Topic summary
Battle of Patay
Kingdom of Scotland
Jean de Xaintrailles
Antoine de Chabannes
John Talbot
Thomas, Baron Scales
Thomas Rempston
1,300 men-at-arms
2,500–4,000 killed or captured
The Battle of Patay, fought on 18 June 1429 during the Hundred Years' War, was the culmination of the Loire Campaign between the French and English in north-central France. In this engagement, the horsemen of the French vanguard inflicted heavy casualties on an English army, most of them sustained by longbowmen as the English cavalry fled. In addition, all but one of the senior English commanders were captured. A victory often credited to Joan of Arc, she was in fact not present for the battle as she had remained with the main body of the French army. The vanguard at Patay was led by La Hire and Jean Poton de Xaintrailles.
The battle was a disastrous blow to English aspirations in France. For the French, it cemented the turn of fortune which had begun at Orléans and concluded a highly successful campaign. The latter was followed by a march to Reims which saw the DauphinCharles crowned King of France. The Hundred Years' War, however, would continue until 1453.