Battle of Poitiers Captures French King John II
The Hundred Years' War between England and France had already seen major clashes like Crécy two decades earlier, with English longbow tactics proving decisive against French cavalry. In 1356, Edward the Black Prince led a smaller Anglo-Gascon force into western France seeking supplies and plunder while French King John II assembled a much larger army to intercept him. On September 19 near Poitiers, the English positioned defensively behind a hedge on a slope; French attacks in successive divisions faltered under archery fire, leading to hand-to-hand combat where dismounted French knights suffered heavy losses. King John II was captured along with many nobles after his division was overwhelmed. The immediate result was a catastrophic French defeat that forced negotiations and an eight-year truce, with the king held prisoner in England pending ransom.
Why it matters: The battle severely damaged French military prestige and royal authority early in the Hundred Years' War, prompting internal reforms and higher ransoms that strained the French treasury for years. It reinforced English tactical advantages and set the stage for further English gains before French recovery under later kings.