The Battle of Poitiers 1356

by Green, David

  After the reopening of the war he was involved in the abortive attempt to relieve Thouars in September 1372 and was then given command of an expedition to patrol the coast which resulted in the burning of seven Spanish ships at St Malo. At the relief of the siege of Brest, Montague’s challenge to du Guesclin was refused. He participated in the Bruges conference and was a commissioner to France. Montague’s naval experience was briefly called upon between July and November 1376 when he acted as admiral of the western fleet. He also participated in a number of Gaunt’s forays into France before receiving the captaincy of Calais in 1379. During the Peasants’ Revolt he counselled the young king and accompanied him to the Tower and Smithfield. As a reward for his diplomatic service in negotiations with the king of Scotland William received the Isle of Wight and Carisbrooke castle (1382). He also held the Isle of Man but sold it in 1393 since he had no heir, supposedly he had been killed by his father in a tournament. He married Elizabeth, the daughter and subsequently the co-heir of John Mohun. He was buried at Bisham.

  Sir Richard Stafford41

  He was the brother of Ralph, 1st earl of Stafford, and married Matilda, daughter and co-heiress of William Camvill, of Clifton, Staffs. He was the most consistent lay member of the prince’s council and served from at least 1343 in which year he was one of the commissioners assigned to take control of the principality of Wales and deliver it to the Black Prince.

  His service was not purely administrative, he was a bachelor in the prince’s household and he probably fought in the first division at Crécy (although he may have earlier been with the earl of Derby, he certainly fought with Grosmont at some stage) and on 26 February of the following year he was appointed steward of the prince’s lands. He was also involved in the Calais siege.

  He fought in the Poitiers campaign where his previous Gascon experience in the service of the earl of Derby stood him in good stead as did his administrative abilities. Whilst on campaign he authorised the issue of the prince’s letters. At the beginning of the chevauchée he was made a banneret at Bassoues on 19 October 1355. He was made responsible for the reinforcing and re-supplying of the prince’s forces prior to the 1356 raid.

  With Miles Stapleton and Nigel Loryng he was commissioned to investigate truce violations in France in 1360–1. From July to November 1361 in the course of the transfer of lands after Brétigny he was seneschal of Gascony and may thereafter have stayed with the prince in Aquitaine although he also undertook diplomatic duties for Edward III. However, when the prince returned from Gascony in 1371 and instigated two very major commissions of oyer and terminer in Cornwall, it was Richard Stafford who was chosen to head the investigations.

  His military reputation must also have been high by this time as he, with Guy Bryan, were appointed to fulfil the duties of constable of England to hear the case of Edmund Mortimer who claimed a prisoner was being unjustly held from him by Ralph Basset. Following the prince’s death he became a councillor of Richard II. He died c.1380.

  Sir John Sully42

  John Sully was descended from a younger branch of the Sully family of Devon. His military experience was very extensive although perhaps not quite as vast as he claimed as a deponent at the Scrope-Grosvenor enquiry. The greatest doubt lies in his participation in the early Scottish campaigns. In 1333 he may have fought at Halidon Hill and was at the capture of Berwick. On 12 July 1338 he was in France, and like a number of the prince’s future retinue, serving in the company of the earl of Salisbury. His military career continued and in August 1346 he fought at Crécy where he may have come to the attention of the Black Prince. In 1350 he was involved in the battle of Les Espagnols-sur-Mer and he was retained for life in 1353 to be one of the prince’s ‘especial retinue’.43 Soon after, he was appointed surveyor of game in Cornwall. He replaced John Dabernon as sheriff of Devon and Cornwall but was unable to take up his office. In 1355 he accompanied the prince to Gascony and in the following year he fought at Poitiers. He was again involved in active service in 1359 when he had letters of protection. It may have been as a consequence of this service that in 1361 he was granted by Edward III that once each year he could hunt in the royal forests with his dog, ‘Bercelette’.

  His military success was noted at the highest levels and on the feast of St George in 1362 he was made a knight of the Garter, taking the ninth stall on the prince’s side, in place of Reginald Cobham. In 1363 he accompanied the prince to Aquitaine and in 1367 fought at Nájera. He remained in service in France and in 1370 had further letters of protection, as he was about to serve in Aquitaine. He died c.1388.

