Battle of Dreux

Date	19 December 1562
Location	Dreux, France
Result	Catholic victory

Belligerents

French Catholic Royal Army

French Huguenot forces

Commanders and leaders

Anne de Montmorency (POW)
Francis, Duke of Guise

Louis I, Prince of Condé (POW)

Gaspard de Coligny

Strength

16,500 infantry,
2,500 cavalry,
22 guns

8,500 infantry,
4,500 cavalry,
some artillery

Casualties and losses

3,000 infantry,
1,000 cavalry

3,000 casualties,
1,500 captured

The Battle of Dreux was fought on 19 December 1562 between Catholics and Huguenots. The Catholics were led by Anne de Montmorency while Louis I, Prince of Condé led the Huguenots. Though commanders from both sides were captured, the French Catholics won the battle.

This was the first major engagement of the French Wars of Religion. The Protestant army encountered the Catholic royal army on the road to Dreux while attempting to move north into Normandy. They began with a slight disadvantage because they had not posted sufficient scouts around their march, largely because Coligny had persuaded Condé that the Catholics would not attack and therefore there was some confusion about the line of battle. Although the Catholics were superior in numbers and their infantry was much more experienced they were severely lacking in heavy cavalry, the main offensive weapon of set battles in the period. This made them cautious about engaging with the Huguenots particularly on this battlefield which was open and gently sloping, perfect for large cavalry charges. In an effort to negate this advantage, the royal army set up a defensive position between the two villages of Blainville and Épinay. The Protestant army was organised into two lines. The first was made up of their cavalry, largely gendarmes and German reiters (pistol armed) heavy cavalry. The second line contained their infantry which was a mixture of mercenary Landsknechts and French infantry. The idea was that the cavalry would bear the brunt of the fighting and the inferior infantry would be used as an anchor for the battle line and a rallying point. The two armies stood around for two hours looking at each other before the action began—La Noue says in his Discours that this was because it was the first time two French armies had faced each other in over a century, and each had friends and brothers on the other side and was afraid to begin what would no doubt become the first act in a great tragedy.

The battle itself was divided into four main movements. In the first, the Huguenots launched a large cavalry charge at the Catholic left which routed it fairly quickly and in a short time the entire left wing of the Catholic army had disintegrated and was fleeing. Only the Swiss managed to hold in the centre despite taking very high casualties. Much of the Protestant cavalry now pursued their fleeing enemies back towards their baggage train which they proceeded to loot.

During the second phase of the battle, the majority of the combat was borne by Swiss who were repeatedly attacked by cavalry and then by the Protestant Landsknecht regiment. Although they routed the Landsknechts and almost recaptured the Catholic artillery they were eventually broken by a final charge by fresh Huguenot gendarmes. Seeing this many more of the Protestant cavalry moved off to loot the Catholic baggage train in the rear leaving their infantry without cavalry support.

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Wikipedia