Getting Hooked on the Battle
So yeah, I was chilling the other day, scrolling through history stuff online. You know how it goes down the rabbit hole. Saw the Battle of Poitiers pop up, part of that massive Hundred Years’ War mess between England and France. Figured, eh, sounds like one of those English victories I kinda half-remember. But then I thought, “Hold on, who exactly fought there, and who actually came out on top?” Seems basic, right? But I realized I couldn’t instantly rattle off the specifics beyond “English beat French somewhere.” Decided I needed to nail it down properly.
Diving into the Details
Kicked things off simple. Typed in “Battle of Poitiers” + “Hundred Years War.” Boom, loads of sites jump up. Started skimming. Quick check showed it happened way back in 1356. Okay, cool, got the date locked in. Next big thing: the commanders. Who was calling the shots?
Right away, a familiar name hit me: Edward, the Black Prince. That dude, leading the English side. Always found that nickname kind of dramatic, maybe it stuck for a reason. Then I scanned for the French commander. Kept seeing this name: King John II of France. The actual king himself was leading the charge? That got my attention. Seriously risky business having the king in the thick of a battle. Wasn’t expecting that level.
Alright, generals identified. Needed the scale. Kept reading about the armies. Numbers back then are always fuzzy, everyone inflates the enemy. From what I pieced together:
- English: Looked like maybe 6,000 to 8,000 guys? Way smaller than I pictured.
- French: Estimates were wild, but generally way bigger. Like, 11,000 to 20,000 or something bonkers? Massive difference.
Made me think, how on earth did Edward even stand a chance? Seemed like a total mismatch on paper. That pushed me deeper.
The Fight Unfolds & The Big Surprise
Started reading how the battle actually went down. Seems Prince Edward was super clever, or just desperate! Picked his spot carefully, used the terrain – ditches, hedges, the whole lot – to funnel the French knights. The French, with King John right there, charged head-on, classic heavy cavalry smash. But the story says the English longbowmen were absolutely brutal. That hail of arrows messed up the French charge big time. Then it descended into messy hand-to-hand fighting.
Here’s where it got wild. All my scanning started hitting on the same insane outcome: King John II was captured! Wait, what? The freakin’ King of France got taken prisoner? I thought I was misreading at first. Checked multiple sources. Yep, confirmed. His own guard got overwhelmed, and he ended up in English custody. That’s not just winning a battle; that’s hitting the absolute jackpot. Crazy!
Also saw the French took absolutely savage casualties. Killed or captured. Like, the cream of French nobility got wiped out or rounded up. The English losses? Comparatively tiny. It was a total disaster for France.
Putting It All Together
So, pulling it all back: Who Fought?
- English (& Gascon) Army: Led by Edward, the Black Prince.
- French Army: Led by King John II himself.
Who Won?
The English, hands down. It wasn’t even close. Not only did they smash a much larger French army thanks to tactics and those deadly longbows, but they literally captured the King of France. That’s the ultimate prize. Ended up being one of England’s biggest victories of the whole war, totally humiliating France on their own soil. The sheer scale of the disaster – king captured, nobles dead or caught – is what really hammered it home for me. Went from “yeah, probably England won” to realizing just how spectacularly brutal it was for France.
