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For a veteran fighter with decades of experience behind him, I am baffled that John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury would choose to attack an entrenched position bristling with artillery.
I thought the same! Talbots experience from the past and the quick victory over French archers in the initial skirmish probably lead him to believe that he could rout the numberically superior main French army with an all-out assault. If it had worked, Talbot would have easily crushed the other French armies one by one. Unfortunately for him, the French were familiar with his tactics and used time wisely to dig in and prepare. Talbot did not have many other options. If he would have retreat and wait reinforcements, he would have lost the element of suprise. The French would constantly follow him and attack him with their superior forces.
Talbot was known for being aggressive by nature and it had one him victories in the past. He was probably hoping the shock of the attack could overwhelm the French as it had in the past. But of course this was a much better French Army and it had prepared a near impregnable position.
Or, as I'm an American, to let the Imperial Japanese Army, also masters of setting up excellent defensive positions, to have time to set up excellent defensive positions.
Quite right. Up to the attack on the priory, he looked like a right Napoleon - targeting an enemy detached force, fast march, immediate attack, then...but then some bad intel.
@@salonez91 he already saw that the french looked confidently down at him with their guns not moving a single bit. If that doesn't tell you anything at all then idk what will.
Fun fact n°1 : the town's name nowadays is "Castillon la Bataille" (Castillon the Battle). Fun fact n°2 : if you look up the battle's whereabouts on google maps, you can still spot Jean Bureau's earthworks beneath the vineyards. Grapes grow where men fought, bled and died.
The French began the 100 years war technically with a "war of delay" against the English. At the end of this long conflict, the French had technically a "war in advance". The English clung to their old tactic of longbow archers which had given them such resounding success, without realizing that the french artillery had become the queen of the battlefields. Great variety of guns with efficient mobility, improved quality of barrels and gunpowder, widespread use of steel cannonsballs, improved aiming systems ... All of that, the English had partially or totally neglected. An army is never so weak as when it thinks itself superior by nature. On the other hand an army is never so strong that, after severe setbacks, it completely challenges itself and reforms technically and tactically.
That self satisfied feeling of superiority (on the French side) is ironnically what allowed the English to make so many of their victories throughout 100s year war. By the end, the positions were reversed
@@alexlyster3459 Completely agree with you concerning the insane feeling of the French chivalry during battles of Crecy, Azincourt, Poitiers, Verneuil. But whoever wins the decisives battles last wins the conflict. However it's clear that it was the French, after a complete overhaul of their army by Charles VII, who swept away the English army without any possibility to regain the advantage. Once peace was signed with the Burgundians, their fate in France was definitively settled. The English army, just as imbued with its superiority as the French cavalry had been at the beginning of the 100 years war, which had not modernized, was methodically crushed: Patay, complete annihilation of almost the entire corps of archers; Formigny, total annihilation of the English Kyriell army and definitive recovery of Normandy; Castillon, end of the last hope for the English to keep a foothold in France, except Calais.
Each year there is a reenactement of this battle near Castillon-la-bataille (new name for Castillon!) with dozens of actors. That's quite an event in Aquitain, my birthplace. Currently I live in Libourne and I was very please to see your video! Sorry for bad english and keep going with your channel, big fan for years 👍
My family is descended from John Talbot (my father’s name was Jon Talbot). Maybe I’ll do a non-staged attack on the town of Castillon to reclaim my family’s honor. Though my father wouldn’t likely have approved. He spoke fluent French, loved France and preferred the French pronunciation of Talbot (I do too for that matter). Tal-baux [tail•bow] sounds much better than [tail•bit].
i feel like you are slightly understating the scale of the reenactment here, if i remember correctly it's more like hundreds of actors, with cavalry and special effects for artillery, it's quite the show. I was born and raised in castillon, but moved away in my teenage years, so it has been quite a long time i saw it sadly.
@@The_ZeroLine There is still an Avenue on the name of Talbot in Castillon-la-Bataille (Castillon-the-Battle). This fool died miserably. In the rest of the 100 years it's the french knight spirit vanity that costed so much to the kingdom.
Surprise was probably his only chance. He had to defeat Bureau quickly, because the main French army was still in the west. I think he was just desperate, he needed a spectacular victory to turn it over and have a chance in the overall war.
ah, Idk that he knew that he was numerically inferior. he was betting on it being a skeliton crew from the clouds of dust that indicated large amounts of troops leaving.
@@xenotypos True, but he could have tried with the other army or built his own fortifications. He would have taken heavy losses here even if he won, which he really couldn't afford.
@@Свободадляроссии An aggressive attack on a superior enemy can work if you catch them by surprise or before they are set up. Building his own fortifications is a losing move, with the French dominance in artillery, unless there is another army coming soon to rescue him.
For all the talk of Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt... the Battle of Castillon reminds me why I love being descended from the French. English Bastards. =]
@@thesnoopmeistersnoops5167Yeah and Bouvines ? And La Roche aux Moines ? And Taillebourg ? The English king you're speaking of which was French, spoke French and lived in France btw.
When a military leader is up against a superior force, they have no choice but to try something audacious, unexpected, and a little crazy. Such moves are necessarily risky. When they work, the leader is called a military genius; when they fail, the leader is a fool. This is why I think claims of “military genius” that rest on such outcomes are overstated.
there is a fine line between taking a risk or doing something audacious and just being plain stupid. He saw the French weren't retreating, his Captain of the vanguard did suggest to wait for the rest of the army, he had enough time to wait for the rest of his army, he did none of that, at least if he was a new commander and inexperienced but people called him a veteran...
