The Black Prince at Poitiers: Chivalry's Finest Hour
A 26-year-old English prince routed a French army many times his size and captured the king of France.
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During the Hundred Years' War, Edward the Black Prince led a chevauchee through France and was cornered by a far larger French army near Poitiers.
English longbowmen, deployed behind obstacles, shattered repeated French cavalry charges. The French were routed and King John II was captured.
The victory secured a lucrative ransom and confirmed England's military edge in the early phase of the war.
"Outnumbered in a field of vines, the English longbows broke the flower of French chivalry, and the king himself was taken prisoner."
The victory at Poitiers, alongside Crecy, demonstrated the dominance of the English longbow and the decline of the mounted knight. It humiliated France, captured King John II, and deepened the Hundred Years' War.
The Full Story
The Power of the Bow
Massed longbow fire could fell armored knights at range, a tactical revolution that repeatedly undid superior French numbers.
A King in Custody
John II's capture was a profound shock, weakening the French monarchy and leading to the humiliating Treaty of Bretigny.
Chivalry and War
The Black Prince's conduct admired even by enemies became the model of the courtly warrior, even as the war grew ever more brutal.