Joan of Arc Wins Patay: French Turn Tide
French forces under Joan of Arc crushed the English army at the Battle of Patay on June 18, 1429, killing or capturing 2,500 English soldiers while losing fewer than 100 men. The English longbowmen, who had dominated every major battle since Crecy in 1346, were caught before they could plant their defensive stakes and were overrun by French cavalry in minutes. Sir John Talbot was captured and Sir John Fastolf fled, a retreat that cost him his knighthood. The victory shattered the myth of English invincibility and opened a clear path to Reims, where Charles VII was crowned on July 17. Patay was the most tactically decisive battle of Joan's career, though the siege of Orleans remains more famous. English military dominance in France, which had lasted nearly a century, was effectively ended in a single afternoon.
June 18, 1429
597 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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