The Project Gutenberg EBook of Poitiers, by Hilaire Belloc

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Title: Poitiers

Author: Hilaire Belloc

Release Date: May 1, 2010 [EBook #32197]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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POITIERS

[Illustration]

POITIERS

BY
HILAIRE BELLOC

LONDON
HUGH REES, LTD.
5 REGENT STREET, PALL MALL, S.W.
1913

CONTENTS

PART PAGE

INTRODUCTION 9

I. THE CAMPAIGN 18

II. THE PRELIMINARIES OF THE ACTION 33

III. THE TERRAIN 47

IV. THE ACTION 68

V. THE ASPECT OF THESE BATTLES 102

VI. THE RESULTS OF THE BATTLE 115

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Coloured Plan of the Battle _frontispiece_

Plan No. 1 _page_ 12

" No. 2 " 32

" No. 3 " 49

" No. 4 " 61

POITIERS

INTRODUCTION

The Battle of Poitiers was fought ten years and four weeks after that of
Crecy.

The singular similarity between the two actions will be pointed out upon a
later page. For the moment it must suffice to point out that Poitiers and
Crecy form unique historical parallels, distinguishing like double summits
the English successes of Edward III.'s army upon the Continent and of the
first part of the Hundred Years' War.

For the political situation which had produced that conflict, and for the
objects which Edward III. had in provoking it, I must refer my reader to
the first section of my little book upon Crecy in this series; as also for
the armament and organisation of the forces that served the English cr