Osprey Campaign 138 : Poitiers 1356 : The Capture of a King

When Edward the Black Prince marched out of Gascony in August 1356 he was not seeking a battle. His campaign was rather to be a large-scale destructive raid into the territory of the French King, John II. On 18 September, however, he was cornered south of Poitiers by a larger French army and left with little option but to fight. The battle fought the next day proved an unmitigated disaster for the French. Their army was butchered and the King himself captured. In this book Dr David Nicolle details a campaign that enhanced the reputation of the Black Prince and led King John II to catastrophe. Text by David Nicolle with illustrations by Graham Turner.

Contents

• Background to the Campaign
• Chronology
• The Opposing Commanders
• Opposing Forces
• Opposing Plans
• The Campaign
• Aftermath
• The Battlefield Today
• Further Reading
• Index