The Battle of Auray took place on 29 September 1364 at the Breton-French town of
Auray. This battle was the decisive confrontation of the
Breton War of Succession
The War of the Breton Succession (, ) was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April 1 ...
, a part of the
Hundred Years' War.
In the battle, which began as a
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...
, a Breton army, led by Duke
John de Montfort, assisted by English forces commanded by
John Chandos
Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, (c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of ...
, opposed a Breton army led by his rival
Charles of Blois
Charles of Blois-Châtillon (131929 September 1364), nicknamed "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 until his death, via his marriage to Joan, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Penthièvre, holding the title against the c ...
and assisted by French forces led by
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' Wa ...
.
Prelude
At the beginning of 1364, after the failure of the negotiations of
Évran
Évran (; ; Gallo: ''Evran'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in the region of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
The inhabitants of Évran are known in French as '' évrannais''.
Personalities
* Henri Pinault, R ...
, Montfort, with the assistance of John Chandos, came to attack Auray, which had been in the hands of Franco-Bretons since 1342. He entered the town of Auray and besieged the castle, which was blockaded by sea by the ships of
Nicolas Bouchart
Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to:
People Given name
* Nicolas (given name)
Mononym
* Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer
* Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Surname Nicolas
* Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
coming from
Le Croisic
Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label= Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire.
History
The United States Navy established a naval air station o ...
.
Without food supplies, the besieged agreed to surrender the place, if help did not arrive before
Michaelmas
Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...
(29 September). Two days before, Charles of Blois had arrived east of the abbey of
Lanvaux.
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' Wa ...
, who commanded the vanguard of the French troops, was in nearby
Brandivy
Brandivy (; br, Brandevi) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Brandivy are called in French ''Brandivyens''.
Breizh-Kernow Festival
Brandivy is notable for its "Breizh – Kern ...
.
On 28 September, du Guesclin landed on the left bank of the river, and took up position before the castle. To avoid being caught between the castle and the French Army, Montfort evacuated Auray and took up a position facing the enemy, on the slope of the right bank of the river.
On the 29 September, attempts at agreement having failed, Charles of Blois prepared for the attack. His army crossed the river and lined up facing south, considered a bad position by some of his commanders because it was on a marshy plain north of the town and castle. Montfort followed the movement and lined up facing north, in a more dominating position. Rejecting the advice of du Guesclin, Charles of Blois then ordered the attack against Montfort's forces.
Involved forces
Franco-Breton army of Charles of Blois
On the left the
Count of Auxerre
The County of Auxerre is a former state of current central France, with capital in Auxerre.
History
The first count attested by the sources is one Ermenaud I of Auxerre, Ermenaud, a companion of Charlemagne who reigned around 770. In 859 Charles ...
, on the right Du Guesclin, in the center Charles of Blois. A reserve was not used. Each division had roughly 1,000 men.
Anglo-Breton army of John of Montfort
On the right
Olivier de Clisson
Olivier V de Clisson (23 April 1336 – 23 April 1407), nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the ...
, on the left
Robert Knolles
Sir Robert Knolles or Knollys ( – 15 August 1407; aged 81-82) was an important English knight of the Hundred Years' War, who, operating with the tacit support of the crown, succeeded in taking the only two major French cities, other tha ...
, in the centre
John de Montfort and
John Chandos
Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, (c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of ...
. A significant reserve, under
Hugh Calveley
Sir Hugh Calveley (died 23 April 1394) was an English knight and commander, who took part in the Hundred Years' War, gaining fame during the War of the Breton Succession and the Castilian Civil War. He held various military posts in Brittany a ...
, was also on hand ready to intervene.
Battle
![The battle of Auray](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/The_battle_of_Auray.jpg)
The battle began with a short skirmish between the French
arbalest
The arbalest (also arblast) was a late variation of the crossbow coming into use in Europe during the 12th century. A large weapon, the arbalest had a steel prod (the "bow" portion of the weapon). Since the arbalest was much larger than earlier ...
ers and the English
archers
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
. The men-at-arms then engaged directly without seeking to maneuver. It was a bloody combat because all wanted the battle to be decisive to put an end to the long and cruel war. Moreover, orders were given on both sides not to give quarter to captives.
Each Anglo-Breton ''corps'' was attacked head on, one after the other, but the reserves restored the situation. The right wing of the Franco-Breton position was then counterattacked and driven back and since it was not being supported by its own reserves, it was folded up towards the centre. The left wing then folded in turn, the Count of Auxerre was captured, and the troops of Charles of Blois broke and fled. Charles, having been struck down by a lance, was finished off by an English soldier, obeying orders to show no quarter. Du Guesclin, having broken all his weapons, was obliged to surrender to the English commander Chandos. Du Guesclin was taken into custody and ransomed by Charles V for 100,000 francs.
[Turnbull, Stephen. ''The Book of the Medieval Knight.'' London: Arms and Armour Press, 1985. ]
Consequences
This victory put an end to the war of succession. One year later, in 1365, under the first
Treaty of Guérande, the king of France recognized
John IV, the son of John of Montfort as
duke of Brittany
This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...
. However, John IV then paid homage to
Charles V of France
Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...
, rather than to his patron,
Edward III of England
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...
. The Anglo-Breton military victory appeared to result in a diplomatic coup for the King of France.
Notes
References
* ''The Ransom of Olivier de Guesclin'', in ''Historical Research'' 129, May 1981.
{{Authority control
1364 in England
1360s in France
Auray 1364
History of Morbihan
Auray
Auray
War of the Breton Succession