Siege of Saint-Denis (1435) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Saint-Denis
Part of the Hundred Years' War
Date Late August – 4 October 1435 Location Saint-Denis, France (close to Paris) 48°56′08″N 2°21′14″E / 48.9356°N 2.3539°E / 48.9356; 2.3539 Result English victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England Burgundian State	Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
John Talbot Robert Willoughby Thomas de Scales Jean de Villiers	Pierre de Rieux (fr)
Strength
5,000	over 1,500
Casualties and losses
at least 80	unknown

The Siege of Saint-Denis was an important battle in the Hundred Years' War. It happened from late August to October 4, 1435. This was the last time the English and their allies, the Burgundians, worked together in the war.

Saint-Denis is a town near Paris. It was very important because French kings were traditionally buried there. The French had captured Saint-Denis a few months before the siege. This made the English in Paris feel unsafe. The English wanted to take the town back quickly.

During the siege, peace talks were happening at the Congress of Arras. But the fighting continued as both sides tried to gain control around Paris. The English won the siege. The French soldiers inside Saint-Denis gave up because they didn't get help from outside.

However, the English didn't control Saint-Denis for long. While the siege was happening, the Duke of Burgundy made a peace deal with the French king. This deal ended the alliance between England and Burgundy. Even so, the Burgundian soldiers fighting with the English at Saint-Denis stayed until the end of the siege.

After this, the English position in France became much weaker. The French took Saint-Denis back in February 1436. Then, they recaptured Paris in April 1436. These events showed that the French were getting stronger, and the English were losing ground.

Why Saint-Denis Was Important

Saint-Denis was a key town for two main reasons. First, it was a strategic outpost right outside Paris. This meant it was important for controlling the area around the capital city. Second, it was a symbol of France. Many French kings were buried there, making it a very important historical and cultural site.

A river called the Croult flows near Saint-Denis. This river is a smaller branch of the Seine River. In 1429, Saint-Denis briefly fell to the French when Joan of Arc arrived. But the English quickly took it back. For several years, the town stayed under English control.

However, the English didn't have a strong hold on the area. French forces kept attacking the region around Paris. By late 1434, the Duke of Burgundy, who was an English ally, started making peace deals with the French. This left the English to fight on their own. Also, the English were running out of money for the war. By 1435, the English were in a difficult military situation. The French were gaining more and more land around Paris.

How the Siege Started

On May 9, 1435, the French army won a big victory against the English at the Battle of Gerberoy. The French took advantage of the weakened English defenses. On June 1, French troops captured Saint-Denis. This meant Paris was now blocked. It became hard to get supplies into the city by river or by land.

From Saint-Denis, the French soldiers attacked the areas around Paris. They harmed people and ruined farm fields. The people of Paris were worried. They sent urgent messages to John, Duke of Bedford, who was the English leader in France. They also sent messages to Louis of Luxembourg, an important English official. They asked for more soldiers to protect Paris.

Louis of Luxembourg called for 500 French soldiers from Picardy. A group of Burgundian soldiers also joined them. These troops were welcomed in Paris. With the help of Jean de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, the English governor of Paris, they started fighting the French forces nearby.

Meanwhile, more soldiers were being gathered in England. English lords Talbot and Willoughby brought 2,500 men to France in late July 1435. Lord Scales joined them with 728 archers and about 50 infantrymen. They all met in Paris.

Before attacking Saint-Denis, these forces had to go help a Burgundian castle called Orville. This castle was being attacked by the French. This delay allowed the French soldiers in Saint-Denis to control the town and roam freely around Paris. Finally, the siege of Saint-Denis began in the last week of August.

In early August, peace talks started at the Congress of Arras. Delegations from the French, Burgundians, and English were there. But the talks didn't stop the fighting. The English and French fought hard to control the land around Paris. Even with peace being discussed, the war continued. The Anglo-Burgundian army successfully saved Orville. Then, they moved to take back other areas. They won many battles around Paris, recapturing castles and small forts from the French. In the last week of August, they finally surrounded Saint-Denis.

