On this day: July 17, 1453

King Henry VI’s English forces, led by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, were defeated by the French at the battle of Castillon in Gascony. Neither side realized it at the time, but this encounter would come to be known as the final battle of the Hundred Years’ War.

The term ‘Hundred Years’ War’ came about in the 19th century to describe the period of intermittent warfare between the French and English that lasted over a hundred years, from the 1340s to 1453. The causes of this conflict are many and varied, and as several excellent books already address the topic in detail, we will boil it down to the barest bones here.  

In 1328, Charles IV of France, the last king of the Capetian dynasty, died childless. In the ensuing contention and disagreement about who should be his successor, several of Charles’ relatives staked their claims to the empty throne. One of these claimants was Edward III of England, whose mother Isabella of France was Charles’ only surviving sibling. Ultimately, the French crown was awarded to Philip of Valois, the dead king’s first cousin. 

This turn of events didn’t sit well with Edward, who viewed himself as Charles IV’s closest living kin. Old grudges die hard, especially when a crown is at stake, so Edward’s successors clung fast to the title of King of France for generations. As a result, the next century saw a series of intermittent battles and campaigns as the English kings made attempts to reassert their claim to the French throne and its territories. 

Territorial Tug-of-War

As one might expect in a war that wore on for so long, the advantage teetered back and forth throughout the decades. In the 1420s, the Duke of Bedford made significant gains in securing English territory for his nephew, King Henry VI, only to see the French surge back following the inspiring leadership of Joan of Arc. By the final years of what the English people knew as the French wars, Henry’s finances were sorely stretched, his subjects were weary of seeing their hard-won territories gradually retaken by the French, and his leading nobles were quarreling and causing deep divides amongst their followers. 

In the fall of 1452, his confidence buoyed up by increased successes at home and ready to make a definitive show of might on the Continent, Henry VI named John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, as his deputy in France. Henry didn’t exactly go down in military history as a sterling commander, but his choice of Talbot for this final mission was well-founded.

The ‘Terror of the French’

John Talbot earned an early reputation as a competent and decisive military commander, serving early on in the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndwr and subsequently in Ireland. Later, he served in the French wars with the Duke of Bedford and the Earl of Warwick, including at the 1428-9 siege of Orleans, where Joan of Arc’s forces turned the tide of the war in favor of the French. His signature aggressiveness and successful techniques earned him sobriquets such as ‘the English Achilles’ and ‘the terror of the French.’

Talbot was taken prisoner after the Battle of Patay on June 18, 1429. He was eventually ransomed after four years of imprisonment, then continued to support Henry VI militarily both in France and at home in England. Two decades later, Talbot found himself in French hands once again following the English loss of the city of Rouen in 1449, this time as a hostage to ensure that the Duke of Somerset handed over both the city and six key castles per the terms of the peace agreement. Some sources state that as a term of his release, Talbot promised to never again take up arms against the French king. (As poignant as this story is, I have been unable to verify any primary sources that support it as of the time of this writing; I will update once I have confirmation one way or the other.)  

Regaining the Upper Hand

Despite setbacks caused by the failures by his quarreling dukes, Henry VI’s faith in Talbot as a commander remained strong. He appointed Talbot as his deputy in France in early September 1452, and by late October Talbot’s forces had retaken the city of Bordeaux and were on their way to reclaiming dozens of towns and garrisons in Gascony. It looked as though England was turning the tide in its favor at last. 

The French king, Charles VII, took the winter of 1452-3 to regroup, and by the summer of 1453 his troops had invaded Guyenne. On July 8, they laid siege to Castillon, east of Bordeaux. Talbot’s forces were bolstered by new troops brought that spring by his son, Viscount Lisle, and he set out to relieve the garrison at Castillon on July 16. 

Fateful Decisions

Talbot’s signature decisive actions served him well early in the day on July 17, as his troops easily defeated a small contingent of French archers they discovered near Castillon. His luck soon changed, however. Perhaps emboldened by this early victory, or tricked into thinking that a cloud of dust raised by retreating camp followers in advance of the battle instead signaled the flight of enemy troops from the siege, Talbot decided to attack the main French camp without waiting for the reinforcements he expected to arrive soon. 

Instead of marching into an easy victory, the English troops collided with the full strength of the French army. Talbot pushed his men on, despite the unanticipated adversary and the lack of reinforcements, only to be defeated by French artillery. John Talbot was killed during the battle, though the exact circumstances of his death are debated. His son, Lord Lisle, also died that day. 

Aftermath and Aftershocks 

What had seemed to many as a revival of English dominance in France ended instead as the last gasps of a dying claim. Realizing the desperation of their situation, the citizens of Castillon surrendered to the French the next day, and by late October of that year, Bordeaux had also capitulated.

The shock at home in England was intense as well. Henry VI himself was an unexpected casualty of the final battle of the Hundred Years’ War. Upon hearing of England’s devastating defeat, he lapsed into a catatonic state that left him ineffectual as a ruler and spurred the discord that resulted in the Wars of the Roses.  

No official peace treaty was ever signed, but after the loss of Gascony, the English became painfully aware that any further military advance into France was a minor priority compared to establishing peace at home. Hostilities ceased, and Calais remained the sole remaining vestige of English power in France for another hundred years. 

Sources and Further Reading

Johnson, L. (2019). Shadow king: the life and death of Henry Vi. Head of Zeus. 

History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Hundred Years’ War. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/hundred-years-war. Access date: July 17, 2021.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, July 17). John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Talbot,_1st_Earl_of_Shrewsbury. Access date: July 17, 2021.