Battle of Poitiers
WarHundred Years War
Year1356
LocationFrance
BelligerentsEngland vs France
About the Battle
The Black Prince captured King John II of France. English and Gascon forces hid behind hedges and smashed the French assault, then counterattacked. The dauphin fled early and the king fought on until surrounded. The king was held for a ransom of three million ecus, a sum that crippled France. A repeat of Crecy ten years later, with a royal prisoner.