| Battle of Vergt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of French Wars of Religion | |||||||
 A portrait of Blaise de Monluc | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Kingdom of France Spanish Empire | Huguenots | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc Charles de Coucis, seigneur de Burie |
Symphorien de Durfor, seigneur de Duras Guy de Montferrand | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
5,000 Gascons 5,000 Spanish | 10,000-12,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||
The Battle of Vergt was fought on 9 October 1562 between the French and Spanish royal forces led by Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc and the Huguenot rebels led by Symphorien de Durfort, seigneur de Duras. The battle would represent a decisive victory for the forces of the crown, who were able to destroy Duras' army, and prevent Duras from linking up his army with that of Gaspard II de Coligny and Louis, Prince of Condé in the Loire Valley. As such it can be considered a turning point in the First French Wars of Religion.
Military prelude[]
The state of Guyenne[]
Whilst the first French war of religion formally began with Conde's seizure of Orléans on 2 April, the situation in the south of France had deteriorated to a state of civil war in 1561.[1][2] Monluc and his deputy Burie were tasked with bringing the area back into obedience of the crown in a commission of January 1562.[3] Monluc had for a time flirted with the idea of becoming a Huguenot himself, having attended a service at Nérac hosted by Theodore Beza.[4] Ultimately however he would reject the religion as subversive to the authority of the king.[4] Burie meanwhile had the character of a moderate, and he irritated Monluc in his reluctance to pursue action against the commissioners who were enforcing the Edict of January.[5] The Huguenots in Guyenne were led by Duras, who had by 1562 assembled a considerable force of captains and infantry at his disposal numbering upwards of 10,000 soldiers.[6]
War declared[]
With the outbreak of formal war in 1562, Louis, Duke of Montpensier was deputised by the crown to lead the war effort against the rebels in the south of the country, he would however, as with Monluc and Burie find little support forthcoming in finance or troops from the crown, and as such he did little.[2][6] Monluc by contrast to his two colleagues, proved an energetic defender of the crown, drawing together what Gascon infantry he could, which had acquired a fearsome reputation during the Italian Wars, and setting about reconquering the towns that had been lost either on the outbreak of formal civil war, or in the years prior.[6][7] In June he rushed to Bordeaux, where Burie was struggling to maintain control.[2] In mid July the crown's forces in the region were reinforced by 5,000 Spanish troops, though they proved highly mutinous they for now joined Burie.[8] Although Monluc would work with them, he found them too cruel in their abandonment of the rules of war.[9] As the summer and autumn continued Bergerac, Agen and Lectoure fell back into the crown's hands.[8][9] Duras tried and failed to seize Bordeaux, despite counsel from Jeanne d'Albret to go straight to join Condé up in Orléans.[8] By now the only fortified town in Guyenne still in his hands was Montauban.[10] In October he decided to link his forces with those of Rochefoucauld in Poitou and from there onto join Condé.[6]
The run for Poitou[]
With Montpensier in Bergerac and Burie in Bordeaux, Duras calculated that Monluc was still busy in the reduction of Lectoure, not realising it had already fallen to him days prior.[6] Duras oversaw the sacking of Carlux before passing by Sarlat-la-Canéda after his subordinate failed to take the town.[6] Understanding Duras' movements and intentions, Monluc rushed to intercept, rallying the Spanish to his banner from their mutinous state with appeals to glory, he headed to Siorac on the Dordogne before crossing, he appealed to Burie who hesitated, unwilling to act without the orders of Montpensier.[11] As such he sent a captain to appeal to Burie's men, who, desiring to follow Monluc, force Burie's hand.[11] Continuing, Monluc crosses the Vézère where he learns from several locals that Duras has taken his artillery and footmen to Vergt whilst his cavalry rest at Cendrieux.[12] Monluc hurried his infantry to catch him, whilst also learning of several straggling nobles who have gone off from the main body to hunt, who he arranges to be kidnapped by riders.[12]
As the riders return with the captive nobles, Burie and his forces arrive.[13] Duras meanwhile concentrates his forces on the meadows of Vergt.[13] The crown's forces arrive on the field the next morning, on 9 October 1562.[13]
Battle[]
