French conquest of English Guyenne
- When
- 1451–1453
- Where
- Bordeaux; Bayonne; Castillon-sur-Dordogne
- Episodes
- 4
From 1451 to 1453, French forces under Charles VII and Jean de Dunois conquered English-held Guyenne. Bordeaux and Bayonne fell in 1451, but English forces under John Talbot recaptured Bordeaux in 1452. The French regained control after the Battle of Castillon in July 1453, leading to Bordeaux's final surrender in October 1453.
Episodes
- Dunois enters Bordeaux
After a treaty dated 12 June, Jean de Dunois entered Bordeaux on 30 June 1451 as French forces took control.
- Bayonne Capture
Bayonne was captured by Jean de Dunois on August 20, 1451, with minimal casualties due to local cooperation.
- Battle of Castillon
The Battle of Castillon on July 17, 1453, resulted in the death of John Talbot and the destruction of the English army.
- Final Surrender of Bordeaux
Bordeaux surrendered to the French on October 19, 1453, marking the end of English control in Guyenne.
Background and detail
Background. Following the recapture of Normandy in 1450, Charles VII turned his attention to Gascony. The English had held Bordeaux for three centuries, and its citizens remained loyal to the English crown. The French campaign aimed to complete the reconquest of French territories lost during the Hundred Years' War.
The 1451 French Conquest. In 1451, Jean de Dunois led the French advance into Guyenne. Bordeaux was delivered to Dunois, with a treaty signed on June 12 and Dunois entering the city on June 30. Bayonne was captured on August 20, 1451, with the bishop's cooperation minimizing casualties.
English Recovery and Final French Victory. In October 1452, John Talbot landed near Bordeaux with 3,000 men, recapturing the city. The French prepared for counterattack, laying siege to Castillon in July 1453. The Battle of Castillon on July 17 resulted in Talbot's death and the destruction of the English army. Bordeaux surrendered to the French on October 19, 1453.
People involved
- Jean de Dunois · French commander who captured Bordeaux and Bayonne in 1451
- John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury · English commander who recaptured Bordeaux in 1452 and died at the Battle of Castillon in 1453
- Charles VII · King of France who directed the reconquest of Guyenne
Sources
- Battle of Castillon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
- Bayonne Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
- Hundred Years' War, 1415–1453 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Dunois%2C_Jean Wikipedia
- C7_5_02.htm Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.