Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN num: 9781841762326
ISBN number: 1841762326
Label: Osprey Publishing
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 96
Printing Date: November 25, 2001
Publishing house: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: November 25, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 328091
Studio: Osprey Publishing
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In 1415 King Henry V of England invaded France and won an overwhelming victory at the Battle of Agincourt. Following his victory, the English conquered a large part of northern France, and by 1429 were besieging the city of Orléans. In this darkest hour, France's fortunes were transformed by the inspirational leadership of a young woman, Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc). Within four months the French had broken the siege and won a great victory at the battle of Patay over the previously invincible English. This book examines the crucial campaign which marked the turning point of the Hundred Years War.
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great maps showing the continent and the different and conflicting claims of England and the Frankish kingdom and about a dozen others.Apparently there was not much enthusiasm by the English in enforcing their territoral rights on the continent and the numbers engaged in most of these campaigns were less than 5,000 apiece.It seems from reading this book that the French campaign was more or less an English sideshow and there was trouble in recruiting for the English army,whereas the French considered themselves as being invaded so the "moral" factor may have resided with the French and their allies.
Joan of Arc seems to add an additional morale factor that pushes the French cause "over the top",although her military judgements seem to be at times unwise and were overrided.Still according to this book she comes off at times with some remarkable foresight.Was she sent from God or merely a "team mascot"?Each person must answer that themselves.
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Dr. David Nicolle, a prolific writer on medieval military history, provides an excellent summary of the campaign of Orléans in 1429 that changed the course of the Hundred Years War. After years of smashing and humiliating defeats, a deeply divided France was able to achieve a military revival that turned the tide against the English invaders. Although the impact of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) is often over-stated in many accounts of this revival, Dr. Nicolle puts the famous French heroine in proper perspective and delivers a well-rounded campaign summary.
Orléans 1429 is written in the standard Osprey campaign series format and begins with short sections on the origins of the campaign as well as opposing commanders, armies and plans. A single 2-D map depicts the confusing French political boundaries in 1429. The section on opposing commanders is quite detailed, and highlights the role of professional soldiers like the Gascon La Hire, who was just as necessary to the campaign as Joan. Interestingly, the composition of the armies of both sides had changed significantly since Agincourt fourteen years before; noblemen had largely been replaced by mercenaries, non-knight professionals, foreigners and assorted roughnecks. Evidently, the war was no longer the game of kings by 1429. It is also interesting that both sides employed artillery to great effect in this campaign - a distinct change from earlier campaigns in the war.
The campaign summary itself consists of 56 pages, divided into sections on the beginning of the English siege, the arrival of Joan, the storming of Les Tourelles, the abandonment of the siege and the Battle of Patay. Three 3-D maps depict various phases of the siege, while there are five 2-D maps that cover initial campaign movements, the layout of the town's defenses, the French relief effort, the French recapture of the Loire castles and the Battle of Patay. There are also three battle scenes that depict Joan's crossing of the Loire, Sir William Glasdale taunting Joan from the battlements and the Battle of Patay. The Battle of Patay is particularly interesting since it was one of the few occasions that the vaunted French cavalry actually showed what it was capable of doing on a battlefield; in about one hour the English army retreating from Orléans was thoroughly smashed by a vigorous French pursuit. Although there are numerous photographs and illustrations, many are only slightly relevant to the campaign; this is partly due to the paucity of medieval supporting material and partly due to the author's preference for including material of dubious relevance. Nevertheless, the campaign summary is lucid and interesting, if a bit devoid of intensity. This is both a strength and a weakness in Dr. Nicolle's work; he has the scholarly ability to thoroughly research medieval military history but as in his previous Constantinople 1453, he lacks the literary ability to bring out the drama and passion in history. The Orléans campaign was a moment of high drama in French history that not only reversed a losing war, but also resuscitated the nearly defunct monarchy.
While there is no doubt that Joan of Arc helped the French army to rekindle its morale, Dr. Nicolle also points out that doctrinal and technological changes also helped to overcome mistakes made in the past. The French embraced artillery wholeheartedly, and even killed the very first English commander in the siege with a lucky shot. Doctrinally, the French shifted from a predilection for large, decisive battles to smaller, attritional battles where the English could be worn down over time. Previous defeats had also made the French more cautious and they made efforts to avoid well-defended English positions. Without the overweening arrogance of nobles eager for martial glory that had led to defeats like Crecy and Agincourt, the French army became more adept at exploiting English vulnerabilities. Joan was the vital moral spark that helped the French to achieve a critical mass, but Dr. Nicolle's Orléans 1429 effectively points out that other military factors were at work as well.
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