The Battle for the Town

The army that surrounded Saint-Denis had about 5,000 English and Burgundian soldiers. It was led by lords Talbot, Willoughby, Scales, and L'Isle-Adam. The French soldiers defending the town numbered at least 1,500. Their leader was Marshal Pierre de Rieux. When they saw the English coming, the French prepared their defenses. They stayed alert day and night, ready to fight. During the siege, Louis of Luxembourg often visited the English leaders. He urged them to finish the siege quickly.

The English and Burgundian army attacked with great force. Their cannons caused a lot of damage to the town walls. They decided to launch several attacks at once to try and take the town by storm. They gathered 600 men for this big assault.

The main attack happened on September 9. The English and Burgundians used ladders and other tools of war. They crossed the moat, a ditch filled with water, which reached their necks. Then, they bravely started climbing the town walls. The French defenders fought back strongly. They knew they would lose their lives if the attack succeeded. Pierre de Rieux ordered his men to stay at their positions on the walls no matter what. He also had extra soldiers ready to help if any part of the defense was struggling.

This fierce attack lasted for two hours. Many brave actions were performed by both sides. But in the end, the attack failed. The defenders pushed back the attackers. More than 80 attackers died in the ditches or under the walls. The English realized that they would lose too many soldiers if they continued the attack. So, they decided to retreat. Even though the French won this part of the battle, they also suffered greatly. They repaired their broken walls and gates. They also hoped for help from their allies at the peace conference in Arras.

On September 21, the Duke of Burgundy signed the Treaty of Arras with the French king, Charles VII. This agreement meant that Burgundy would no longer be allies with England. Even though their leader had left the English side, the Burgundian soldiers fighting at Saint-Denis stayed until the siege was over.

After the peace talks ended, the French commander, Arthur de Richemont, went to Senlis. He couldn't gather enough soldiers to challenge the English at Saint-Denis. Pierre de Rieux, knowing this, started talking with the English about surrendering. The French soldiers were allowed to leave the town safely. In return, they had to give up the town and release any prisoners they had taken. On October 4, the French soldiers left Saint-Denis. They were escorted by 600 cavalry. After four months, the town was back under English control. Parts of the town were destroyed, except for one area where a relative of a former English official lived.

What Happened Next

Even though the English took back Saint-Denis, this victory was soon overshadowed. On September 24, the French captured Meulan, a town west of Saint-Denis. Meulan was important because it blocked the main supply route from Normandy to Paris. As a result, food prices in Paris went up a lot. The people of Paris were also troubled by the French soldiers who had left Saint-Denis. These soldiers looted and kidnapped people around the city.

On September 24, 1435, the queen mother of France, Isabeau of Bavaria, passed away. She was the grandmother of Henry VI of England. The capture of Saint-Denis, the traditional burial place for French monarchs, allowed her to be buried there. It was too dangerous to travel by land for the funeral. So, her body was taken by boat down the Seine River.

Burgundy's decision to leave the English alliance was a huge blow to England. It made any gains from capturing Saint-Denis less important. Many English-controlled areas in France started to fall apart. Pierre de Rieux, who had just left the siege of Saint-Denis, surprised and captured Dieppe in Normandy on October 29, 1435.

Saint-Denis itself was attacked again by the French and captured in February 1436. An English army of about 800 men, sent to help, was almost completely destroyed. The French then tightened their siege of Paris. They blocked the city from all sides. Food prices in Paris became extremely high, almost causing a famine. The citizens of Paris, who were mostly loyal to the Burgundians and not the English, opened the city gates to the French forces on April 13, 1436. Four days later, the English soldiers in Paris negotiated their departure from the city. One of the French commanders who helped retake Paris was Jean de Villiers. He had fought alongside the English at Saint-Denis just a few months before.