On 12 October 1428-8 May 1429, the Siege of Orleans was fought in France between the English under the Earls of Salisbury, Suffolk and Shrewsbury against the French under Jean the Bastard and Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War.
Why did it happen & Who was involved?
With the death of Henry V of England in 1422, his one-year-old son was declared Henry VI of France and England. Under his regent, the Duke of Bedford, the English ruled France north of the Loire River in alliance with the Burgundians, while the Dauphin, the future Charles VII, ruled France south of the Loire River. By 1426, Bedford became drawn into a campaign aimed at conquering central and southern France. To enter these territories, it was essential to capture the city of Orleans, which was strategically placed between northern and southern France. In 1428, the Earl of Salisbury marched south from Paris with a force of 5,000 men aimed at surrounding and capturing Orleans, which was garrisoned by only 2,000 soldiers.
What happened?
On 12 October 1428, the English began the Siege of Orleans by attacking the Barbican and Les Tourelles forts guarding the bridge south of the city. Despite mining operations forcing the French to abandon their positions, the Earl of Salisbury was killed by artillery fire on 23 October while climbing Les Tourelles to observe the French defences. The Earl of Suffolk then took command of the English forces and, over the next two months, built a series of earth-and-wood fortified positions around Orleans before the Earl of Shrewsbury arrived with 1,500 Burgundian reinforcements in December. On 12 February 1429, a French relief force under the Count of Clemont intercepted an English supply convoy approaching Orleans from Paris. In the ensuing battle, the French forces were repelled by the convoy’s commander, Sir John Fastolf. However, the tide of the siege began to change on 29 April when 5,000 reinforcements under Joan of Arc sailed up the Loire River from Chinon to reinforce the French garrison in Orleans. Between 2-4 May, Joan led a series of assaults against the English forts, which forced the English to encamp on the northern bank of the Loire River. On 7 May, Joan led an assault on Barbican and Les Tourelles, and despite being wounded by a crossbow bolt, her leadership allowed the French to capture and set on fire the drawbridge connecting the two forts. On 8 May, the English army arrayed on the north bank expecting the French to engage them, but when Joan advised against this, the English gave up the siege and withdrew.
What changed as a result?
The Siege of Orleans was a French victory and was a decisive turning point in the Hundred Years War. It was France's first major victory since their defeat at Agincourt in 1415. Under Joan of Arc's leadership, the French went on to win a series of victories in the Loire Valley, culminating in the Battle of Patay on 19 June. By 16 July, the French had triumphed as far north as Rheims, with the Dauphin crowned King Charles VII of France. While Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake by the English and Burgundians in 1431, her inspired leadership raised the morale of France as a whole. By 1453, the French had driven the English entirely out of France, with the exception of the port city of Calais.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed The Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Harwood, Jeremy. Atlas of History's Greatest Military Victories. London, Quantum Publishing, 2013.
Hickman, Kennedy. "Hundred Years War: Siege of Orleans." Thought Co. Last revised December 2, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/hundred-years-war-siege-of-orleans-2360758
Regan, Geoffrey. Battles That Changed History: Fifty Decisive Battles Spanning Over 2,500 Years of Warfare. London, Andre Deutsch, 2002.
Robins, Phil. Joan of Arc and Her Marching Orders. London, Scholastic, 2002.