Siege of Orléans (1563) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Orléans |
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| Part of First French War of Religion (1562–1563) | |||||||
 The siege of Orléans, 1570 engraving by Tortorel and Perrissin. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Huguenots | French crown | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| François de Coligny d'Andelot | François of Guise † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | At least 10,000 | ||||||
The Siege of Orléans was a very important battle at the end of the First French War of Religion. After losing a big battle called Battle of Dreux, the Protestant group known as Huguenots gathered their remaining soldiers in the city of Orléans. François, Duke of Guise, a main leader for the French King, decided to surround Orléans. He hoped that if the city gave up, the war would end with a complete victory for the King's side. However, something unexpected happened. Even though his forces took over parts of the city's outskirts, the Duke of Guise was attacked and died during the siege. Because of this, the war leaders, Prince Louis of Condé and Anne de Montmorency, who were being held captive, were able to talk about peace. With help from Catherine de' Medici, they reached an agreement called the Edict of Amboise, which brought the first war to an end.
Why the War Started
The Beginning of Conflict
After a violent event in Vassy involving François, Duke of Guise, Prince Louis of Condé left Paris. He and his supporters decided to start a rebellion. Prince Condé chose the city of Orléans to announce his revolt against the King. His forces took control of Orléans on April 2nd, 1562. From there, on April 8th, he shared his reasons for the rebellion.
Soon, other cities across France were taken over by the Huguenots. These included Tours, Le Havre, Rouen, and Lyon. Orléans became a Protestant city. Only Protestant religious services were allowed. The city's leaders were replaced, and the bishop was removed in April 1562. Some churches were damaged, and religious items were destroyed.
In May, Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici sent messengers to Orléans. They offered Prince Condé a deal. She suggested that certain powerful leaders would lose their jobs. Also, the Huguenots would not have to give up their weapons. The King's army would be led only by Condé's brother, Antoine of Navarre. However, Prince Condé was not happy with these offers. He wanted complete religious freedom for everyone before his forces would disarm. Since they could not agree, Catherine called her messengers back from Orléans.
Early Royal Army Moves
At first, the King's army was surprised by the Huguenot rebellion. But by June, they had gathered 16,000 soldiers and were ready to fight back. They had a problem: they couldn't afford to raise a second army. They had to decide whether to attack Orléans directly or clear out the areas around Paris first.
The King's military leaders chose to do both. The main army marched towards Orléans to trap the rebel forces inside. At the same time, other commanders, who had their own soldiers, worked to secure the area around Paris. Prince Condé knew that his many cavalry (horseback soldiers) would make it harder to defend Orléans if it was surrounded. So, he decided to spread his army out across northern France instead.
With Paris no longer in immediate danger and the city of Blois recaptured, the King's army had new plans. Small groups of soldiers, led by Louis, Duke of Montpensier and Jacques d'Albon, Seigneur de Saint André, were sent to take back other Huguenot-controlled towns. Meanwhile, a force led by Claude, Duke of Aumale began to surround Rouen. The main royal army then moved to Bourges and quickly captured it. This left Orléans isolated from the south and west.
Even though Orléans was cut off, the King's army decided not to fully besiege it yet. They placed soldiers around the city to keep it isolated. The main army then went to Rouen, where Duke Aumale was struggling to capture the city. Some leaders, like Navarre, wanted to attack Orléans first. But they heard that a sickness was spreading in Orléans. Also, there was still hope that Prince Condé and his brother could agree to peace, which would save resources.
New Forces for the Huguenots
Even though the Huguenots had fewer soldiers, they were still active. François de Coligny d'Andelot brought several thousand hired soldiers from the Holy Roman Empire into France in October. The King's army was busy surrounding Rouen and was not happy about this. They told Saint André to stop these new soldiers from reaching Orléans. However, he could not do it. Andelot and his hired soldiers arrived in Orléans in early November. The city was no longer even loosely surrounded.
With these new troops, Prince Condé could plan a stronger attack. In November, he brought the entire rebel army back together in Orléans. They quickly marched out of the city, hoping to attack Paris. But the King's army, which now had more soldiers, pushed them away from Paris. This led to a major battle near the town of Dreux.
The Battle of Dreux and What Happened Next
Huguenot Retreat
After a difficult loss at the Battle of Dreux, the remaining Huguenot soldiers, now led by Gaspard II de Coligny (because Prince Condé was captured), fled south. Their cavalry (horseback soldiers) managed to retreat in good order into Orléans, bringing the captured Anne de Montmorency with them. Coligny did not stay in Orléans for long. On February 1st, he left for Normandy. He planned to meet with the English forces, who had a base at Le Havre. He hoped to get money from them to pay his soldiers, who were becoming restless. Andelot was left in charge of Orléans' defenses. Meanwhile, the Duke of Guise arrived to surround the town on February 5th.
The King's Army
After the Battle of Dreux, the King's side lost two of its three main commanders. Saint-André had died, and Montmorency was captured. This left Guise in charge of the King's war efforts. While the Queen Mother, Condé, and Montmorency wanted to talk about peace, Guise wanted a final, big victory at Orléans. Because he was now the clear military leader, he was made Lieutenant General of the kingdom three days after the battle. This was a position previously held by Navarre, who had passed away.