  Sir William Trussel

  The Trussel family had served in the administration of Cheshire since the early years of the fourteenth century. William’s military service with the prince commenced when he rode in the grande chevauchée. He received letters of protection on 9 November 1355 and continued to serve throughout the winter lull and at Poitiers where, as a bachelor of the prince’s household, he was one of Edward’s bodyguards. He was rewarded with an annuity of £40 from the Chester exchequer on 16 November 1363, although it would be surprising if this was the first such grant he received from the Black Prince.

  He accompanied the prince to Aquitaine in 1363 but it not certain if he was involved in the Spanish campaign. He was certainly summoned to the 1369 muster at Northampton and therefore fought in France in the defence of the principality. He died on 12 February 1380.

  Robert Ufford, earl of Suffolk44

  He was born on 9 August 1298 and was granted seisin of his father’s lands on 19 May 1318 and those of his mother (Cecily, daughter and co-heir of Robert Valoinges) on 16 August 1325. He had been the second son but his brother died, allowing Robert to inherit. In March 1324 he was abroad in the service of Edmund, earl of Kent. He was created earl of Suffolk on 16 March 1337. He fought in the first division at Crécy and at the siege of Calais. He became a knight of the garter in c.1349 and was the titular head of the prince’s council in c.1355 although he had been associated with it since 1337. He accompanied the prince on the 1355 expedition and fought in the Reims campaign. He died on 4 November 1369.

  John Vere, 7th earl of Oxford, 1312–6045

  He had livery of his lands in 1331 and in the following year set out on a pilgrimage to Compostella. Matters closer to home were at the forefront in 1333 when he was a witness to Edward III’s treaty at Berwick. He was again in service in Scotland in 1335. The opening of the Hundred Years War saw him fighting abroad. In 1340 he was in Flanders and in 1342, in Brittany. The latter year also saw his participation in the Dunstable tournament. John returned to Brittany in 1345 with the earl of Northampton and they secured a victory over the forces of Charles de Blois. He sailed again in 1346 to take part in the Normandy campaign, and at Crécy he fought in the first division. He was again in arms with the Black Prince in 1355–6. He was one of Edward’s chief advisors at Poitiers and he remained in Bordeaux while negotiations began for the ransom of the king of France. Vere died at the siege of Reims in 1360 and was buried at Colne priory.

  Roger de la Warre

  The son of John and Margaret (Holand), he was born on 30 November 1326. He first saw military service in 1346 when he was knighted with the prince at La Hogues and fought in his division at Crécy. He was also involved in the Calais siege and received his inheritance in 1349. He was again in military service in 1355 and in the raid of the following year he was involved in the skirmish at Romorantin and later fought at Poitiers where he claimed to capture Jean.46

  Along with a number of the prince’s close military associates, his involvement in the Reims campaign was in the king’s division. During this he was captured in 1360 but soon ransomed. He was first summoned to parliament in 1362 but spent much of the following years in Aquitaine. He was first mentioned on the list of those noted as part of the prince’s household on travelling to Bordeaux in 1363. He may not have remained in the principality continually but certainly spent much of the time of the principality with Edward i
n France. He was a knight of the prince’s household and a councillor in Aquitaine.

  According to Chandos Herald, he fought in the Spanish campaign in 1367. After the resumption of the war he fought under Gaunt’s command in Picardy and Caux from July to November 1369. He died in Gascony on 27 August 1370.

  Sir John Wingfield

  He first came to prominence in the service of the earl of Surrey and then William Montague, earl of Salisbury with whom he served at Crécy and Calais. By 1351 he transferred to the employ of the prince of Wales and became a bachelor of his household, steward of his lands, chief councillor and ‘governor of the prince’s business’.47 As such he was responsible for the routine central administration of the prince’s estates and with other councillors was the decider of policy and controlled the activities of the privy seal. He held these offices until his death in 1361.

