Key Facts
- Siege start date
- 1 April 1346
- French army size
- 15,000–20,000 men
- Anglo-Gascon garrison
- ~900 men
- Duration
- ~5 months (April–August 1346)
- French withdrawal date
- 20 August 1346
Strategic Narrative Overview
John, Duke of Normandy, laid siege from 1 April 1346, but the Anglo-Gascon garrison of some 900 men sortied repeatedly to disrupt French operations. Lancaster kept his main force at La Réole as a standing threat and on one occasion escorted a major supply convoy into the town. The French never achieved a full blockade. Harassed supply lines, a dysentery epidemic, and widespread desertion steadily eroded French combat effectiveness over the summer months.
01 / The Origins
During the Hundred Years' War, France sought to dislodge English power from Gascony in south-west France. In 1345 Henry, Earl of Lancaster, arrived with 2,000 men to reinforce English positions. In 1346 the French responded by marching an army of 15,000–20,000 men down the Garonne valley. Aiguillon, controlling both the Garonne and Lot rivers, was a strategic chokepoint that had to be taken before any deeper advance into Gascony could proceed.
03 / The Outcome
Philip VI repeatedly ordered his son to abandon the siege and march north to meet the English invasion. Duke John refused on grounds of honour until the situation became untenable. On 20 August 1346 the French lifted the siege and withdrew. Six days later the main French field army was routed at the Battle of Crécy with heavy losses; Duke John's force arrived too late, joining only the survivors of that defeat.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
John, Duke of Normandy.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ralph, Earl of Stafford, Henry, Earl of Lancaster.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.