There's truth to this. Napoleon abandoning high ground and then deliberately weakening one of his flanks at Austerlitz would have been considered a foolish move if the Allies hadn't taken the bait, and/or if Davout had been delayed.
@@ikitclaw4852 Oh I agree; Talbot’s decision to attack was manifestly stupid, especially after clearly seeing that the French were not retreating. I’m just saying I think there have been other fairly similar situations in which a commander does the “stupid” thing against all advice, wins anyway (largely out of a combination of luck and sheer determination on the part of his men), and then gets called brilliant because of it.
People talk about Agincourt as a significant battle due to the English longbow, but the bow was essentially thousands of years old and in its final century. While Castillon was a smaller battle, both the political outcome and its impact on modern warfare were much greater. The Age of Artillery had really begun. Almost 500 years later, WW1 looked more like Castillon than Agincourt.
The main reason Castillon is not well known by the general public, is because : 1 - it's a british defeat, so the anglo-saxon world don't talk about it. 2 - nearly at the same time, Constantinople fell in the hands of the Ottomans.
battle of castillon is one of the decisive battles in 100 years war. brilliant doc. love your docs. also we always appreciate your hard work and dedication towards these vids. a huge fan of you from Sri Lanka.
there is a battle most important in the turn of the hundred years wars. the battle of patay. breaking the entire english corps. who had been sent to pillar the french campaign to paid the debt of englands.
This must have been the best day of Bureau's life. A perfectionist, given a perfect position, and ample time to prepare, had an opponent that was willing to attack him in the most opportune manner imaginable. His screams of joy must have been audible over even the heaviest of fighting. I have seen ego and arrogance have devastating effect on so very many military leaders throughout history. I have no idea how a man could be so cavalier and reckless when other men's lives are in their hands, even under the most opportune of situations.
What an insanely bad decision on Talbot's part. I get he had to take some risks to win the day and even following up on the gascon scout's info to attack was a good move however when you see the french had not left he should have withdrawn.
Terrible decision, but he probably wanted to avoid being attacked by other French armies. During Castillon battle, English slightly outnumbered French (12000 against 9700), but it was the smallest French army !
Thank you so much for this great video and detailed work. I had heard for years of Castillon as a frenchman but actually had no clue of what had really happened. After 100 years of quarrel there will always be a bit of English in our French blood and vice versa 😉👍
Excellente vidéo racontée avec clarté par un Anglais fort objectif. Merci pour cette mise au point que beaucoup de Français (et la totalité des Anglais) ne connaissent pas. Il faut diffuser et rediffuser encore cette vidéo afin d'aiguillonner le patriotisme d'un peuple qui en manque cruellement.
“Such was the end of this famous and renowned English leader who for so long had been one of the most formidable thorns in the side of the French, who regarded him with terror and dismay” - Matthew d’Escourcy, French chronicler, Upon the death of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, at Castillon
When the narrator said " At long last .... the Hundred Year's War is over!" send shivers and a chill down my spine... and made a feel a sense of joy realising the French preserved their kingdom after some of the most tragic losses at the hands of English in battle and manpower and having their land sacked and burned and after over a century of oppression
Why would a well entrenched army, with major defences and two other armies nearby, suddenly decide to retreat? Talbot was an experienced...in many losses. One can see why he was captured....and why the French kept letting him be ransomed.
Talbot didn't know any of this. As mentioned in the video, he thought that at least part of the French army was retreating. He probably misrepresented the situation with the little information he had. In war, there are always more unknowns than certainties, and that's what we call the fog of war.
Love the content as ever. And I'm not complaining about the amount of content but the two parters we had to wait a week for were worth it. I miss them.
Along the British history there are many moments of unwise decisions out of pride and stiff upper lipped individuals who thought they knew the best . Even current history is not different they take decisions and others suffer .....very rarely you find the person with a clear down to earth thinking and able to ingeniously improvise....
I’m a descendant of John Talbot (Earl of Shrewsbury) and amusingly my father’s name was Jon (not due to the historical John). My father’s intolerable + very odd cousin has an insanely detailed family tree stretching back to the Battle of Hastings (1066 as 97% of HM subscribers would already know off hand). She makes all these ridiculous personality connections of modern relatives to those who lived dozens of generations ago. Amusingly, when I learned of the fact, I instantly dubbed myself The Earl of Jewsbury because my mom is Jewish and some of my dad’s family basically stopped speaking to him after he married her. So, I wanted to twisted the knife in their shame. Ironically, as an OCD perfectionist that frequently finds the preparation of medieval commanders as uninspired, lazy and failing to make use of many easily gained advantages, I see much more of myself in Jean Bureau. He ran things the way I would want to. Though I would have ensured my archers weren’t taken by complete surprise. Meanwhile, my surname’s namesake seems to have undertaken a foolhardy attack on a basically invulnerable defensive position and wasting countless men on a hopeless assault that would likely have been unsuccessful even with his entire army and another few thousand on top of that.
