Battle of Moncontour
Battle of Moncontour | |||||||
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Battle of Moncontour, 1569. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Catholics | French Huguenot forces | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Henry Duke of Anjou Gaspard Saulx-Tavannes Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden |
Gaspard II de Coligny Count Louis of Nassau | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
25,000[1]-22,000[2] 15 cannon[1] | 20,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000 killed[1] |
8,000 killed[1] 3,000 captured[2] |
The Battle of Moncontour occurred on 3 October 1569 between the Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France, commanded by Henry, Duke of Anjou, and the Huguenots commanded by Gaspard de Coligny.
The battle
Weeks before, Coligny had lifted the siege of Poitou and positioned his army in hopes of gaining an advantage over the approaching Royalist forces.[3] However, a flanking maneuver by Saulx-Tavannes forced him to reposition his forces.[3] This coincided with Henry's objective to keep Coligny's army from joining Gabriel, Comte de Montgomery's forces.[2]
The battle consisted of multiple charges by the royal forces, during which Coligny was wounded in the jaw, forcing Louis of Nassau to take command.[3] Henry was subsequently unhorsed during a charge, but was saved by his bodyguards.[3] Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden, who commanded the Royalist Germans, was killed during a cavalry charge.[2] Nassau, in turn, charged the Swiss pikemen but made no headway.[3] A final charge by Swiss pikemen shattered the Huguenot landsknechts line,[2] in which over half were killed.[3] As a result, three thousand Huguenots surrendered.[2] Nassau and the rest of the cavalry were able to withdraw in good order.[2]
Aftermath
Henry then besieged Saint-Jean-d'Angély from 16 October to 2 December.[4] Coligny regrouped, marched east into the Rhone and, months later, marched towards Paris.[4]
See also
Sources
- Butler, A.J. (1907). "The Wars of Religion in France". In Ward, A.W.; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley (eds.). The Cambridge Modern History. Vol. III. Cambridge University Press.
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(help) - Knecht, R. J. (1989). The French Wars of Religion 1559-1598. Longman.
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(help) - Knecht, R. J. (1998). Catherine de'Medici. Pearson Education Limited.
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(help) - Tucker, Spencer C., ed. (2010). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient world to the Modern Middle East. Vol. Vol. Two. ABC-CLIO.
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References
External links