
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863)
The Battle of Taillebourg, 21st July 1242, c. 1837
Oil on canvas
489 × 554 cm (16 × 18.1 ft)
Palace of Versailles
The Battle of Taillebourg, a major medieval battle fought in July 1242, was the decisive engagement of the Saintonge War. It pitted a French Capetian army under the command of King Louis IX, also known as Saint Louis, and his younger brother Alphonse of Poitiers, against forces led by King Henry III of England, his brother Richard of Cornwall and their stepfather Hugh X of Lusignan.
The battle was fought on the bridge built over the river Charente, a point of strategic importance on the route between northern and southern France. Later it was fought near the city of Saintes. According to Charles Oman; the English and their allies were routed and forced to make peace, but the King of France contented himself of leaving things as they had been before the war. The battle put down the Poitevin revolt and marked the end of Henry III’s hopes of restoring the Angevin Empire, which had collapsed during his father’s reign. More on The Battle of Taillebourg
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