Oh, another ironic twist, my father was a huge Francophile who spoke fluent French and spent a lot of time there. I asked him if that’s why he never joined the army because of the example France set for him. 😉
There is a mistake on the script at 4:24 and on the map through out the video: Gironde is not a river, the river mistakenly called Gironde on the map is the Garonne. Gironde is the name of it's estuary, formed together with the Dordogne
The French strategy seems to have been clever. After splitting their army in three parts, the smallest section dug itself in a distance to the east of Talbot at Castillion, led by an artillery expert. This lured Talbot into making a rapid march to attack this section in detail. He surprised the French but he must have been in a great hurry to finish of the French entrenchment before the two other sections of the French army following from the west could catch up. This led to sloppy reconnoitring, asking tired man to attack and not double-checking that the French actually were retreating. Even when he discovered his multiple mistakes, Talbot continued on since he needed to finish of the entrenched French as soon as possible.There is an element here of psychological warfare aimed at pushing a seasoned commander into making hasty decisions.
Hello, Amazing video! As an big early aritllery fan the victory and the smart tactics of the french where amazing to watch! Great job on it! Also i dont think that the video mentioned it but the French suffered around 100 casualities while the English lost over 4k men and an unknown amount of wounded. this means that even with ignoring the wounded English the statistics are over 1:40 for the French. The level of devastation is unmesurable.
I read from French sources : around 100 men wounded or killed on French side, 7000 men killed, wounded or captured on English side in Castillon. It's even worse than Agincourt regarding ratio : more than 8000 men lost on France side, around 600 on English side in Agincourt
I know this battle "officially" ended the war, but this war really was lost 20 years before it. England just refused to accept it. Every campaign since 1430ish just seemed so half hearted to the point it was sending men to die as they had no chance. And to think losing all the possessions in France led to war of the roses, court of Henry VI really screwed up.
FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dam still sorry to have gave you such a bad script last time but VOIlàààààààààààà FINALLY Castillon La Bataille haha Bravo for such quality content !
commenting for the algorithm, from a French man : very nice video, but there's a grave mistake at 15:00. The enemy, of course, is Talbot, not the French.
According to the map of the fort's layout; you lay your artillery into the fort from across the river, where there's no cover at all for the defending troops, and you have your own cavalry covering your rear; as you have the bulk of your troops interfering with enemy movement and foraging: do that and keep it up and they'll surrender to you completely, with no losses to your side to speak of.
The only thing that could have thwarted the meticulous preparation of Bureau could have been his belief that Talbot could not be so stupid to charge him head on with an inferior force and with an impassable river at his back...
It is easy to nit pick after the fact but in this case it really is baffling why he would think attacking such a well entrenched force with only 1/3 of his forces was necessary. Even after noticing the enemy wasn't retreating but in fact well aware and ready. After his suborinate asked him to wait he still attacked. Not sure what he was expecting, a miracle? i will never know why such decisions are so common in history some due to stupidity others pride but this seems like shear desperation.
It seems to me that one of the main assets of J.Bureau was to have Talbot in front of him. I don't know his biography very well. However why did Henry VI choose him for that attempt of reconquest when he was the main responsible for the disaster of Patay then besieged and again a prisoner after recovery of Rouen ? Apparently a worn warrior having lost clear-sightedness.
Also your ignoring a large part, they had all those advantages + ARTILLERY, this is insane, it’s almost like Talbot did it on purpose as a sacrifice to god or something since even someone with 0 military experience would know not to engage.
Comme la majorité des Français, je n'avais jamais entendu parler de cette victoire de Castillon près de Bordeaux ou de celle de Formigny en Normandie. En Lorraine, on a surtout entendu parler des trois dernières guerres avec nos voisins Allemands plutôt qu'avec les Anglais qui sont bien loin. Sans compter que pendant la Guerre de Cent Ans, le Duché de Lorraine faisait partie intégrante du Saint-Empire et n'a pas pris part au conflit.😀
What are you talking about... That's one of the most ridiculous comments I've seen saying the British claim to have won this war. There is no revisionism that says England won this war. You're name implies you're French or Francophile so that may explain it.
@@redwaldcuthberting7195 Bc Brits and other Anglosaxons usually talk about Agincourt and Crecy, but completely forgot, conveniently, Patay (3 French killed VS 2500 English killed, knights massacred archers), Formigny, Castillon....so yeah, Anglo-saxons usual revisionism and French bashing
Not to gripe or anything... I really love these vids.... BUT EVERY SINGLE BATTLE CHANGED HISTORY..... THAT is literally the DEFINITION of History.....❤
@@justalonesoul5825 just not too sure what it's trying to say.... France also fell into civil war in 1485...and then when we get to the 16th century it's a shit show. Hisotrical pride is worth absolutely nothing - the English and the French of those times are as alien to us as aliens. What's important is cooperation today... Not dick waggling. (same goes for those who idolise Henry V and Agincourt - stfu, loads of normal people died and it served a select few of society.)
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After watching many videos like these, I've noticed the guy who counsels caution is most of the time overruled and is one of the first to die in the ensuing ill-fated operation. That's so sad.
I'm sure there are advisors who counsel to attack too. And just like the guys who counsel caution, they win half the times, and the other times they're first to die. Your impression only comes from what History retains, and who the narrators choose to cite. Having a counsellor who wasn't convincing enough but was right adds up to the tragedy for the loser faction. And it helps to find someone responsible for the defeat, the commander. Anyway whatever the advises, it wouldn't have changed much things, the English weren't prepared for artillery, just like the French weren't prepared for longbows with bodkin a century earlier.
@@BruneSixtineFrench leaders at Poitiers argued so much for hours the King got fed up listening to it and didn't know what to do, until some of his men charged and took the decision away from him.