Guise could not chase the rebels right away because his army was badly hurt in the battle. When he headed south in January, he met Coligny's rebuilt forces and was pushed back. But he did not give up. He continued his march south, gathering new captains and soldiers. He captured Étampes, which reconnected Blois and Paris. Then, he crossed the Loire River near Orléans at Beaugency and arrived on the city's left bank on February 5th.
The Siege of Orléans
Soldiers and Supplies
Duke of Guise's Forces
When Guise arrived at Orléans, he had about 10,000 soldiers, including cavalry units. However, his cannons had been delayed by bad weather. More bad news came when a powder factory in Paris was destroyed in late January. This meant that when the cannons finally arrived, their gunpowder had to come from Spanish Flanders. The King's money problems meant his soldiers were struggling. They had to live off the land, staying in villagers' homes and searching for supplies many kilometers away. By March, the Queen Mother was asking Cossé to send a large sum of money to Orléans, saying the soldiers were in "great want."
Orléans' Defenses
Orléans was not famous for its strong walls, but the people inside the city had been working hard during the war. The suburb of Portoreau had been fortified the previous summer. Two strong points, called bastions, were built at the entrance to this suburb. These bastions controlled the important bridge leading to the main city. The bridge itself was protected by more towers called the 'Tourelles.' There was also a final defense area on an island halfway across the bridge.
Taking Portereau
Guise was a very active commander. He quickly moved to capture the important suburb of Portereau, which blocked his path to the city. His soldiers pretended to attack one bastion, defended by soldiers from Gascony. Then, they suddenly changed direction and attacked the other bastion, defended by German soldiers (landsknecht). The defenders were completely surprised, and the walls were quickly climbed.
The attackers chased the fleeing defenders as they ran back to the safety of the city walls along the bridge. However, Guise did not yet have enough strength to take the main city, and his attempt to push further was stopped.
A few days after capturing the bastions, Guise also took the Tourelles. All that was left was to capture the island on the bridge. Once that was done, he could place his cannons close enough to bombard the city until it surrendered. The defenders inside Orléans became more and more desperate. They began to melt down church bells and other metal items to make makeshift cannonballs, which were surprisingly effective.
Guise first tried to fill the river with sandbags so his soldiers could walk to the island. But the river was too strong at that time of year. So, he decided to try and change the river's path to reach his goal.
The Attack on Duke of Guise
With his cannons now close enough, Guise was able to break through the city walls in several places. This meant he was very close to winning the siege. On February 18th, he wrote to the Queen Mother, assuring her that victory was near and the city would fall within 24 hours. That evening, the Duke was returning to his camp from the suburb. He had to cross a small stream, and the ferry had limited space. By the time he got close to his tent, he was almost alone. Jean de Poltrot, who had pretended to join the Duke's camp a few days earlier, hid in the bushes along the path. He fired three shots at close range into the Duke's back before running away. However, he got lost in the dark and could not escape the area. He confessed when captured by patrolling soldiers. The Duke lingered for a few days before he passed away on February 24th, 1563. The siege ended with his death, as the army no longer had a leader.
After the Siege
Huguenot Success in Normandy
While Guise was surrounding Orléans, Coligny was having success in Normandy. His German soldiers had been causing trouble in the countryside, but he finally secured 8,000 crowns from his English allies. With this money, his troops were paid, and he quickly won battles in the region. The King's forces in that area were busy surrounding Le Havre. On March 1st, Coligny attacked the town of Caen, which was defended by René, Marquis of Elbeuf. The Marquis had no choice but to surrender the next day. Bayeux then also gave up to Coligny, strengthening his control of the northern region.
Peace is Agreed
Several things pushed the King's side towards seeking peace. The Huguenots were doing well in Normandy, and problems were starting again in the southwest of France around La Rochelle and Guyenne. Also, the state was running out of money to pay its hired soldiers. And, of course, the death of the Duke of Guise was a major factor. Because of all this, the Queen Mother arranged for Prince Condé and Montmorency to be released from captivity on March 8th. They met that same day on the Île aux Bœufs to discuss peace. After agreeing on terms, the Edict of Amboise was officially approved by the King on March 19th.
Family Rivalry
Under questioning, Poltrot claimed that Coligny was involved in the plan to attack the Duke of Guise. From Normandy, Coligny strongly denied this on March 12th. He said he had only hired Poltrot as a spy to gather information about the Duke's camp, and that the attack was Poltrot's own idea. Poltrot later changed his story, again under pressure, claiming that Jean de Parthenay-L'archêveque was the true planner. Poltrot was executed in Paris before a large crowd on March 18th, just one day before the Edict of Amboise offered forgiveness for crimes committed during the war. While the Duke of Guise had asked for forgiveness for his attacker on his deathbed, his family felt differently. They believed Coligny was the organizer. Montmorency took his nephew, Coligny, under his protection, making the disagreement a rivalry between the two powerful families. The Montmorency family initially gained the upper hand, getting the investigation into Coligny paused in 1564. However, in 1572, Henry I, Duke of Guise, oversaw the attack on Coligny during the start of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