Burie began the engagement with the firing of his four artillery pieces into Duras' lines, at the same time Monluc ran round his lines which were arranged with the Gascons out front and the Spaniards behind, telling each group in their own tongue that the other thought itself braver.[13] The first cavalry charge of the crowns forces was repulsed by de Bordet's cavalry.[13] Duras realising the magnitude of what he was up against now, called his principle captains in for a discussion as to the best course of action.[13] Pardaillon advocated for an immediate attack, to build on Bordet's success, Bordet meanwhile, counselled withdrawing from the field so that the infantry could be preserved intact for the march up to Condé.[13] After some thought Duras sided with Bordet's proposal, and gave the orders for a withdrawal from the field.[14] The withdrawal began, somewhat delayed by badly harnessed artillery pieces.[14] With the vanguard to be led by Pardaillon, the artillery and centre under Sainte-Hermine and Duras holding the rearguard.[14] The sight of their enemy withdrawing only animated the crown's forces further.[14] If the withdrawing forces reached the hills, it would be difficult for their enemy to follow them in battle order, so they had to be intercepted prior.[14] The gap began to close until, fearing he could no longer withdraw safely, Duras rallied his rearguard of 1,200 men around the artillery.[14] Fortenille and de Mussol led a cavalry charge against his position, and soon were able to seize the artillery pieces that Duras had been protecting.[14] As Duras' rearguard crumbled, the retreat became a rout and his army dissolved.[14]
Aftermath[]
In the wake of the battle Monluc oversaw the claiming of all the abandoned artillery, having it drawn away from the field by oxen.[15] Duras withdrew with what tattered forces he could find left to Montmoreau by which time he had only 200 men.[15] The majority of the rest of his army was hunted down and summarily executed by Monluc or Burie's forces.[15] Deprived access to all the Gascon infantry he had intended to bring north, Condé and Coligny were forced to rely on German Landsknecht instead for the Battle of Dreux who proved to be weak fighters, though regardless they had much less infantry than they had intended to field.[15] Had Duras successfully withdrawn he might have brought enough infantry north that the royal army would be unwilling to offer battle. Regardless Duras and his remaining men headed north, with Duras dying at the Siege of Orleans in early 1563. The war would formally end following the assassination of the duke of Guise at the siege after which Catherine de' Medici oversaw a compromise peace at Amboise.[16]
Whilst Guyenne became fairly quiet in the wake of the battle, Monluc suspected danger still lay smouldering in the ashes.[17] He took up residence in Agen, where he could watch over Montbautan, Toulouse, and Bordeaux at equal distance.[17] When during the siege of Rouen, Antoine of Navarre was killed, he would be appointed as king's lieutenant in haute Guyenne, until Antoine's son Henry IV was of age.[18] Much to Antoine's wife, Jeanne d'Albret's fury.[18] This would also represent a nadir in the Huguenot fortunes in the region, beginning in 1563, de Pilles conquered Mussidan for the rebels in January and followed this up with a recapture of Bergerac in March.[18]
References[]
- ↑ Potter, David (1997). The French Wars of Religion: Selected Documents. Macmillan. pp. 73–5. ISBN 0312175450.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572. Harvard University Press. pp. 193.
- ↑ Roberts, Penny (2013). Peace and Authority during the French Religious Wars c. 1560-1600. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 57–8. ISBN 9781137326744.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Salmon, J.H.M (1979). Society in Crisis: France in the Sixteenth Century. University Paperback. pp. 130. ISBN 0416730507.
- ↑ Roberts, Penny (2013). Peace and Authority During the French Religious Wars c.1560–1600. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 60. ISBN 9781137326744.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". pp. 96.
- ↑ Salmon, J.H.M (1979). Society in Crisis: France in the Sixteenth Century. University Paperback. p. 146. ISBN 0416730507.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572.. Harvard University Press. p. 195.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Thompson, James (1909). The Wars of Religion in France 1559–1576: The Huguenots, Catherine de Medici and Phillip II. Chicago University Press. p. 157.
- ↑ Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572. Harvard University Press. p. 196.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". p. 97.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". p. 98.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". p. 99.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". p. 100.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Forneron, H (1876). "Note sur la bataille de Vergt 15 Octobre 1562". p. 101.
- ↑ Holt, Mack (2005). The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629. Cambridge University Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780521547505.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572. Harvard University Press. p. 196.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Roelker, Nancy (1968). Queen of Navarre: Jeanne d'Albret 1528-1572. Harvard University Press. p. 197.
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