Battle of Coutras

At the time of the battles of Coutras , the October 20th 1587, during the wars of religion, the protesting Henri de Navarre (future Henri IV) crushes the royal army ordered by the duke Anne of Merry, which dies in the battle.

Context

The wars of religion last in France since 1562. The king of France Henri III had followed a reconciling policy (edict of Beaulieu in 1576 then edict of Poitiers the following year). The crisis is caused by the death of the brother of the king, the duke of Alençon: the heir apparent to the throne becomes Henri de Navarre, a huguenot. The Ligue carried out by the duke of Own way draws up the kingdom against the king, who does not find himself isolated in Paris not counting any more but on his 45 bodyguards.

It is forced to sign on July 18th, 1585 an edict cancelling all the preceding edicts, granting places to the catholics , paying the mercenaries of the League on the royal Treasury, prohibiting the Protestantisme in France, and ordering the restitution of the places of safety Protestant women. The Protestants are expelled of the capacity. And whereas the party of Own way obtains places and favors, king de Navarre is deposed of his functions.

This edict is a declaration of war against the Protestants. Henri de Navarre seeks supports, without success. The “bubble privatoire” of the pope Sixte Quint brings to him, to a certain extent, that of the gallicans mediums and royalist French; unite there the Politiques French , in favor of a certain tolerance (like the governor of the Languedoc, Montmorency-Damville), then England and Denmark, but only after the assassination of William of Orange, the deposition of the Électeur of Cologne (the bishop had become calvinist), and successes of Spain in its fight against the Protestants of the Netherlands.

In front of the intransigence of Own way, the war is inevitable. Merry is sent in the South with an army, while Mercœur invades Poitou and blocks Condé in La Rochelle.

Battle

Henri de Navarre adopts a tactic innovating in the way of laying out his troops: he intercalates groups of Mousquetaire S (five men of face) with squadrons of cavalry, in order to support it. The load of the Chevau-léger S Protestants breaks the royal army, which is put in rout.

The Duc of Merry was beaten and killed out of a blow of Pistolet, like 2000 Catholique S, of which the young brother of Anne, Claude of Merry (1569-1587), lord of Saint-Saver.

The victory is allocated to the Protestants directed by Henri de Navarre. This one made return the body of Merry to its family, and attends a mass in the honor of the killed enemies.

See too

Related articles

  • Cavalry

  • External bonds and documents

Sources

, p 342-344

Random links:Henry Hathaway | Jean-Guillaume Goldenberg | TBB Trier | Plain my plain | A love not like the others | Bonheur_de_Mary_Elizabeth