Siege of Roche-au-Moine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Roche-aux-Moines
Part of the Anglo-French Wars
King John of England in battle with the French (left), Prince Louis VIII of France on the march (right).
Date 19 June – 2 July 1214 Location Savennières, Anjou, Angevin Empire Result French victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England Duchy of Normandy	Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
King John	Prince Louis
Strength
30,000	2,800–4,800 800 knights 2,000–4,000 infantry
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Siege of Roche-aux-Moines was an important battle during the Anglo-French War (1213-1214). It happened in 1214. King John of England tried to capture a castle called Roche-aux-Moines. However, he had to quickly retreat when Prince Louis, the son of King Philip Augustus, arrived with his army.

King John's main goal was to trick the French king. He wanted King Philip and most of his army to come south. This would make it easier for his allies, led by the Holy Roman Empire, to attack France from the northeast. At first, John's plan worked. King Philip did march south to stop the English. But then, King Philip suddenly decided to go back north with most of his soldiers. He left his son, Prince Louis, to deal with King John.

Even though King John had many more soldiers, his army quickly pulled back. They even destroyed their siege equipment. This happened when Prince Louis marched to help Roche-aux-Moines. King John did not trust his allies from Poitou. He was afraid they would not support him if a big fight happened. As John's army retreated, Prince Louis's soldiers attacked their rear. John was chased all the way to Thouars. Then Prince Louis returned to Anjou. In the end, King John's efforts did not help. King Philip completely defeated John's allies at the Battle of Bouvines.

King John's Big Plan

In 1214, King John started his last attempt to get back Normandy from King Philip. John felt hopeful because he had made strong alliances. He had teamed up with Emperor Otto IV and several powerful counts and dukes. These included Count Ferrand of Flanders and Count Renaud of Boulogne. He also had the Pope's support. John had saved a lot of money to pay for his experienced army.

However, when John left for Poitou in February 1214, many of his own nobles refused to send soldiers. So, John had to hire many mercenary knights to fill his army. John's plan was clever. He wanted to split King Philip's forces. John would push northeast from Poitou towards Paris. At the same time, his allies from Flanders would march southwest. This plan needed perfect timing, which was very hard to achieve over long distances.

The Siege Begins

King John sailed from Portsmouth and landed at La Rochelle in France on February 15, 1214. This was an unusual time of year for such a trip. He gathered more soldiers from Guyenne. Then he marched into Poitou, where more allies joined him. John showed off his large army and quickly took control of Poitou in March. After that, he crossed the Loire River and invaded Anjou. Anjou was a very old family land for King John.

Just as John expected, King Philip marched to stop the invasion. Philip brought his son, Louis, and the best soldiers from his kingdom. Philip tried to cut off John's escape route back to Aquitaine. But King John quickly left Anjou and moved south. He avoided Philip's army and reached Limoges by April 3. With these moves, John had successfully pulled King Philip far to the south.

However, King Philip decided not to chase John any further. After damaging some areas in Poitou that had rebelled, Philip started heading home. At Châteauroux, he gave a few thousand soldiers to his son, Prince Louis. Then, Philip returned north with the rest of his army.

The Retreat

King John still wanted to keep as many French soldiers busy as possible. When he heard King Philip had left, John immediately turned around. He re-entered Poitou in May. He quickly crossed the Loire River again and invaded Anjou. After taking many towns, he began to besiege the strong castle of Roche-aux-Moines on June 19.

John's army had been outside the castle for fifteen days. Then, Prince Louis arrived with his relief army. Louis's army was made even stronger by soldiers from Anjou. Even though King John had a much larger army, he was not ready to fight. He still did not trust his allies from Poitou. He believed they would not fight hard for him. So, on July 3, John's army crossed the Loire River again and retreated to La Rochelle. During this retreat, the French forces attacked John's rearguard, causing many losses.

What Happened Next

Soon after, King Philip won a very tough battle called the Battle of Bouvines in the northeast. He defeated Emperor Otto and King John's other allies. This battle ended King John's hopes of getting Normandy back. A peace agreement was signed. In this agreement, John gave Anjou back to Philip and paid the French king money. This peace was planned to last for six years. King John returned to England in October.

Sources

• Martin Aurell. “La bataille de la Roche-aux-Moines. Jean sans Terre et la prétendue traîtrise des Poitevins“. Comptes-rendus des séances de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, Paris : Durand : Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, 2017, Année 2017 (Fascicule 1), pp. 459–489.