Handing a lifetime veteran of losing battles a general's baton has rarely been wise... The biggest advantage of the French was their artillery. You find out they've fortified their artillery DAYS OF MARCHING away from their other troops, which means it's effectively useless in offering aid (artillery is extremely slow to move). So instead of immediately leaving to deal with an army that DOES NOT HAVE THEIR ARTILLERY, you decide to run straight into the cannons based on a weak scouting report that you had plenty of time to send riders to confirm WHILE ADVANCING the infantry and just... chose not to. Brilliant.
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I love your channel. I would like to see a video or series about Joan d'Arc.
Nadir shah next please
For a veteran fighter with decades of experience behind him, I am baffled that John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury would choose to attack an entrenched position bristling with artillery.
Charles VII was famous for creating a standing professional army. Talbot had no idea who he was up against.
I thought the same! Talbots experience from the past and the quick victory over French archers in the initial skirmish probably lead him to believe that he could rout the numberically superior main French army with an all-out assault. If it had worked, Talbot would have easily crushed the other French armies one by one. Unfortunately for him, the French were familiar with his tactics and used time wisely to dig in and prepare.
Talbot did not have many other options. If he would have retreat and wait reinforcements, he would have lost the element of suprise. The French would constantly follow him and attack him with their superior forces.
Talbot was known for being aggressive by nature and it had one him victories in the past.
He was probably hoping the shock of the attack could overwhelm the French as it had in the past.
But of course this was a much better French Army and it had prepared a near impregnable position.
@@Hauggyful *Charles VII, not Jean VII.
Desperation. Then he found himself outmatched, by which time it was loo late to disengage.
Bureau must have been more then happy that somebody really came to test his castle.
Bureau's real name is Rogal Dorn, primarch of the Imperial Fists, master of fortresses
@@sergigarnacho3890 Not true.
@@YashkasBaZedChannel u must be fun at parties
@@bunkerkorpf1440 Unironically.
@@sergigarnacho3890 Henry VI should have sent Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors, Hammer of Olympia and master of sieges.
Never, ever let a master of defense have time to set up a defense.
Exactly
mmm :p
Ha ha say that to ukrainian and otan army Who let 6 month to russia to prépare thé counter offensive they promise
Or, as I'm an American, to let the Imperial Japanese Army, also masters of setting up excellent defensive positions, to have time to set up excellent defensive positions.
@@artiom7568 Now that Ukrainian forces are breaking through and the Russian defenses are crumbling, how are you feeling, Artyom? 😂
It seems like Talbot got the concept of "defeat in detail" a little bit backwards.
🤣🤣
He did "attack in detail" instead.
Quite right. Up to the attack on the priory, he looked like a right Napoleon - targeting an enemy detached force, fast march, immediate attack, then...but then some bad intel.
just bad intel
@@salonez91 he already saw that the french looked confidently down at him with their guns not moving a single bit. If that doesn't tell you anything at all then idk what will.
Fun fact n°1 : the town's name nowadays is "Castillon la Bataille" (Castillon the Battle).
Fun fact n°2 : if you look up the battle's whereabouts on google maps, you can still spot Jean Bureau's earthworks beneath the vineyards.
Grapes grow where men fought, bled and died.
Bien vu ! ;)
those are red or white grapes?
That's amazing.
And turned into wine, I imagine.
@@TRaceR743 blue ;)
They say the wine there is one of the best red wine ever made by humans 🤨
Glad to see such battle depicted as usually people remember Agincourt, Crécy or Orléans but not the battle that ended the 100 Year War
Crécy* (and Orléans)
@@amaurya7689 Thx. Updated my bad typo ;)
Patay was good too
@@Ushabtiipatay was incredible
The French began the 100 years war technically with a "war of delay" against the English. At the end of this long conflict, the French had technically a "war in advance". The English clung to their old tactic of longbow archers which had given them such resounding success, without realizing that the french artillery had become the queen of the battlefields. Great variety of guns with efficient mobility, improved quality of barrels and gunpowder, widespread use of steel cannonsballs, improved aiming systems ... All of that, the English had partially or totally neglected. An army is never so weak as when it thinks itself superior by nature. On the other hand an army is never so strong that, after severe setbacks, it completely challenges itself and reforms technically and tactically.
i agree with you
If there the queens of the battlefields who were the kings ?
@@jaimep3432 the people manning the cannons
That self satisfied feeling of superiority (on the French side) is ironnically what allowed the English to make so many of their victories throughout 100s year war. By the end, the positions were reversed
@@alexlyster3459 Completely agree with you concerning the insane feeling of the French chivalry during battles of Crecy, Azincourt, Poitiers, Verneuil. But whoever wins the decisives battles last wins the conflict. However it's clear that it was the French, after a complete overhaul of their army by Charles VII, who swept away the English army without any possibility to regain the advantage. Once peace was signed with the Burgundians, their fate in France was definitively settled. The English army, just as imbued with its superiority as the French cavalry had been at the beginning of the 100 years war, which had not modernized, was methodically crushed: Patay, complete annihilation of almost the entire corps of archers; Formigny, total annihilation of the English Kyriell army and definitive recovery of Normandy; Castillon, end of the last hope for the English to keep a foothold in France, except Calais.
Each year there is a reenactement of this battle near Castillon-la-bataille (new name for Castillon!) with dozens of actors. That's quite an event in Aquitain, my birthplace. Currently I live in Libourne and I was very please to see your video!