  During the 1355–6 campaigns he was responsible for administration. During the preparation for the Reims campaign he was a central figure in acquiring revenue for the operation. He borrowed 20,000 marks on behalf of the prince. Despite this administrative role he appears to have fought in all of the prince’s campaigns in the 1350s. He was sent to consult with the king over the implementation of the treaty of Brétigny. His daughter and heir, Katherine, married Michael la Pole, the future earl of Suffolk.

  APPENDIX II:

  Wargaming the

  Battle of Poitiers

  (written with Martin Tweedy Smith)

  There are many problems with the precise reconstruction of the battle of Poitiers and those wishing to replay the encounter should come to their own conclusions in several cases as to the number and types of troops involved and the manner in which they were armed and armoured. The available sources are much less precise regarding French than Anglo-Gascon forces. Details are given below regarding the development of the various forces throughout the 1355–6 campaign.

  Black Prince’s 1355 retinue according to indenture made with Edward III

  433

  men-at-arms

  400

  mounted archers

  300

  foot archers

  =

  1,133 total

  This included troops from:

  Cheshire: 300 (Leaders: John Hide, Robert Legh [Macclesfield], Robert Brown [Eddisbury], Hamon Mascy, Hugh Golbourne [Wirral & Broxtowe], John Griffyn [Nantwich])

  Flintshire: 100

  North Wales: 140 (Leader: Grouno ap Griffyth)

  This was augmented by troops led by the earls of Oxford, Salisbury, Suffolk and Warwick, Reginald Cobham and Sir John Lisle (d. 1355) who were the chief recruiting captains.

  Total:

  1,000+ men-at-arms

  1,000+ mounted archers

  400 foot archers

  c. 170 Welsh troops

  The chevauchée also included sizeable contingents from Gascony.

  During the break in campaigning during the winter-spring of 1355–6, Richard Stafford returned to England in search of reinforcements, particularly archers as well as supplies.

  1356 Anglo-Gascon reinforcements:

  600 archers (300+ from Cheshire)

  1356 Anglo-Gascon re-supplying:

  1,000 bows} probably not acquired, forced to requisition all available

  2,000 sheaves of arrows} stocks in Cheshire and ensure continuous production

  30 baggage horses + others

  30 grooms

  Assorted victuals – wheat, oats, fish, salt pork

  1356 Anglo-Gascon Army

  The army that rode out in 1356 was further augmented by contingents led by a number of Gascon noblemen.

  Composition of Army

  3,000–4,000 men-at-arms.

  This total includes knights and esquires – all knights were men-at-arms but not all men-at-arms were knights – as well as ‘lesser’ troops. English infantry units were not uniform in size nor were the proportions of different troop types. However, the army was possibly divided into groups of twenty (led by a vintenar) and 100 men (led by a centenar), these were often put in command of foreign troops to improve communication. See below for equipment.

  Captal de Buch’s cavalry detachment: 60 men-at-arms, 100 mounted archers (fought on foot).

  2,500–3,000 archers

  Armour: leather jerkin or mail shirts, often also a helmet.

  Arms: longbow, sword/dagger.

  Longbow – range: 300-400 yards. Rate of fire: 15-20 arrows per minute.

  The best bows were made of Spanish or home-grown yew but also elm, wych elm and ash were used. They may have had draw- weights of up to 150 lbs. The arrows were 30–36 inches in length (made of many different woods) and carried bodkin arrow-heads which could pierce plate armour at close range. Two sheaves of arrows were probably carried by each archer = 48 arrows.

  NB - mounted/horsed archers fought on foot.

  1,000 light troops

  Armour - padded jackets/aketons and helmets

  Arms: spear, sword/dagger

  Commanders

  Vanguard/left flank: Warwick, Oxford, captal de Buch - 1,000+ archers, 500 men-at-arms, 500 light infantry (note captal’s cavalry strike in later stages)

  Centre: Black Prince, Chandos, Audley, Cobham, Burghersh, Loryng, Trussel, Alan Cheyne – 2,000+ men-at-arms

  Rearguard/right flank: Salisbury, Suffolk - 1,000+ archers, 500+ men-at-arms, 500 light infantry.

