The Battle of the Herrings was fought on 12 February 1429 during the English siege of Orléans. A French and Scottish force attempted to intercept an English supply convoy carrying provisions, artillery and other military supplies to the besieging army. The convoy, commanded by Sir John Fastolf, was protected by a defensive formation of wagons and archers and successfully reached the English camp.
The Battle of the Herrings, 1429
The Siege of Orléans
The English had been besieging Orléans since October 1428. By February 1429 the defenders were under increasing pressure and supplies were becoming an important concern. The English siege army also required regular supplies, and the Duke of Bedford arranged for a large convoy to travel from Paris towards Orléans.
The convoy was commanded by Sir John Fastolf and included Sir Simon Morhier, Provost of Paris, together with English, French and other troops. The Journal du siège d’Orléans records approximately 1,500 fighting men accompanying about 300 carts and wagons loaded with provisions and military equipment, including cannon, bows and other weapons.
The convoy also carried large quantities of herrings and other food intended for consumption during Lent. The fish would give the engagement its later name, the Battle of the Herrings.
The English Supply Convoy
Fastolf’s convoy travelled south from Paris towards the English positions around Orléans. The French and Scottish commanders learned of its approach and assembled a force to intercept it.
The principal French commander was Charles, Count of Clermont, son of the Duke of Bourbon, who was a prisoner in England. The Scottish contingent was commanded by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, Constable of Scotland in France. Other French commanders included William d’Albret and a number of leading nobles. Accounts differ over the precise composition and size of the force, but the French and Scottish army was substantially larger than Fastolf’s convoy.
Among those associated with the French and Scottish force were La Hire and other commanders who would play important roles in the later campaigns of 1429.
The English Position at Rouvray
Fastolf learned that the French and Scottish army was approaching and prepared the convoy for an attack. The English drew their wagons and carts together to form a defensive enclosure, leaving openings which could be protected by archers and other troops.
The arrangement turned the supply convoy into a temporary fortified position. The archers were able to fire from behind the protection of the wagons while the men-at-arms supported them.
The English also used defensive stakes to hinder attacks, especially against mounted troops. The combination of the wagon enclosure, archers and stakes made a direct assault against the convoy difficult.
The French and Scottish Attack
The French and Scottish army approached the English position in greater strength, but the commanders did not act as a single body. The Scottish constable, Sir John Stewart, and his men advanced against the English position while the Count of Clermont remained with part of the army.
According to several accounts, Stewart and the Scottish troops dismounted and attacked the English position on foot. The archers defending the wagons opened fire, while the English men-at-arms supported the defence.
The attack failed to break the English position. Sir John Stewart was killed, as was his son, while William d’Albret and a number of other French and Scottish nobles also died. The losses among the attacking force were substantial, although the chroniclers differ over the numbers.
The Defeat of the French and Scots
Once the attack had failed, the remaining French and Scottish commanders withdrew. Some accounts describe the retreat as becoming disorderly, while others place greater emphasis on the failure to coordinate the attack against the English defensive position.
The Journal du siège d’Orléans records the French and Scottish defeat and the deaths of important commanders. Monstrelet, Chartier and Cagny likewise describe the English wagon enclosure and the unsuccessful assault.
The English losses were comparatively light. Monstrelet records only one man of note among the English dead, while Wavrin gives a similar account of the disparity in casualties.
Fastolf Reaches Orléans
After the French and Scottish force withdrew, Fastolf continued towards Orléans with his convoy. The supplies and military equipment therefore reached the English army, strengthening the besiegers at a time when the defenders had hoped to prevent the arrival of the convoy.
The engagement became known as the Battle of the Herrings because a substantial part of the convoy consisted of herrings and other provisions intended for Lent. The name was subsequently used for the battle itself.
The Consequences for the Siege
The defeat was a serious setback for the forces attempting to relieve Orléans. The deaths of Sir John Stewart and other leading commanders weakened the French and Scottish force, while the successful arrival of Fastolf’s convoy provided the English with supplies and military equipment.
The defeat also contributed to the increasingly difficult position of the defenders. Charles, Count of Clermont subsequently left Orléans, taking a substantial number of troops with him. La Hire also withdrew, although he promised to return. John, Bishop of Orléans, who was Scottish, was among those who left the city.
The siege continued. Within a few months the arrival of Joan of Arc would transform the military situation and lead to the lifting of the siege in May 1429.
Joan of Arc and the Battle of the Herrings
The Battle of the Herrings is also associated with one of the best-known episodes in the early story of Joan of Arc.
According to the Journal du siège d’Orléans and the Chronique de la Pucelle, Joan was at Vaucouleurs on 12 February when she told Robert de Baudricourt that the Dauphin had suffered a great defeat near Orléans and would suffer further losses unless she was sent to him. News of the defeat at Rouvray subsequently reached Vaucouleurs.
The story became part of the tradition surrounding Joan’s journey to the Dauphin. The chronological connection between Joan’s statement and the battle is recorded in these later accounts, but the episode is not an eyewitness account of the battle itself. It should therefore be distinguished from the contemporary and near-contemporary descriptions of the fighting.
Baudricourt eventually agreed to provide Joan with an escort. She left Vaucouleurs for Chinon on 23 February 1429, less than two weeks after the Battle of the Herrings.
Sources and Evidence
The surviving accounts agree on the central features of the engagement: Fastolf was escorting a large supply convoy towards Orléans; a substantially larger French and Scottish force attempted to intercept it; the English formed a defensive position using their wagons; and the attack failed with the deaths of Sir John Stewart and other prominent French and Scottish commanders.
There are differences in the accounts, especially over the numbers involved, the commanders present and the precise development of the fighting. Monstrelet, Chartier and Cagny provide substantial narratives, while the Journal du siège d’Orléans provides important detail on the convoy and the consequences for the defenders. The accounts associated with Joan of Arc are especially important for the later story of her knowledge of the defeat at Rouvray.
| Source | Account |
|---|---|
| Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Chroniques | Detailed Burgundian account of Fastolf’s convoy, the English wagon enclosure, the French and Scottish attack, casualties and the arrival of the convoy at Orléans. View source |
| Jean Chartier, Chronique de Charles VII | French royal account describing the supply convoy, the French and Scottish commanders, the attack against the English position and the deaths of Sir John Stewart and William d’Albret. View source |
| Perceval de Cagny, Chroniques | Detailed French account of the forces assembled against Fastolf, the defensive position formed by the English wagons and the unsuccessful attack by the French and Scots. View source |
| Journal du siège d’Orléans | Important account of the convoy, recording approximately 300 carts and 1,500 combatants, the military supplies being transported and the events surrounding the defeat. It also contains the account connecting Joan of Arc with news of the battle. View source |
| Jean de Wavrin, Chroniques | Detailed account of the French and Scottish attack, including the participation of leading commanders, the death of Sir John Stewart and the heavy losses suffered by the attacking force. View source |
| Chronique de la Pucelle | Later French account important for the story that Joan of Arc knew of the defeat near Orléans and told Robert de Baudricourt of the disaster. View source |
Further Reading
- John Rickard, Battle of the Herrings, 12 February 1429, History of War (2000).
- Anne Curry, Representing War and Conquest, 1415–1429: The Evidence of College of Arms Manuscript M9, in Joanna Bellis and Laura Slater (eds.), Representing War and Violence, 1250–1600, Boydell & Brewer (2016), pp. 139–158.