Battle of Castillon

Battle of Castillon
Part of the Hundred Years' War
The death of John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury at the battle of Castillon from Vigilles de Charles VII by Martial d'Auvergne (1484)
Date 17 July 1453 Location Castillon-la-Bataille, Duchy of Gascony 44°51′20″N 0°02′26″W / 44.85556°N 0.04056°W / 44.85556; -0.04056 Result French victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France Duchy of Brittany	Kingdom of England Duchy of Gascony
Commanders and leaders
Jean Bureau Peter II Jacques de Chabannes	John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury † John Talbot, Viscount Lisle † John de Foix, Earl of Kendal (POW)
Strength
7,000[1]–9,000[2][3] 1,000 Bretons[3] 300 guns	5,000[2]–10,000[3]
Casualties and losses
100 killed or wounded	4,000 killed or captured[4][5][6] The rest of the army surrenders the next day[7]
Castillon-la-Bataille class=notpageimage| Location within current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

The Battle of Castillon between the forces of England and France took place on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne (later Castillon-la-Bataille). On the day of the battle, the English commander, John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, believing that the enemy was retreating, led his army in an attack on a fortified French encampment without waiting for reinforcements. Talbot then refused to withdraw even after realizing the strength of the French position, causing his men to suffer severe casualties from the French artillery. Castillon was a major European battle won through the extensive use of field artillery.

The battle led to the English losing nearly all their holdings in France, especially Gascony, which had been a possession of the Plantagenet kings for the previous three centuries. Political instability ensued in England.