Table Of ContentHoskins
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Bi
In 1355 tHe Black PrInce took an army to Bordeaux and embarked on two n
chevauchées – mounted military expeditions, generally characterised by the l Steps of the
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devastation of the surrounding towns and countryside – which culminated in his a
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decisive victory over Jean II of France at Poitiers the following year.
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Using the recorded itineraries as his starting point, Peter Hoskins has walked
more than thirteen hundred miles across France tracing the routes of the armies kS Black Prince
in search of a greater understanding of the Black Prince’s expeditions. He follows
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the 1355 chevauchée from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean and back, and that for
Pe
1356 from aquitaine to the loire, to the battlefield at Poitiers, and back again to p
Bordeaux. rs
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Drawing on his findings on the ground, a wide range of documentary sources
o
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and the work of local historians, the author provides a unique perspective on the
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Black Prince’s chevauchées of 1355 and 1356 and on the battle of Poitiers, one of
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the greatest english triumphs of the Hundred Years War. the book gives a unique c
h the road to poitiers,
understanding of the impact of the landscape on the campaigns, reappraises some 1355-1356
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e
uncertainties and controversial issues concerning the itineraries, and sheds new
light on the conduct of operations.
Peter HOSkInS, a former
royal air Force pilot, lives
in France. He combines
his interest in exploration
of his adopted country
with his research into
the Hundred Years War.
Cover image Angela Berry, author photograph © Lindsey Hoskins.
Series: Warfare in History
GENERAL EDITOR: Matthew Bennett (RMA Sandhurst)
Boydell & Brewer ltd Peter Hoskins
PO Box 9, Woodbridge IP12 3DF (GB) and
668 Mt Hope ave, rochester nY14620-2731 (US)
www.boydellandbrewer.com
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warfare in history
In the Steps of the Black Prince
The Road to Poitiers, 1355–1356
In 1355 the Black Prince took an army to Bordeaux and embarked
on two chevauchées (mounted military expeditions, generally charac-
terised by the devastation of the surrouding towns and countryside),
which culminated in his decisive victory over King Jean II of France
at Poitiers the following year. Using the recorded itineraries as his
starting point, the author of this book walked more than 1,300 miles
across France, retracing the routes of the armies in search of a greater
understanding of the Black Prince’s expedition. He followed the 1355
chevauchée from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean and back, and that
for 1356 from Aquitaine to the Loire, to the battlefield at Poitiers, and
back again to Bordeaux. Drawing on his findings on the ground, a
wide range of documentary sources, and the work of local historians,
many of whom the author met on his travels, the book provides a
unique perspective on the Black Prince’s chevauchées of 1355 and 1356
and the Battle of Poitiers, one of the greatest English triumphs of the
Hundred Years War, demonstrating in particular the impact of the
landscape on the campaigns.
Peter Hoskins is a former Royal Air Force pilot, now living in
France. He combines his interest in exploration of his adopted
country with his research into the Hundred Years War.
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warfare in history
issn 1358–779x
Series editor
Matthew Bennett, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
This series aims to provide a wide-ranging and scholarly approach
to military history, offering both individual studies of topics or
wars, and volumes giving a selection of contemporary and later
accounts of particular battles; its scope ranges from the early
medieval to the early modern period.
New proposals for the series are welcomed; they should be sent to
the publisher at the address below.
Boydell and Brewer Limited, PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk,
ip12 3df
Previously published volumes in this series are listed at the back of
this volume
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In the Steps of the
Black Prince
The Road to Poitiers, 1355–1356
Peter Hoskins
the boydell press
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© Peter Hoskins 2011
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Peter Hoskins to be identified as
the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2011
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 978–1–84383–611–7
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
The publisher has no responsibility for the continued existence or accuracy of
URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is,
or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Papers used by Boydell & Brewer Ltd are natural, recyclable products
made from wood grown in sustainable forests
Printed in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne
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To Josephine, a Black Prince widow as I tramped the French countryside,
with grateful thanks for her tolerance, love, and encouragement.
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
Part I Prologue
1 Origins 7
Part II The Chevauchée in the Languedoc, October to December 1355
2 Advance to Contact – Bordeaux to Arouille, 5 to 11 October 1355 19
3 Armagnac – Arouille to Mirande, 12 to 22 October 1355 31
4 Toulouse – Mirande to Montgiscard, 23 to 29 October 1355 40
5 Carcassonne – Montgiscard to Canet, 29 October to 7 November 1355 54
6 Turning for Home – Canet to Pennautier, 8 to 14 November 1355 69
7 Recrossing the Garonne – Pennautier to Carbonne, 15 to 83
18 November 1355
8 Home for Christmas – Carbonne to La Réole, 19 November to 98
2 December 1355
Part III Interlude
9 Consolidation and Preparation – 2 December 1355 to 6 July 1356 113
Part IV The Poitiers Chevauchée, August to October 1356
10 Advance to the Vienne – La Réole to Manot, 6 July to 14 August 1356 123
11 Romorantin – Manot to Romorantin, 14 August to 5 September 1356 137
12 Manoeuvre – Romorantin to Poitiers, 5 to 17 September 1356 153
13 Battle Joined – Nouaillé-Maupertuis, 18 and 19 September 1356 165
14 The Return to Bordeaux – Nouaillé-Maupertuis to Bordeaux, 193
20 September to 2 October 1356
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Part V Epilogue
15 Aftermath 201
Appendix 1 Summary Itinerary for Prince’s Division, 1355 207
Appendix 2 Summary Itinerary for Prince’s Division, 1356 209
Notes 211
Bibliography 239
Index 247
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Illustrations
Plates
1 The Garonne at Pinsaguel 49
2 The Ariège at Lacroix-Falgarde 51
3 The Garonne at Noé 94
4 The site of the old bridge at Carbonne 96
5 View south from the ridge above the marsh 169
6 Facing south at the Gué de l’Homme 170
7 The Gué de Russon 171
8 The rim of the bowl north of the Gué de Russon 172
9 View north across the Gué de l’Homme 173
10 The hedge near Bernon 174
11 View from the possible French position 175
Figure
1 Edward III’s claim to the crown of France 11
Maps
1 Angevin possessions in France under Henry II 9
2 English possessions in France at the outbreak of the Hundred 12
Years War
3 The chevauchée in the Languedoc, October to December 1355 23
4 Bordeaux to Arouille 24
5 Arouille to Mirande 33
6 Mirande to Montgiscard 42
7 Crossing the Garonne and the Ariège, 28 October 1355 50
8 Montgiscard to Canet 56
9 Canet to Pennautier 70
10 13 to 15 November 1355 77
11 Pennautier to Carbonne 84
12 Cintegabelle, 17 November 1355 90
13 Crossing the Garonne at Noé and Carbonne 95
14 Carbonne to Réjaumont 100
15 Réjaumont to La Réole 104
16 Operations, Christmas 1355 to January 1356 117
17 The Poitiers chevauchée, August to October 1356 124
18 La Réole to Brantôme 126
19 The passage of Brantôme, 8–10 August 1356 131
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