This is the story of one of the great battles of the Hundred Years War, often ignored in favor of its more celebrated siblings, Crecy and Agincourt. The victory at Poitiers by an English force outnumbered two-to-one as led by Edward the Black Prince was one of the most significant of the Hundred Years War. The consequences of the battle resonated throughout the remainder of the century and influenced the war to its end in 1453. David Green has researched the battle and the raids that preceded it exhaustively and details the strategy, tactics, arms, and armor used by both sides. He reconstructs the battle using an array of contemporary sources and discusses the protagonists, setting, course, and outcome of the encounter and considers the implications of the capture of King Jean II of France and many of the most important members of the French nobility.

"First published in 1904 in Arabic, Cairo, Dar-al-Hilal."--Vii.

On 13 September 1356 near Poitiers in western France, the small English army of Edward, the Black Prince crushed the forces of the French King Jean II in of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years' War. Over the centuries the story of this against-the-odds English victory has, along with Crécy and Agincourt, become part of the legend of medieval warfare. And yet in recent times this classic battle has received less attention than the other celebrated battles of the period. The time is ripe for a reassessment, and this is the aim of Christian Teutsch's thought-provoking new account.

The author has retraced on foot the routes taken by the Black Prince during the French campaigns of 1355-1356, enabling him to provide an entirely new dimension to the events. In 1355 the Black Prince took an army to Bordeaux and embarked on two chevauchées (mounted military expeditions, generally characterised by the devastation of the surrounding towns and countryside), which culminated in hisdecisive victory over King Jean II of France at Poitiers the following year. Using the recorded itineraries as his starting point, the author of this book walked more than 1,300 miles across France, retracing the routes of the armies in search of a greater understanding of the Black Prince's expedition. He followed the 1355 chevauchée from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean and back, and that for 1356 from Aquitaine to the Loire, to the battlefield at Poitiers, and back again to Bordeaux. Drawing on his findings on the ground, a wide range of documentary sources, and the work of local historians, many of whom the author met on his travels, the book provides a unique perspective on the Black Prince's chevauchées of 1355 and 1356 and the battle of Poitiers, one of the greatest English triumphs of the Hundred Years War, demonstrating in particular the impact of the landscape on the campaigns. Peter Hoskins is a former Royal Air Force pilot, now living in France. He combines his interest in exploration of his adopted country with his research into the Hundred Years War.

A combination of dynastic disputes, feudal quibbles, trade disagreements and historical antagonism resulted in the opening of the Hundred Years War in 1337. The first major English land victory in this conflict was the Battle of Crécy (1346). This pitted the French army, then considered the best in Europe, against the English under King Edward III. The battle established the longbow as one of the most feared weapons of the medieval period, a reputation reinforced at the bloody Battle of Poitiers (1356) where much of the French nobility was slaughtered and their king captured by the English host.

This study of Medieval military leadership offers a critical comparison of two great rivals of the Hundred Year War. Known to history as The Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock led the English army to victory at the Battle of Poitiers against the French King Jean II. With an illuminating analysis of these fourteenth century commanders, historian Peter Hoskins examines the importance of leadership, strategic vision, and tactical skill in medieval warfare. Paying close attention to their strengths and weaknesses as soldiers, both on campaign and on the battlefield, Hoskins also considers their contrasting characters and backgrounds as well as the military traditions of their time. The Black Prince was one of the most admired generals of his generation: a charismatic leader, decisive commander, and shrewd tactician and strategist. In contrast King Jean was impulsive, driven more by pride than by strategic priorities. When he was put to the ultimate test at Poitiers, Jean lost control of his army. Meanwhile, the Black Prince took the initiative personally to secure victory against the odds. Peter Hoskins analyses the leadership qualities of the prince and the king according to the principles of war enunciated by Sun Tzu and Vegetius as well as the modern principles of war of the United Kingdom armed forces. He gives readers a fascinating insight into the nature of command and the conduct of war in the Middle Ages.