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Home The Hundred Years' War with France Crecy and Poitiers; Part 5 |
Crecy and Poitiers; Part 5In this array the battle was fought. The Marshals first charged, but the vines naturally made them "bunch" on to the road, where they were easily shot down by the English first line under Salisbury, who also beat off the Germans and the crossbow-men, though not without stern fighting. Then came on the Dauphin's dismounted troops, and renewed the fight. All the English save a small reserve were now fully engaged, and it was only by the greatest efforts that the French were driven back once more. At this stage the English seemed to be on the point of defeat. Eight thousand fresh French troops still remained. Of the Englishmen some were dead and many wounded; the archers were seeking everywhere for arrows, even pulling them from the slain; all were utterly worn out.At this point the battle was won by fortune, and generalship. Orleans' division fled in the wreckage of the Dauphin's without striking a blow. So went half of the remainder. John, with the last division, advanced to the attack. The Prince did not wait. He ordered all who had horses to mount and charge; and the whole force, leaving the shelter of the hedge, rode and ran down on the enemy, and the armies locked in fierce encounter. At the critical moment a Gascon knight, the Captal de Buch, who had been sent round a hillock on the English right to make a flank attack, fell on the French left rear. He had but 160 men; but this was enough. A panic spread; the fainthearted ran; brave men - and there were many in the French ranks - stayed to fight it out around their king, and were made prisoners. Never was there such a haul of captives made: the king, his son Philip, twenty-six great lords, and close on nineteen hundred knights and persons of consequence. The capture of the king alone made the victory important. It was bound to lead to a satisfactory peace. The Treaty of Bretigny, in 1360, gave Edward all the duchy of Aquitaine, the county of Ponthieu, and Calais in full sovereignty. John was also to pay a large ransom. In return, Edward gave up all claim to the throne of France and to the Plantagenet dominions of Normandy, Maine, and Anjou. In a word, he gave up the shadow and grasped the substance. |
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