Battle of the Valley of Saire

History of Normandy > Duché of Normandy One does not use any more this model from now on, not? ---- --> Unrolled in the year 1001, the battles of Valley-of-Saire saw the victory of Néel I {{er}} of Saint-Saver, Vicomte of the Cotentin, over the Anglo-Saxon army of the king Ethelred.

Introduction

At the beginning of the 11th century, the Viking S launched many raids of plundering in England, killed, burned and collected immense spoils. Knowing that the Normands of France opened their ports to allow the “Drakkar S” Scandinavian S to more easily prepare of the Anglo-Saxon ground raids, the king d' Angleterre Ethelred wanted to get rid of the accomplices (easier to reach) while launching a great military forwarding in Normandy. The English military countryside had two aims. Initially, in order to punish the Norman ones of the assistance brought to the raids Vikings, the Anglo-Saxon troops were to plunder and massacre the maximum of Norman villagers. In the second place, king Ethelred wished to take Rouen, capital of Normandy, to capture the young duke Richard and, finally, to attach the duchy of Normandy to his crown. Ethelred knew the duke of Normandy, very young Richard II and incompetent to undoubtedly organize resistance. He accepted Normandy range of invasion.

In order to conduct campaign, Ethelred called upon all the largest warriors of England. The Anglo-Saxon men-at-arms formed a very important and powerful army. The Val of Saire was probably the coastal part Norman the least protected by the fleet Norman. It is in this place that the English operated the unloading of their troops. Thus arriving in Norman Cotentin (in current the Basse-Normandie), the English soldiers carried out the primary goal which had been assigned to them, namely to massacre it and plunder in retortion of the assistance brought to the Vikings. The English showed themselves with the height. This primary goal reached, the English went towards Rouen, to capture the young duke of Normandy and to offer the duchy to king Ethelred.

Whereas all was presented well for the English, an almost today forgotten character was going to intervene in an energetic and decisive way: the Viscount of Cotentin, Néel. At the origin, this last had only one rather thin troop of Norman knights, not rather at least to face the English Armée. However, the anger of the Norman peasants of Cotentin was large following plunderings and violences. Néel largely recruited these villagers in his army. By calling upon combatants undoubtedly furious but badly equipped and inexperienced, vis-a-vis a troop aguerrie, Néel paid audacity. But wasn't it about its only chance to overcome?

Unfolding

Thus having within its army a majority of little militarized peasants, the Vicomte Néel preferred with an arranged battle, logically, an attack of the Anglo-Saxon with effect of surprise. At dawn, the Norman knight S and peasants thus attacked by surprised the English camp. Even if they did not have time to be formed in “battle”, the men-at-arms English could all the same take their weapons and defend themselves. However, clearly wishing to be avenged for the atrocities which they had undergone, the Norman peasants approached the English with as well fury as they proceeded to a practically complete massacre. The defeat of the English task force was total. Little English succeeded in re-embarking. Put soon at the current of the disaster of his army in the Cotentin, English king Ethelred was completely depity and covered of shame. Wanting to know the reasons of this cruel failure, Ethelred made come one from the rare survivors and questioned it. Making proof in good faith, the English warrior acknowledged with his monarch “whom it had met in Normandy of the quarrelsome and strong warriors, but that it was still more surprised when it saw women Normans violently killing the English with blows of jugs on the head”.

Consequences

By its victory in the Valley of Saire, Néel, Viscount of Cotentin, broke an English invasion of Normandy however well near to succeeding.

The Anglo-Norman competitions were not balanced for as much. In 1066, in another place (Hastings) it is the duke of Normandy which will conduct the attack and will gain this time, a place in the History.

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