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...