The Battle of Poitiers 1356 [Illustrated] [Paperback]

David Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004

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.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Green is Part-Time Lecturer in Medieval History at Trinity College, Dublin. His other books include The Black Prince also published by Tempus. He is currently writing The Hundred Years War: A People's History for Yale University Press. He lives in Dublin. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Tempus Pub Ltd; illustrated edition edition (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752425579
• ISBN-13: 978-0752425573
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,313,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, but Useful. Probably as Good as Possible Given the Sources, September 24, 2009

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David M. Dougherty (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Battle of Poitiers 1356 (Paperback)

This is an excellent little book (the main narrative is only 83 pages), and the author has included appendixes giving very brief biographies of the personnel involved, information on wargaming the battle, and useful references.

The story is about Edward of Woodstock, today commonly known as "The Black Prince", a name given to him much later by historians. He made his reputation fighting against the French in France, but died before he could gain the crown of England. This book goes into Edward's background and career, and particularly his campaign in Southern France in 1355, the year before Poitiers.

In 1356 Edward led a much smaller army than the French King, Jean II, had assembled, and was retiring towards Gascony with the French pursuing when he came to a relatively favorable position and decided to risk a battle. Although there is a good deal of conjecture about Edward's intentions and the conduct of the battle itself, Edward decisively defeated the French and captured many French nobles including King Jean. Although the English longbow figured prominently in the battle as it did earlier at Crecy, the battle was more properly lost by the French through poor tactics, inability to bring their superior forces together, and poor leadership.

Unfortunately, the book does not go into Edward's participation in subsequent campaigns in any detail, as I thought would make the book more useful. For some reason the author confined himself to the campaigns of 1355 and 1356, and left me wanting more.

Nonetheless, I heartily recommend this book to those readers interested in the Middle Ages and the Hundred Year's War.