The Battle of Auray was fought on 29 September 1364 during the final stages of the War of the Breton Succession. The conflict between John de Montfort and Charles of Blois had drawn in England and France, making the struggle for control of Brittany closely connected with the wider Hundred Years War. The battle would decide the succession and bring the long conflict to an end.
The Battle of Auray, 1364
The War of the Breton Succession
The Battle of Auray was a decisive encounter that helped to bring the War of Breton Succession to an end. John de Montfort and Charles of Blois both claimed the Duchy of Brittany. From 1341 they had fought for control, John receiving aid from England, Charles from France. As such, it is interlinked with the diplomacy and conflicts of the Hundred Years War.
A truce had seen the Duchy split into two whilst the Kings of England and France deliberated on the matter of succession. In real terms, that truce did not take effect, Charles of Blois giving it no time to take hold for reasons that are not known.
The Siege of Auray
In 1364 John de Montfort lay siege to the town of Auray. If he captured it, Charles of Blois would be left holding very little of value. That fact was not lost on either side. John de Montfort had called for assistance from his English allies, which came in the form of companies commanded by Sir John Chandos, Sir Matthew Gournay, Sir Robert Knolles and Sir Hugh Calveley.
Charles of Blois had received help from France in previous clashes. His breaking of the truce was not viewed very kindly. He asked his French allies for help. Officially, he received little. However, the French leaders who had previously fought in Brittany for his cause were based nearby, on the Cotentin Peninsula, and were willing to fight. It included Bertrand du Guesclin, who was himself a Breton.
The Battle of Auray
The battle took a traditional form, with a skirmish between the archers and crossbowmen preceding an engagement between the infantry. Both sides deployed three battles with a reserve. Some of the Bretons deserted from the army of Charles of Blois. The clash was brutal. An order of no quarter had been given by both sides. The Anglo-Breton force won the day. Many had been killed, including Charles of Blois. Some, including Bertrand du Guesclin, were taken as prisoners.
The End of the War of the Breton Succession
The Battle of Auray effectively ended the War of Breton Succession in favour of John de Montfort. This was confirmed by a treaty the following year.
Further Reading
- Laurence Moal, “Auray, 1364 : un champ de bataille au cœur de la mémoire bretonne,” in Ariane Boltanski, Yann Lagadec and Franck Mercier (eds.), La bataille : du fait d’armes au combat idéologique, XIe–XIXe siècle (Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2015), pp. 31–49. Moal examines the battle itself and, particularly relevant to Auray, the way the event was subsequently remembered and interpreted in Brittany. OpenEdition
- Michael Jones, “Edward III’s Captains in Brittany,” in W. Mark Ormrod (ed.), England in the Fourteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1985 Harlaxton Symposium (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1986), pp. 101–114. Jones examines the English military leadership and intervention in Brittany, providing useful context for the English commanders involved at Auray.
- Delphine Demelas, Sur un air épique, sur un air lyrique : célébrer le bon connétable. Édition critique et commentaires du manuscrit 428 (306) de la bibliothèque municipale d’Aix-en-Provence contenant La Chanson de Bertrand du Guesclin de Cuvelier suivie de pièces lyriques, doctoral thesis, Aix-Marseille University, 2016. This extensive critical study of Cuvelier’s Chanson de Bertrand du Guesclin is relevant to the Battle of Auray because Bertrand du Guesclin was a principal participant in the battle and was captured by the Anglo-Breton forces. University of Southampton research repository
- Randall P. Moffett, The Military Organisation of Southampton in the Late Medieval Period, 1300–1500, doctoral thesis, University of Southampton, 2009. Moffett’s research examines the mobilisation of manpower, military obligations and the organisation of a major English port. It provides useful context for the military infrastructure behind English intervention in Brittany during the period. University of Southampton