Sorry for bad english and keep going with your channel, big fan for years 👍
My family is descended from John Talbot (my father’s name was Jon Talbot). Maybe I’ll do a non-staged attack on the town of Castillon to reclaim my family’s honor.
Though my father wouldn’t likely have approved. He spoke fluent French, loved France and preferred the French pronunciation of Talbot (I do too for that matter). Tal-baux [tail•bow] sounds much better than [tail•bit].
Thank you for the information that there is an annual re-enactment. Hope to be their next year!
It's traditional in English reenactments for one guy to refuse to die for comedic effect. Same in France?
i feel like you are slightly understating the scale of the reenactment here, if i remember correctly it's more like hundreds of actors, with cavalry and special effects for artillery, it's quite the show. I was born and raised in castillon, but moved away in my teenage years, so it has been quite a long time i saw it sadly.
@@The_ZeroLine There is still an Avenue on the name of Talbot in Castillon-la-Bataille (Castillon-the-Battle). This fool died miserably. In the rest of the 100 years it's the french knight spirit vanity that costed so much to the kingdom.
Baffling decision to attack a position like this in any fashion, but in a strategic position like this and numerically inferior, that's insane
Surprise was probably his only chance. He had to defeat Bureau quickly, because the main French army was still in the west. I think he was just desperate, he needed a spectacular victory to turn it over and have a chance in the overall war.
ah, Idk that he knew that he was numerically inferior. he was betting on it being a skeliton crew from the clouds of dust that indicated large amounts of troops leaving.
@@xenotypos True, but he could have tried with the other army or built his own fortifications. He would have taken heavy losses here even if he won, which he really couldn't afford.
@@Свободадляроссии An aggressive attack on a superior enemy can work if you catch them by surprise or before they are set up.
Building his own fortifications is a losing move, with the French dominance in artillery, unless there is another army coming soon to rescue him.
I thought he had received false information they were withdrawing, and by the time he realized his mistake it was too late to deviate from plan.
For all the talk of Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt... the Battle of Castillon reminds me why I love being descended from the French. English Bastards. =]
Those noble French, who steal land when England's king is busy on crusade :-)
@@thesnoopmeistersnoops5167Yeah and Bouvines ? And La Roche aux Moines ? And Taillebourg ? The English king you're speaking of which was French, spoke French and lived in France btw.
Its because the Internet is still largely English and American dominated. The French victories are taught with a hush, yeah just passing through.
This is a criminally untaught portion of the 100 years war. Thank you for shedding some light on it.
Thank you for dedicating a video to this decisive battle which marked the end of the Hundred Years' War but also the end of the Middle Ages.
*Or at least the beginning of the end of the Middle Ages.
Fall of Constantinople marked the end imo
@@illyrium522 Depends on definition or even on region !
@@killerkraut9179Its literally the same year as this battle.
@@something4179 Some argue that the medieval age ended 1492 with Columbus.
I think some say 1517 with the 95 theses!
Or some arge 1454 with Gutenberg!
So Talbot needed to defeat 3 armies and flamed out miserably against the smallest one…
Reminds me of a certain Corsican
@@fullgooseloot
Huh? I don't get the reference which Napoleonic battle is this?
@@miracleyang3048 Probably Waterloo although I think there is scant comparison to be made
@@50shekels
Napoleon didn't lost to the smallest army and it wasn't miserable he lost outnumbered outflanked and against a well trenched enemy
@@miracleyang3048so almost exaclty like here then
When a military leader is up against a superior force, they have no choice but to try something audacious, unexpected, and a little crazy. Such moves are necessarily risky. When they work, the leader is called a military genius; when they fail, the leader is a fool. This is why I think claims of “military genius” that rest on such outcomes are overstated.
Perfectly said.
there is a fine line between taking a risk or doing something audacious and just being plain stupid. He saw the French weren't retreating, his Captain of the vanguard did suggest to wait for the rest of the army, he had enough time to wait for the rest of his army, he did none of that, at least if he was a new commander and inexperienced but people called him a veteran...
There's truth to this. Napoleon abandoning high ground and then deliberately weakening one of his flanks at Austerlitz would have been considered a foolish move if the Allies hadn't taken the bait, and/or if Davout had been delayed.
@@ikitclaw4852 Oh I agree; Talbot’s decision to attack was manifestly stupid, especially after clearly seeing that the French were not retreating. I’m just saying I think there have been other fairly similar situations in which a commander does the “stupid” thing against all advice, wins anyway (largely out of a combination of luck and sheer determination on the part of his men), and then gets called brilliant because of it.
@@DaHuuudge I agree
Just thinking that Bureau's fortification near Castillon lookls like Vauban's one 3 centuries later. Such a genius
People talk about Agincourt as a significant battle due to the English longbow, but the bow was essentially thousands of years old and in its final century. While Castillon was a smaller battle, both the political outcome and its impact on modern warfare were much greater. The Age of Artillery had really begun. Almost 500 years later, WW1 looked more like Castillon than Agincourt.
No way its blasphemy
The main reason Castillon is not well known by the general public, is because :
1 - it's a british defeat, so the anglo-saxon world don't talk about it.
2 - nearly at the same time, Constantinople fell in the hands of the Ottomans.
What Agincourt did to warfare was change all or most infantry to ranged troops...
