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1242, king saint Louis and the battle of Taillebourg

Battle of Taillebourg | Légendes Lorraines / Public domain
Castle Siege Revolt Louis IX Hugues X de Lusignan Taillebourg castle

Next to the castle took place the famous battle of Taillebourg, in 1242.

Do you remember the arrogant count Hugues de Lusignan’s rebellion, in the palace of Poitiers?

At that time, the king of France saint Louis was always caught on the horns of lords of his kingdom.

Whoa, Hugues looked so stir up! And saint Louis forced him to give back lands he owned in Charente. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back!

Allied together with other lords and English king Henri III, Hugues rebelled and refused to pay homage to the king’s brother, Alphonse, recently appointed new count of Poitou… his new suzerain!

In April 1242, the king invaded Hugues’ lands. 3 weeks later, the English king turned up in Royan (Charente).

In July 19th, the two armies rushed in the bridge of Taillebourg: the French settled in the castle (his lord was Hugues’ enemy)… and the battle began.

Except that the English asked for a truce, and took shelter behind the city of Saintes.

So, the battle took place on July 22th just in front of Saintes’ ramparts, and not in the castle of Taillebourg!

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!