Battle of Gerberoy

Part of the Hundred Years' War

Date	1435
Location	France
Result	French victory

Belligerents

Kingdom of France

Kingdom of England

Commanders and leaders

La Hire

Xaintrailles

John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel

Strength

600

3,000

Casualties and losses

Insignificant

1,000

The Battle of Gerberoy was fought in 1435 between French and English forces. The French were led by La Hire and Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, who were victorious. La Hire was made captain general of Normandy in 1438 and died at Montauban on 11 January 1443 of an unknown illness.

In spring 1435 the Hundred Years' War, after a few years of relative calm began to come back into a hot phase. The English armies operating from northern France and Aquitaine. The also controlled Paris, Saint-Denis and the whole Normandy. Nevertheless, the situation in the occupied territories for the English during the last decades had become more difficult. Although Joan of Arc was captured in 1430 and 1431 executed, it seemed to be more difficult, to ruleunder the Treaty of Troyes enforce.

During the year 1434 the French king Charles VII increased control over the territories north of Paris, including Soissons, Compiègne, Senlis and Beauvais. Due to its position Gerberoy appeared as a good outpost to threaten the English occupied Normandy and even stronger to protect the nearby Beauvais of a possible reconquest. The French hoped to expand the city already 1432, but due to the low state revenues they could not raise sufficient troops and gave the project at first. In spring 1435, the project was taken up again and prepared corresponding expenditure in the defense budget. According to the writings of the canon Jean Pillet (the first historian of Gerberoy) was a troop 600-1800 man positioned for this, and under the command of Jean Poton de Xaintrailles and La Hire both former commanders with Joan of Arc. They arrived secretly Gerberoy and set to work to restore the old defenses.

At this time, in Gournay sur Epte, Normandy (now Gournay-en-Bray in Seine-Maritime), about a dozen kilometers southwest of Gerberoy, sat an English army under the command of John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel, in motion. This should bring the city Rue, which had also been recently recaptured by the French, again under English control. The troops led material for a siege with them. Arundel reached with his troops in early May 1435 Gournay and marched without special backup on Gerberoy, he believed only weakly defended. His troops (according to Jean Pillet about 3,000 men, but this figure is probably only a rough estimate) were certainly superior to the French troops numerically far.

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