Auberoche

Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the
possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France. Over the centuries, English holdings
in France had varied in size, but by 1337 only Gascony in south western France and Ponthieu in
northern France were left.[2] The independent-minded Gascons had their own customs and claimed
to have a separate language. A large proportion of the enormous quantity of red wine that they
produced was shipped to England in a profitable trade. The Gascons preferred their relationship with
a distant English king who left them alone to one with a French king who would interfere in their
affairs.[3]
During the first half of the 14th century, well over 1,000 ships departed Gascony for England each
year. Among their cargo were more than 100,000,000 litres (110,000,000 US qt) of wine.[4] The duty
levied by the English Crown on wine from Bordeaux was more than all other customs duties
combined and by far the largest source of state income. Bordeaux, the capital of Gascony had a
population of over 50,000, greater than London's,[5] and Bordeaux was possibly richer. However, by
this time English Gascony had become so truncated by French encroachments that it relied on
imports of food, largely from England. Any interruptions to regular shipping were liable to starve
Gascony and financially cripple England; the French were well aware of this.[6]
The status of the English king's French fiefs was a major source of conflict between the two
monarchies throughout the Middle Ages. French monarchs systematically sought to check the
growth of English power, stripping away lands as the opportunity arose.[7] Towards the end of 1336,
following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) and Edward III of
England (r. 1327–1377), Philip decided that war was the only way to drive the English out for
good.[8] On 24 May 1337, Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that the Duchy of Aquitaine,
effectively Gascony, should be taken back into Philip's hands on the ground that Edward was in
breach of his obligations as a vassal. This marked the start of the Hundred Years' War, which was to
last one hundred and sixteen years.[9]
Although Gascony was the cause of the war, Edward was able to spare few resources for its
defence, and previously when an English army had campaigned on the continent it had operated in
northern France. In most campaigning seasons the Gascons had to rely on their own resources and
had been hard pressed by the French.[10][11] In 1339 the French besieged Bordeaux, the capital of
Gascony, even breaking into the city with a large force before they were repulsed.[12] Typically the
Gascons could field 3,000–6,000 men, the large majority infantry, although up to two-thirds of them
would be tied down in garrisons.[13]
There was no formal border between English and French territory. Significant landholders owned a
patchwork of widely separated estates, perhaps owing fealty to a different overlord for each, or
holding some rights from the French Crown as the monarch and others from the English Crown as
their liege lord. Each small estate was likely to have a fortified tower or keep, with larger estates
having castles. Fortifications were also constructed at transport choke points, to collect tolls and to
restrict military passage, and fortified towns grew up alongside all bridges and most fords over the
many rivers in the region.[14][15]
Military forces could support themselves by foraging so long as they moved on at relatively frequent
intervals. If they wished to remain in one place for any length of time, as was necessary to besiege a
castle, then access to water transport was essential for supplies of food and fodder, and desirable
for such items as siege equipment. Warfare was usually a struggle for possession of castles and
other fortified points, and for the mutable loyalty of the local nobility; the region had been in a state of
flux for centuries and many local lords served whichever monarch was considered the stronger,
regardless of national ties.[14]
By 1345, after eight years of war, English-controlled territory mostly consisted of a coastal strip from
Bordeaux to Bayonne, with isolated strongholds further inland. The French had strong fortifications
throughout what had once been English-controlled Gascony. Several directly threatened
Bordeaux: Libourne, 20 miles (32 km) to the east allowed French armies to assemble a day's march
from Bordeaux; the strongly fortified town of Blaye was situated on the north bank of
the Gironde only 25 miles (40 km) downstream of Bordeaux and in a position to interdict its vital
seaborne communications;[16] the fortress of Langdon, 30 miles (48 km) south of Bordeaux, blocked
upstream communication along the Garonne, and facilitated the supply of any French force
advancing on Bordeaux.[17]