Battle of Castillon

The Battle of Castillon was the last battle fought between the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War. This was the first battle in European history where cannons were the deciding factor.

After the French capture of Bordeaux in 1451, the Hundred Years' War seemed at an end. However, after three hundred years of English rule the citizens of Bordeaux considered themselves English and sent messengers to Henry VI of England demanding he recapture the province.

On October 17, 1452, John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury landed near Bordeaux with a force of 3,000 men-at-arms and archers. The French garrison was ejected by the citizens of Bordeaux, who then gleefully opened the gates to the English. Most of Gascony followed Bordeaux’s example and welcomed the English home.

During the winter month Charles VII of France gathered his armies in readiness for the campaigning season. When spring arrived Charles advanced toward Bordeaux simultaneously along three different routes with three armies.

Talbot received another 3,000 men to face this new problem, but it was still an inadequate number to hold back the thousands of Frenchmen on Gascony’s borders. When the leading French army lay siege to Castillon, Talbot abandoned his original plans (acceding to the pleas of the town commanders) and set out to relieve it. The French commander, Jean Bureau, in fear of Talbot, ordered his 7,000 to 10,000 men to encircle their camp with a ditch and palisade, and deploy his 300 cannon on the parapet.

Talbot approached the French camp on 17 July 1453, arriving before his main body of troops with an advance guard of 1,300 mounted men. He routed a similar sized force of French archers in the woods before the French encampment, giving his men a large boost of morale. A few hours after this preliminary skirmish, a messenger from the town reported to Talbot’s resting troops (they had marched through the night) that the French army was in full retreat and that hundreds of horsemen were fleeing the fortifications. From the town walls a huge dust clouded could be seen heading off into the distance.

Talbot hastily reorganized his men and charged down towards the French camp, only to find the parapets defended by thousands of fully armed archers and hundreds of cannon. Surprised but undaunted, Talbot gave the signal to attack the French army that outnumbered his own force six to one.

Once battle started, Talbot received a thin trickle of men from his leading foot units. After an hour French reinforcements arrived and charged his right flank. The English army gave way, pursued instantly by the French main body of troops.

During the rout Talbot’s horse was killed by a cannon ball and he fell trapped beneath it, until a Frenchman wielding a battle-axe recognized him and killed him.

Following Henry VI's episode of insanity in 1453 and the subsequent outbreak of the Wars of the Roses, the English were no longer in any position to pursue their claim to the French throne and lost all their land on the continent (except for Calais).