Why the y dont make a kompositbow like one guy say its easy
Why would Castillon be a "smaller" battle ? Because Anglo-Saxons lost ?
Great video ! Didn’t know much about this battle, this battle is not what I think of when I hear the year 1453
You think the Fall of Constantinople when you hear ''1453'', don't you?
@@Triantafyllos_Strantzalis😢yes😢
@@Triantafyllos_Strantzalisyou mean the year the Roman Empire came to its official end?
@@BarlasofIndus Yes
@zippyparakeet1074
🥳1453🇹🇷
blown away by the quality of the presentation and the myriad of details 😯
This is the best history channel on You Tube. Your voice is great to listen to and you never bore me.
Attacking an entrenched position with inferior numbers………..”that’s a bold strategy Cotton let’s see if it pays off.”
battle of castillon is one of the decisive battles in 100 years war. brilliant doc. love your docs. also we always appreciate your hard work and dedication towards these vids. a huge fan of you from Sri Lanka.
I’m a bit of a history buff. I’m amazed at the accuracy of these videos.
there is a battle most important in the turn of the hundred years wars. the battle of patay. breaking the entire english corps. who had been sent to pillar the french campaign to paid the debt of englands.
This must have been the best day of Bureau's life. A perfectionist, given a perfect position, and ample time to prepare, had an opponent that was willing to attack him in the most opportune manner imaginable. His screams of joy must have been audible over even the heaviest of fighting. I have seen ego and arrogance have devastating effect on so very many military leaders throughout history. I have no idea how a man could be so cavalier and reckless when other men's lives are in their hands, even under the most opportune of situations.
I live near Castillon. Each summer, we redo "La bataille de Castillon" with a lot of people, armors, weapons, costumes, it's epic!
COOOOL
Historical battle reenactments are awesome, and I really want to see one someday. You are incredibly lucky
That sounds fantastic! Who re-enacts John Talbot?
I love how in the beginning french where the one's making unorganized charges , now it was the English 😅😅 on perfectly defendable positions.
Bordeaux is actually on river Garonne shores. When Garonne meets Dordogne river, downstream of Bordeaux, they become Gironde estuary
Great video as always!
What an insanely bad decision on Talbot's part.
I get he had to take some risks to win the day and even following up on the gascon scout's info to attack was a good move however when you see the french had not left he should have withdrawn.
Terrible decision, but he probably wanted to avoid being attacked by other French armies. During Castillon battle, English slightly outnumbered French (12000 against 9700), but it was the smallest French army !
Thank you so much for this great video and detailed work. I had heard for years of Castillon as a frenchman but actually had no clue of what had really happened. After 100 years of quarrel there will always be a bit of English in our French blood and vice versa 😉👍
wow your content getting better and better
Excellente vidéo racontée avec clarté par un Anglais fort objectif. Merci pour cette mise au point que beaucoup de Français (et la totalité des Anglais) ne connaissent pas. Il faut diffuser et rediffuser encore cette vidéo afin d'aiguillonner le patriotisme d'un peuple qui en manque cruellement.
Great channel and narrator! Love you guys ❤
A very clear explanation of a complex event - thank you.
“Such was the end of this famous and renowned English leader who for so long had been one of the most formidable thorns in the side of the French, who regarded him with terror and dismay” - Matthew d’Escourcy, French chronicler,
Upon the death of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, at Castillon
I like McCallion's narration. That's why I prefer History Marche than other history channels.
you guys are the best man , i'd rather watch your video than watch a movie
Great subject. Nice graphics and explanation. Good work.
Strange how you never learn about these defeats in Britain.
I am always interested in these topics. But your voice is especially suited to narrating these conflicts. TY
Really enjoyed, thanks
Really enjoyed this episode and many more. Keep up the great content guys 😊
The Hundred Years war version of Pickett's Charge.
When the narrator said " At long last .... the Hundred Year's War is over!" send shivers and a chill down my spine... and made a feel a sense of joy realising the French preserved their kingdom after some of the most tragic losses at the hands of English in battle and manpower and having their land sacked and burned and after over a century of oppression
Why would a well entrenched army, with major defences and two other armies nearby, suddenly decide to retreat? Talbot was an experienced...in many losses. One can see why he was captured....and why the French kept letting him be ransomed.
LOL that sounds like a fair and amusing point!
"Yes, let's not keep that one too long, he's more useful to us commanding an enemy army!" :D
Easy money
Just wiped out their archers
Talbot didn't know any of this. As mentioned in the video, he thought that at least part of the French army was retreating. He probably misrepresented the situation with the little information he had. In war, there are always more unknowns than certainties, and that's what we call the fog of war.
The english pronouciation of french names is priceless... ❤
Love the content as ever. And I'm not complaining about the amount of content but the two parters we had to wait a week for were worth it. I miss them.
12:15 Well built, and designed fortifications built on superior ground is definitely my kink.
Great video once again, and absolutely historical!
I used to live a few Kms from Castillon. The celebrations every were brilliant.
Along the British history there are many moments of unwise decisions out of pride and stiff upper lipped individuals who thought they knew the best . Even current history is not different they take decisions and others suffer .....very rarely you find the person with a clear down to earth thinking and able to ingeniously improvise....
Excellent video. Thank you!
