four columns towards Bordeaux. One of them advances by the valley of the the Dordogne, take Gensac the July 8th 1453, approach Castillon, city strengthened, but do not besiege it. This behavior breaks with their offensive strategy which already made it possible to carry several place-strong. Their objective is not any more to conquer Castillon and the Guyenne, city by city. It is to destroy the army of Talbot and to thus regulate in a single engagement the fate of the Aquitaine. The Bureau brothers know Castillon and its surroundings to have removed the place in 1451 with the army of Penthièvre.

Preliminaries of the battle

The free-Breton army is established to 1,8 km in the east, in the valley, on Right Bank of the the Dordogne. It includes/understands approximately 10 000 men 1 800 lances, of the franc-archers, an artillery of 300 parts been useful by 700 experts for which it is necessary to add the Breton army of 1.000 men of which a cavalry of 240 lances. The selected site offers undeniable advantages. In north, he leans with Lidoire, small river with the escarpées banks, and whose level can be high thanks to a stopping. In the west, the south and the east, a ditch surrounds it: 1,6 km length, 5 to 6 m broad, 4 m approximately of depth, sufficient to discourage the attacker. Realized in three days, according to tactical considerations that Vauban would not have repudiated, it has sinuosities, indentations allowing of the crossfires. Protected by a slope, reinforced tree trunks, it poses frightening problems with the English cavalry. Thus realized, the camp has 200 to 300 m of north in the south and 600 m of west in east. In front of him on 500 to 600 m the plain extends from the the Dordogne, river which one could cross only in one ford, the step of Rauzan.

If the enemy comes from north, it runs up against Lidoire, obstacle difficult to cross, with the immediate surroundings of the camp If it comes from the west, it cannot entirely spread in front of the narrow face of the place (200 m), of the south, the battle field until the the Dordogne is under the fire of French artillery.

The device of the royal army reinforced by a Breton body is supplemented by two operations:

700 men occupy the priory of Saint-Florent in the North-West of the camp,
the Breton cavalry (240 lances) went up in reserve with Horable, to 1,5 km in north.

The forces of Talbot counted at least 6.000 men in Bordeaux, and enlarged certainly approximately 3.000 additional men provided by the Gascon quotas joining it to the last moment. The attack of impetuous Talbot against the French camp which was essentially an artillery park will make in numerical inferiority. The Anglo-Gascons, increased their number per packages, progressively of the arrivals of the foot soldiers on the spot. It could there have finally nearly 4.000 men of the army of Talbot on the battle field - a still insufficient number to carry assault this position of countryside prepared in advance.

The battle

Informed by Castillonnais of the arrival of the French, Talbot, with Bordeaux, hesitates, then decides to attack them. It sleeps with Libourne and the morning of the July 17th is dissimulated in wood dominating the priory. As Castillonnais advised to him, it precipitates and hustles the weak garrison of Saint-Florent. This one flees and endeavors to join the camp But the retirement is difficult, one follows the side of the slope dominating the river and, after bloody bodies with body, the runaways cross the small river by a ford or a temporary bridge and is found inside the Peut-être camp surprised by the difficulties against which they run up, the English ebb on the priory where they will be restored and to be refreshed by putting in borer some casks given up by the French.

Talbot is on the point of hearing the mass, when it is reported to him that the French flee, giving up the fortified camp. In fact, clouds of dust rise in the east, in the plain above the position held by the French. It will be known later that they were the pages and the useless luggage to the combat. Misled by these appearances, Talbot does not hesitate any more and precipitates with the troops it has in order to put the French in rout.

The accounts of the time underline calm the latter. Advancing until the contrescarpe ditch, the English try to plant the standard of Talbot at the entry of the French camp. Confused fray… The standard rolls in the ditch! The artillery of the French, ordered by the brothers Gaspard and Jean Office (this last is Grand Master of the artillery of King Charles VII), had time to prepare: 300 parts draw at the same time, charged with Mitraille. Carnage is alarming. The attackers are in a hurry the ones against the others, they can neither escape nor to be dissimulated. Courageously, the survivors gather but new discharges throw the rout among them. The artillery of Talbot could never arrive in time. Also hard and murderer who was the fire of artillery against the Anglo-Gascons, these brave men succeeded in continuing the fight during approximately an hour until the middle of the day, but with the noise of the cannonade, the Bretons in reserve with Horable, charge with their cavalry and precipitate the rout.

The French open the barriers then and continue the English. In the fray which follows, Talbot, whose haquenée had been killed by a ball, is precipitated with ground and is completed by a French archer, Michel Pérunin, who thus registers his name in annals of the history by completing the count of a blow of axe on the head. The son of Talbot was also killed.

The survivors (4 000 dead at least remained on the battle field!) flee, the ones by crossing the the Dordogne (but much drown), the others while ebbing towards the west (some reach Saint-Émilion), others finally, while sheltering in the place of Castillon-the-Battles. Refuge of short duration! Indeed, the July 18th, the French advancing some pieces of artillery under the walls obtain the rendering of the city. It is with the castle of Pressac, with Saint-Etienne-of-Smooth which was signed that of the English.

The body of Talbot is recognized by its Héraut. Its remainders deposited with Our-Lady-of-Adhesive, on the battle field then transported to England and buried in Witchurch. Talbot disappeared, all the places held by the English capitulate and Bordeaux goes without bloodshed.

Consequences

This battle seals the withdrawal of the English and makes it possible to sit the authority of king de France. For the Aquitanian , the consequences are not beneficial. More question of charters to the liberal contents, plus question “of authorizing” the tax. Castillonnais lose their privileges. They will be reconstituted gradually. In 1474 Jean de Foix-Candale grants a charter to them of which the provisions are confirmed and widened by Gaston II in 1487. In addition, this defeat of the English upsets the economy of the area. The assured exchanges during two centuries, the prosperity of Aquitaine are modified. The sales of wine in England, without ceasing completely, are reduced dangerously. The exile, volunteer or imposed, clear up the rows of the notable ones. However, a few years, the exiled later voluntary ones are well accommodated on their return. Some find even the abandoned grounds.

In the military field, this victory, fruit of a new strategy, emphasize the big role and frightening artillery, the percussion action of the cavalry when it is used at the convenient period. The often disordered rides, the flights of arrows, the individual combat overflowing of courage, could not endanger the camp of the French. A whole medieval design of the war collapses and shows its insufficiency in front of the new weapons.

Conclusion

Although he had preferred to wait until the French forces approach Bordeaux, Talbot was let convince to fly to the help of Castillon. The consequence was this major event whose history preserves the memory. The walls of Castillon were thus pilot rides and resounded of the crash of the cannonade of the battle, assistant to a drama perhaps whose Castillonais of the time did not have a presentiment of the remote ones and multiple repercussions.

Souce of the texts

The texts above are drawn from the following page: The Battle De CaStiLLoN, belong to Mr BARDON and are extracted from: Historical Re-examined ref. of Bordeaux: Military Guyenne, Volume II Drouyn Histoire of Castillon de Guignard, " History to day" N° of March 1953 Brought back by the Historical Review of Bordeaux and extract of many articles of G.Marchou, A.Garde, R. Biron, Vital-Marseilles, etc…

External bond

the Battle of Castillon (July 17th, 1453)
the spectacle of Castillon

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