Battle of Auray The Battle of Auray took place on 29 September 1364 at the French town of Auray . This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Breton War of Succession , a part of the Hundred Years ' War . In the battle , which began as a siege , an Anglo - Breton army , led by Duke John de Montfort and assisted by English forces commanded by Sir John Chandos , opposed a Franco - Breton army led by his archrival Charles of Blois . Prelude . At the beginning of 1364 , after the failure of the negotiations of Évran , 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 coming from Le Croisic . Without food supplies , the besieged agreed to surrender the place , if help did not arrive before Michaelmas ( 29 September ) . Two days before , Charles of Blois had arrived east of the abbey of Lanvaux . Bertrand du Guesclin , who commanded the vanguard of the French troops , was in nearby Brandivy . 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 , on the right Du Guesclin , in the center Charles of Blois . A weak reserve was not used . Each division had roughly 1 , 000 men . Anglo - Breton army of John of Montfort . On the right Olivier de Clisson , on the left the Englishman Sir Robert Knolles , in the centre Montfort and the Englishman Chandos . A significant reserve , under Sir Hugh Calveley , was also on hand ready to intervene . The battle . The battle began with a short skirmish between the French arbalest ers and the English archers . Then the men - at - arms engaged directly without seeking to maneuver . It was a bloody combat , because all wanted this battle to be decisive and put an end to this 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 . Then the right wing of the Franco - Breton position was counterattacked and driven back and , not being supported by its own reserves , was folded up towards the center . 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 . 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 V , the son of John of Montfort as duke of Brittany . However , John V then paid homage to Charles V of France , rather than to his patron , Edward III of England The Anglo - Breton military victory appeared to result in a French diplomatic coup for the King of France .