I’m a descendant of John Talbot (Earl of Shrewsbury) and amusingly my father’s name was Jon (not due to the historical John). My father’s intolerable + very odd cousin has an insanely detailed family tree stretching back to the Battle of Hastings (1066 as 97% of HM subscribers would already know off hand). She makes all these ridiculous personality connections of modern relatives to those who lived dozens of generations ago. Amusingly, when I learned of the fact, I instantly dubbed myself The Earl of Jewsbury because my mom is Jewish and some of my dad’s family basically stopped speaking to him after he married her. So, I wanted to twisted the knife in their shame.
Ironically, as an OCD perfectionist that frequently finds the preparation of medieval commanders as uninspired, lazy and failing to make use of many easily gained advantages, I see much more of myself in Jean Bureau. He ran things the way I would want to. Though I would have ensured my archers weren’t taken by complete surprise. Meanwhile, my surname’s namesake seems to have undertaken a foolhardy attack on a basically invulnerable defensive position and wasting countless men on a hopeless assault that would likely have been unsuccessful even with his entire army and another few thousand on top of that.
Oh, another ironic twist, my father was a huge Francophile who spoke fluent French and spent a lot of time there. I asked him if that’s why he never joined the army because of the example France set for him. 😉
@@The_ZeroLine Yeah that'll mend a bridge or two for sure.
@@The_ZeroLine is that a good or a bad thing ?
What's your proof for that?
It is easy to criticize past commanders' mistakes when you have the benefit of hindsight and complete view of the battlefield
Excellent quality once again!
Omg he did it.
I never imagined you would actually did it.
please make a video about the siege of Tenochtitlan
There is a mistake on the script at 4:24 and on the map through out the video: Gironde is not a river, the river mistakenly called Gironde on the map is the Garonne. Gironde is the name of it's estuary, formed together with the Dordogne
Another great video (the only thing preventing it from perfection is the use of miles and yards lmao)
Life insurance now sponsors history videos… you learn something new everyday.
Still a better love story than Twilight. 🤣🤣
Who thumbs videos like this down? Wtf is wrong with people?
English guys ? :D
@@bibitralala4960 100%. They want the 100 years war documentaries to end after the 1000nd time they showed and talked about Agincourt.
@@Leon-bc8hm So tue XD
The French strategy seems to have been clever. After splitting their army in three parts, the smallest section dug itself in a distance to the east of Talbot at Castillion, led by an artillery expert. This lured Talbot into making a rapid march to attack this section in detail. He surprised the French but he must have been in a great hurry to finish of the French entrenchment before the two other sections of the French army following from the west could catch up. This led to sloppy reconnoitring, asking tired man to attack and not double-checking that the French actually were retreating. Even when he discovered his multiple mistakes, Talbot continued on since he needed to finish of the entrenched French as soon as possible.There is an element here of psychological warfare aimed at pushing a seasoned commander into making hasty decisions.
Hello, Amazing video! As an big early aritllery fan the victory and the smart tactics of the french where amazing to watch! Great job on it!
Also i dont think that the video mentioned it but the French suffered around 100 casualities while the English lost over 4k men and an unknown amount of wounded. this means that even with ignoring the wounded English the statistics are over 1:40 for the French. The level of devastation is unmesurable.
thats artillery, very good defences and a commander in a hurry.
I read from French sources : around 100 men wounded or killed on French side, 7000 men killed, wounded or captured on English side in Castillon.
It's even worse than Agincourt regarding ratio : more than 8000 men lost on France side, around 600 on English side in Agincourt
Bureau, his genius and his cannons were needed at Constantinople!
I know this battle "officially" ended the war, but this war really was lost 20 years before it. England just refused to accept it. Every campaign since 1430ish just seemed so half hearted to the point it was sending men to die as they had no chance.
And to think losing all the possessions in France led to war of the roses, court of Henry VI really screwed up.
Not all possession, Calais stayed English during more than 100 years after Castillon ;)
FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dam still sorry to have gave you such a bad script last time but VOIlàààààààààààà FINALLY Castillon La Bataille haha
Bravo for such quality content !
I’m so glad I checked to see when the next video will be! I hope you do more on the 100 years war.
More 100 year war coming, Orleans very soon.
awesome video
Reminds me of the battle of Fort Carillon
very nice - i like learning about history like that
Thank you for this video, but what about the casualties of the battle ?
commenting for the algorithm, from a French man : very nice video, but there's a grave mistake at 15:00. The enemy, of course, is Talbot, not the French.
Can you imagine the countless dead, brought on by stupid decisions in war.
Avoid tasteless ad between 1:35 and 3:00
This AI is so unrealistic. Nobody would ever mount such a stupid attack...
According to the map of the fort's layout; you lay your artillery into the fort from across the river, where there's no cover at all for the defending troops, and you have your own cavalry covering your rear; as you have the bulk of your troops interfering with enemy movement and foraging: do that and keep it up and they'll surrender to you completely, with no losses to your side to speak of.
@philmccrackin9260 No, force them to attack *you*, by turning their stomachs of their troops into weapons for your side.
The only thing that could have thwarted the meticulous preparation of Bureau could have been his belief that Talbot could not be so stupid to charge him head on with an inferior force and with an impassable river at his back...
Bravo
Great Video! Thx
It is easy to nit pick after the fact but in this case it really is baffling why he would think attacking such a well entrenched force with only 1/3 of his forces was necessary. Even after noticing the enemy wasn't retreating but in fact well aware and ready. After his suborinate asked him to wait he still attacked. Not sure what he was expecting, a miracle? i will never know why such decisions are so common in history some due to stupidity others pride but this seems like shear desperation.