  The disposition of the Anglo-Gascon army within these three main divisions is uncertain; the numbers given above may act as a guide but should not be regarded as more than hypothetical. It is probable that the archers were divided between the vanguard and rearguard and that the prince’s ‘battle’ was composed solely of dismounted knights and men-at-arms.

  Other notable Anglo-Gascon knights and members of the prince’s retinue and household

  Ralph Basset of Drayton, Alan Cheyne, Stephen Cosington, Thomas Felton, Edward Despenser, Elie de Pommiers, Maurice Berkeley, Richard Stafford, John Wingfield, Baldwin Botetourt, Roger Cotesford, Dietrich Dale, Henry Aldrington, William Bakton, Robert Egremont, Geoffrey Hamelyn, John Henxteworth, Henry Berkhamsted, John Pailington

  French Army

  Composition of Army

  8,000 men-at-arms (including knights and esquires)

  See below for equipment

  2,000 crossbowmen

  Armour: ridged ‘kettle’ hat, mail hauberk or brigandine and coif, possibly plate greaves.

  Shield: pavise – large shield with a prop so could be erected in front of the soldier during the reloading procedure.

  Crossbow – range: 200–300 yards. Rate of fire: five quarrels per minute.

  5,000–6,000 light infantry troops

  Most were poorly trained (3,000–4,000 militia) mainly recruited using the ‘feudal’ ban and arrière-ban.

  Armour: padded leather jerkin; simple iron helmet/war hat/’kettle’ hat; chain-mail collar.

  Arms: halberd, sword/dagger.

  Those better armed (2,000), including some of the men-at-arms were equipped as follows:

  Armour: Lorigone (mail hauberk), bascinet, coat-of-plates, large pavise or smaller tablachos shield.

  Arms: halberd or barde – a long-hafted axe with a thrusting point, sword/dagger.

  Commanders

  1st division: Dauphin Charles, Louis d’Anjou, Jean de Berri, William Douglas, the duke of Bourbon, the lords of Saint-Venant and Landas, and Thomas de Voudenay; Tristan de Maignelay (ducal standard-bearer) – 3,000+ men-at-arms/light infantry

  2nd division: Philippe d’Orléans – 3,000+ men-at-arms/light infantry (over half left field without engaging the English)

  3rd division:King Jean,Philip (future duke of Burgundy), count of Dammartin, Philippe of Valois, the counts of Ponthieu, Eu, Longueville, Sancerre and Dammartin, Charny - royal standard-bearer - 5,000+ men-at-arms/light infantry (including 2,000 select men-at-arms) + 500 crossbowmen

  Vanguard: Gautier de Brienne (constable, led troops on foot), the lords of Aubi
gny and Ribemont and a German contingent under the leadership of the counts de Sarrebruck, Nassau and Nidau – 2,000+ men-at-arms/light infantry + 1,500 crossbowmen

  Marshals:Jean de Clermont, Arnoul d’Audrehem – 300-500 cavalry (knights and esquires, heavily armoured)

  Other notable French and allied knights

  Eustace de Ribbemont, standard-bearer; Sir William Douglas (rode with Audrehem, brought 200 Scottish men-at-arms); Hugues de Chatillon

  French Captives

  Those wishing to recreate the battle accurately should note the period at which troops were dismissed from the field and the point at which captives were taken – see the description of the battle for further details.

  Jean II; Prince Philip; Arnoul d’Audrehem; Jacques de Bourbon, count of Ponthieu; Jean d’Artois, count of Eu; Guillaume de Melun, archbishop of Sens; Bernard, count of Ventadour; Pierre d’Aumont; Count of Vendome; Count of Tancarville; Count of Auxerre; Count of Joigny; Count of Longueville; Lord Derval; Lord Daubigny; Count of Nassau; Count of Saarbrucken.

  French casualties

  Duke of Bourbon;Walter de Brienne, constable; Renaud Chauvel, bishop of Chalons; Jean de Clermont; Renaud V de Pons.

  Further Details: English and French Men-at-Arms (including knights banneret/bachelor and esquires)