Battle of Valmont
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Valmont is the name given to two connected actions which took place between 9th and 11th March 1416 in the area of the towns of Valmont
and Harfleur
in Normandy
. A raiding force under Thomas Beaufort, Earl of Dorset was confronted by a larger French army under Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
at Valmont. The initial action went against the English, who lost their horses and baggage. They managed to rally and withdraw in good order to Harfleur, only to find the French had cut them off. A second action now took place, during which the French army was defeated with the aid of a sally from the English garrison of Harfleur.
at Harfleur, which had been captured in the previous September following a siege
. Dorset took 1000-1100 of these men on his raid. The force consisted of both men-at-arms and archers.
in January 1416. He could also call upon local garrisons and militias. Rouen
sent him 600 men-at-arms and 50 crossbowmen.. His overall force at Valmont was approximately 4,000 men.
. The English then turned for home. They were intercepted near Valmont by the French. The English had time to form a fighting line, placing their horses and baggage to the rear, before the French launched a mounted attack. The French cavalry broke through the thin English line but, instead of turning to finish the English, charged on to loot the baggage and steal horses. This allowed Dorset, who had been wounded, to rally his men and lead them to a small hedged garden nearby, which they defended till nightfall. The French withdrew to Valmont for the night, rather than stay in the field, and this allowed Dorset to lead his men off under the cover of darkness to take shelter in woods at Les Loges
. English casualties at this stage of the battle were estimated at 160 killed.
Valmont
Valmont may refer to various incarnations of the character in the story Les Liaisons dangereuses .*Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont, a character in the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos....
and Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. A raiding force under Thomas Beaufort, Earl of Dorset was confronted by a larger French army under Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac was the Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac, and Constable of France. He was the son of John II and Jeanne de Périgord. He succeeded in Armagnac at the death of his brother, John III, in 1391...
at Valmont. The initial action went against the English, who lost their horses and baggage. They managed to rally and withdraw in good order to Harfleur, only to find the French had cut them off. A second action now took place, during which the French army was defeated with the aid of a sally from the English garrison of Harfleur.
English
In January 1416, 900 men-at-arms and 1500 archers arrived to reinforce the garrisonGarrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
at Harfleur, which had been captured in the previous September following a siege
Siege of Harfleur
The siege of Harfleur, Normandy, France began 18 August 1415 and ended on 22 September when Harfleur surrendered to the English.-Background:Henry V invaded France following the failure of negotiations with the French...
. Dorset took 1000-1100 of these men on his raid. The force consisted of both men-at-arms and archers.
French
D'Armangnac had brought a force of 2,000 men-at-arms and 1,000 archers with him from GasconyGascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
in January 1416. He could also call upon local garrisons and militias. Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
sent him 600 men-at-arms and 50 crossbowmen.. His overall force at Valmont was approximately 4,000 men.
The initial action near Valmont
Dorset marched out on his raid on 9th March. He looted and burnt several villages, reaching as far as Cany-BarvilleCany-Barville
Cany-Barville is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town situated by the banks of the river Durdent in the Pays de Caux, some southwest of Dieppe, at the junction of the D925, D10 and the D268...
. The English then turned for home. They were intercepted near Valmont by the French. The English had time to form a fighting line, placing their horses and baggage to the rear, before the French launched a mounted attack. The French cavalry broke through the thin English line but, instead of turning to finish the English, charged on to loot the baggage and steal horses. This allowed Dorset, who had been wounded, to rally his men and lead them to a small hedged garden nearby, which they defended till nightfall. The French withdrew to Valmont for the night, rather than stay in the field, and this allowed Dorset to lead his men off under the cover of darkness to take shelter in woods at Les Loges
Les Loges, Seine-Maritime
Les Loges is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village in the Pays de Caux, some north of Le Havre, at the junction of the D72, D74 and D940 roads.-History:...
. English casualties at this stage of the battle were estimated at 160 killed.
The second action near Harfleur
The following day, the English struck out for the coast. They moved down onto the beach and began the long march across the shingle to Harfleur. However, as they neared Harfleur, they saw that a French force was awaiting them on the cliffs above. The English deployed in line andthe French attacked down the steep slope. The French were disordered by the decent and were defeated, leaving many dead. As the English looted the corpses, the main French army came up. This force did not attack, instead forming up on the high ground, forcing the English to attack. This they successfully did, forcing the French back. The retreating French then found themselves attacked in the flank by the sallying garrison of Harfleur and retreat turned to rout. The French are said to have lost 200 men killed and 800 captured in this action. D'Armangnac later had a further 50 hanged for fleeing from the battle.An act of defiance
The battle of Valmont was remembered afterwards by English chroniclers for an act of defiance. At some point in the battle (Burne places it when the English were defending the garden, Strickland before the initial battle) D'Armangnac is said to have offered Dorset terms of surrender. Men-at-arms would be made prisoner but archers would have their right hands cut off. Dorset is said to have replied to the French herald "Tell your master that Englishmen do not surrender".Result
Unsurprisingly, chroniclers were divided in their view of who actually won the Battle of Valmont and modern historians are no more unanimous. Alfred Burne spoke of the "achievement of this devoted little band of English soldiers" as "epic" and his view is echoed by Matthew Strickland. Newhall, however, felt the overall result was "satisfying" to the French and Juliet Barker describes it as a "disastrous occasion" for the English. Perhaps the most balanced summary is given by Wylie"It is true that the
Earl of Dorset had extricated himself from a deadly trap with
wonderful nerve and pluck, yet his foolhardy adventure had
cost him immensely dear in men, horses and material".