It's amazing how often military history teaches simple lessons like "beware assaulting a fortified position."
It seems to me that one of the main assets of J.Bureau was to have Talbot in front of him. I don't know his biography very well. However why did Henry VI choose him for that attempt of reconquest when he was the main responsible for the disaster of Patay then besieged and again a prisoner after recovery of Rouen ? Apparently a worn warrior having lost clear-sightedness.
Also your ignoring a large part, they had all those advantages + ARTILLERY, this is insane, it’s almost like Talbot did it on purpose as a sacrifice to god or something since even someone with 0 military experience would know not to engage.
@@jbatts834 Yeah, maybe it was pride or something else.
Thnx!
Gosh to think that even tho the enemy did not retreat you still decide to attack a fortified cannon fort with 1/3 of your army
Was not Talbot captured at Patay?
Yes but I guess they paid to free him
the hundred year war and the 30 year war are so interesting and so in credibly complex.
Comme la majorité des Français, je n'avais jamais entendu parler de cette victoire de Castillon près de Bordeaux ou de celle de Formigny en Normandie. En Lorraine, on a surtout entendu parler des trois dernières guerres avec nos voisins Allemands plutôt qu'avec les Anglais qui sont bien loin. Sans compter que pendant la Guerre de Cent Ans, le Duché de Lorraine faisait partie intégrante du Saint-Empire et n'a pas pris part au conflit.😀
I love this channel. I hope to see a video or series about Joan d'Arc.
Coming soon.
@@HistoryMarche Battle of Patay?
@@HistoryMarcheAnything about the Mughal Conquest of India? Anything about Babur Shah ?
Based Michel cutting the roastbeef
what in the actual f- is a yard
3 feet
@@jonathanwilliams1065 Whose feet? Elephant feet or human ones?
It's about a meter
@@Mp57navy
Human of course
@@Mp57navyhamster
What a man john talbot, he went to war without armor and weapon because of his honor
And in the end, France wins this war. Contrary to contemporary British historical revisionism which would have us believe otherwise.
What are you talking about... That's one of the most ridiculous comments I've seen saying the British claim to have won this war. There is no revisionism that says England won this war. You're name implies you're French or Francophile so that may explain it.
@@redwaldcuthberting7195 Bc Brits and other Anglosaxons usually talk about Agincourt and Crecy, but completely forgot, conveniently, Patay (3 French killed VS 2500 English killed, knights massacred archers), Formigny, Castillon....so yeah, Anglo-saxons usual revisionism and French bashing
@@bunkerkorpf1440Scotland went to France's aid during that war. Scotland helped France defeat England at the battle of Bauge in 1421.
@@bunkerkorpf1440true. This battle is rarely mentioned in England. Agincourt is although unlike Castillon it wasn't decisive.
@@wonjubhoy Can't disagree with u !
For such a respected soldier talbot made no sense in attacking with only a vanguard, especially without double checking the “retreat” cloud
Game over
Not to gripe or anything... I really love these vids....
BUT EVERY SINGLE BATTLE CHANGED HISTORY.....
THAT is literally the DEFINITION of History.....❤
Very good video. England lost the conflict and felt into civil war. Total disaster.
Anglophobe ^^^
... Guess you haven't got to 1789 yet in your history lessons 😏
@@Alex-zs7gw Failed attempt at a snarky reply, tbh. There's really no meaningful relation between 1789 and the OP's factual remark.
@@justalonesoul5825 just not too sure what it's trying to say....
France also fell into civil war in 1485...and then when we get to the 16th century it's a shit show.
Hisotrical pride is worth absolutely nothing - the English and the French of those times are as alien to us as aliens.
What's important is cooperation today... Not dick waggling.
(same goes for those who idolise Henry V and Agincourt - stfu, loads of normal people died and it served a select few of society.)
@@justalonesoul5825 oh and id suggest the snark is you... Judging by smarmy facetious comments you're rapid firing all over this video
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Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍.
Michel and his Battleaxe are the MVP of this one.
Charging headlong into a strong defensive position and getting completely defeated. Oh, how the tables have turned!
After watching many videos like these, I've noticed the guy who counsels caution is most of the time overruled and is one of the first to die in the ensuing ill-fated operation. That's so sad.
I'm sure there are advisors who counsel to attack too. And just like the guys who counsel caution, they win half the times, and the other times they're first to die.
Your impression only comes from what History retains, and who the narrators choose to cite.
Having a counsellor who wasn't convincing enough but was right adds up to the tragedy for the loser faction. And it helps to find someone responsible for the defeat, the commander.
Anyway whatever the advises, it wouldn't have changed much things, the English weren't prepared for artillery, just like the French weren't prepared for longbows with bodkin a century earlier.
@@BruneSixtineFrench leaders at Poitiers argued so much for hours the King got fed up listening to it and didn't know what to do, until some of his men charged and took the decision away from him.
Handing a lifetime veteran of losing battles a general's baton has rarely been wise... The biggest advantage of the French was their artillery. You find out they've fortified their artillery DAYS OF MARCHING away from their other troops, which means it's effectively useless in offering aid (artillery is extremely slow to move). So instead of immediately leaving to deal with an army that DOES NOT HAVE THEIR ARTILLERY, you decide to run straight into the cannons based on a weak scouting report that you had plenty of time to send riders to confirm WHILE ADVANCING the infantry and just... chose not to. Brilliant.