Battle of Auberoche
The Battle of Auberoche was fought on 21 October 1345 during the Gascon campaign of 1345 between an Anglo-Gascon force of 1,200 men under Henry, Earl of Derby, and a French army of 7,000 commanded by Louis of Poitiers. It was fought at the village of Auberoche near Périgueux in northern Aquitaine. At the time, Gascony was a territory of the English Crown and the "English" army included a large proportion of native Gascons. The battle resulted in a heavy defeat for the French, who suffered very high casualties, with their leaders killed or captured.
Battle of Auberoche | |||||||
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Part of the Gascon campaign of 1345 during the Hundred Years' War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of England | Kingdom of France | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Henry, Earl of Lancaster | Louis of Poitiers † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,200 | 7,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Light | Heavy |
The battle took place during the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. Along with the Battle of Bergerac earlier in the year, it marked a change in the military balance of power in the region as the French position subsequently collapsed. It was one of a series of victories which would lead to Henry of Lancaster being called "one of the best warriors in the world" by a contemporary chronicler.