Black Monday (1360)

Siege of Chartres (1360)
Part of the Hundred Years' War
The History of that Most Victorious Monarch Edward III by Joshua Barnes
Date April 13–14, 1360 (1 day) Location Outskirts of Chartres, France Result English defeat
Belligerents
England	France
Commanders and leaders
King Edward III Edward, the Black Prince Walter Mauny Earl of Lancaster Earl of Warwick Guy de Beauchamp †	Audrouin de La Roche
Strength
10,000 4,000 men-at-arms 700 continental mercenaries 5,000 mounted archers	Low
Casualties and losses
1,000 dead	None/Unknown

10,000

Black Monday took place on Easter Monday (1360) during the Hundred Years' War (1337–60), when a huge hail storm struck and killed an estimated 1,000 English soldiers. The storm was so devastating that it caused more English military casualties than any of the previous battles of the .

On 5 April 1360, Edward III, King of England led his army of 10,000 men (including approximately 4,000 men-at-arms, 700 continental mercenaries, 5,000 mounted archers) to the gates of Paris. Headed by the King's most trusted lieutenants; including the Prince of Wales, Henry, duke of Lancaster, the earls of Northampton and Warwick and Sir Walter Mauny: men who had been responsible for many of the English military successes in the preceding two decades, in one of the largest English armies fielded in the Hundred Years' War. The defenders of Paris led by the Charles, Dauphine of France, refused battle. It was not possible to breach the defenses so over the next week Edward would try to induce the Dauphine into open battle. All attempts at the latter would prove futile and undermine Edward's hope for a decisive outcome. The English left the vicinity of Paris after laying waste to the countryside, and marched towards the French cathedral city of Chartres.

On Easter Monday April 13, Edward's army arrived at the gates of Chartres. The French defenders again refused battle, instead sheltering behind their fortifications, and a siege ensued. The French defense was low in numbers and led by the Abbot of Cluny, Audrouin de La Roche.

That night, the English army made camp outside Chartres in an open plain. A sudden storm materialized and lightning struck, killing several people. The temperature fell dramatically and huge hailstones along with freezing rain, began pelting the soldiers, scattering the horses. Two of the English leaders were killed, and panic set in among the troops, who had little to no shelter from the storm. One described it as "a foul day, full of myst and hayle, so that men dyed on horseback [sic].” Tents were torn apart by the fierce wind and baggage trains were strewn around. In a half-hour, the incitement and intense cold killed nearly 1,000 Englishmen and up to 6,000 horses. Among the dead English leaders was Sir Guy de Beauchamp II, the eldest son of Thomas de Beauchamp, the 11th Earl of Warwick.

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