page_title: Battle of Castillon
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Castillon / Battle
caption_attribution_description: English: The Battle of Castillon (Hundred Years´ War, 1453)
context_page_description: The Battle of Castillon was a battle fought on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne, between England and France. It was a decisive French victory and is considered to mark the end of the Hundred Years' War.
  On the day of the battle, English commander John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury led his army into a fortified French encampment without waiting for reinforcements, believing that the enemy was retreating. Talbot then refused to withdraw even after realizing the strength of the French position, causing his men to suffer extensive casualties from the French artillery. Castillon is considered the first major battle won through the extensive use of field artillery.
  As a result of the battle and the death of Talbot, England would lose all of its landholdings in France, aside from Calais, which it would hold until 1558.
context_section_description: Along with the morale boost of victory at the priory, Talbot also pushed forward because of reports that the French were retreating. The cloud of dust leaving the camp which the townsmen indicated as a retreat was created by camp followers leaving before the upcoming battle.
  The English advanced, but they ran into the full force of the French army. Despite being outnumbered and in a vulnerable position, Talbot ordered them to continue the fighting. Historian A.J. Pollard suggests this seemingly reckless behaviour from Talbot may be due to the fact that his "pride and honour were at stake for he had already ordered his men to battle when he discovered the strength of the French position". The only Englishman who remained mounted in the battle, he also did not wear armour due to previous agreements with the French when he was released from captivity in Normandy.
  According to David Nicolle, the battle itself was "highly characteristic of the period" with the strong field fortification of the French and the small-arms fighting of the battle. In many ways, this battle played out like the Battle of Crécy in "reverse". The French guns obliterated the advancing soldiers. It is reported each shot killed six men at a time. Talbot's reinforcements continued to arrive at the battle, only to suffer the same fate. Despite the odds against the English, the battle lasted over an hour until a thousand-strong Breton cavalry force led by Peter II, the Duke of Brittany, crashed into their right flank, sending them into retreat.
  In the end, the French routed the English. Both Talbot and his son died in the battle. There is some debate over the exact circumstances of Talbot's death, but it appears as though his horse was killed by a projectile, its mass pinned him down, and then a French archer killed him with an axe.
caption: Painting depicting the Battle of Castillon (1453) by the French painter Charles-Philippe Larivière (1798–1876). (Galerie des Batailles, Palace of Versailles). John Talbot is falling from his wounded horse.
exif: {}