Battle of Coutras
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| Battle of Coutras | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Huguenots | Royal Army (Catholics) | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Henry of Navarre | Anne, Duke of Joyeuse | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ? | ? | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| ? | 2000 (including 300 nobles) | ||||||
The Battle of Coutras, fought on October 20, 1587, was a major engagement in the Eighth and final war of the French Religious Wars between an army under Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV) and a royal army led by Anne, Duke of Joyeuse. Henry of Navarre was victorious.
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[edit] Prelude
On the night of October 19-20 the Royal (Catholic) army under Anne, Duc de Joyeuse had trapped Henry's Huguenot army:
Henry had been leading an elite army of the Huguenot cause, in a strategic attempt to lead the royal army south, into Huguenot-controlled lands, and destroy it through attrition; fighting a hundred petty skirmishes over the summer.
In October, Henry's intelligence failed him: He led his army to the small town of Coutras, hoping to slip across the bridge there. Coutras was a small twisty town of one cobbled street, a fortified château with a park and warren attached, and one narrow bridge across the river Isle.
Believing the Royal army to be twenty miles away, the Huguenots did not cross the bridge, but encamped for the night, sleeping in the chateau's park or the small buildings of the village, leaving the light horse under Tremuille for pickets.
The Royal army was only ten miles away. They marched through the night along back-roads and bridle paths, often single-file to arrive at Coutras just before dawn.
Lavardin, the Catholic second-in-command, led the Catholic light horse in the pre-dawn, driving in the Huguenot pickets with little difficulty.
The Huguenots, meanwhile, had just begun crossing the Isle river; their artillery (three bronze guns) and some of the infantry were already across, the rest of their army hurriedly assembled for battle: Their main line was cramped and broken, with the right flank on the chateau, their left in the Pallard marsh, and infantry fortified in the town across the center.
[edit] Battle
King Henry, upon awaking, was faced with a desperate situation: there was enough time for the cavalry, a few infantry and the Huguenot leaders to escape or to gamble all in battle against the far stronger Royal army now decamping onto the field in front of Coutras.
If Henry felt dismayed, he concealed it from his subordinates, and gave the impression that he could not have chosen a better time and place to fight: he said to the Prince de Condé and Count de Soissons: 'You see, my cousins, it is to our family that everyone turns. It would not be reasonable for this fine dancer [Joyeuse] and the darlings of the court to chop off the three principal heads that God has guarded in order to protect the others and the state. This quarrel is the same for us all; the outcome of this day will bring down on us more envy than maliciousness; we will share mutually in its honor.' He led the army out from the village onto the field opposite the Catholics.
Both forces were in great disarray, and, as if by mutual consent, virtually ignored each other until both armies were in order:
The Huguenots were well-disposed: Henry had placed his infantry on the flanks: a scratch regiment on his left flank, drawn back behind a marshy brook, and on the right, three battalions; they were placed in the warren attached to the chateau where it mattered less that they were short of pikes. Across the center were the Huguenot cavalry; on the right, attached to the warren; the light horse, under Turenne and la Tremuille, and across the center, the Huguenot medium cavalry, drawn up in three columns and companies of arquebusiers between.
The Catholics were drawn up in a similar, though simpler line: Joyeuse placed two regiments of Royal infantry on each flank, the force on the left at least as strong as the Huguenot force in the warren, the one on the right much stronger than the scratch regiment behind the brook. Lavardin's light horse opposite Tremuille's, and opposite the Huguenot horse, the Gens d'armes d'ordannance: the royal heavy Cavalry, deployed 'en Haye': in one long glittering line.
There was a period of quiet while the opponents faced each other: the Catholic heavy cavalry were bright and glittering like some medieval host: The Gens d'armes wore armor, from cuirass and morion to gorgets, covered with gold leaf.
The Huguenots opposite them, by contrast, wore greasy leather and grime-encrusted armor: their armor consisted of cuirass and morion and they were armed with swords and pistols. The Catholic line rippled as the lords (many of whom served in the front rank) manouevered for position; by contrast, the Huguenots, tough partisan troops, veterans of a hundred petty skirmishes sat still in their compact squadrons.
It was at this time that the Huguenot artillery, deploying later than the royal forces on the field but first into position, opened fire: they were ensconced on a small knoll of minor elevation, but placed so as to command the entire field. Served by veterans and commanded by a master gunner, the Huguenots managed eighteen deadly shots for six ineffectual ones from the royal battery: hitting the Royal cavalry almost at an enfilading angle, they caused near-chaos in the Catholic ranks.
Lavardin, cried: 'we lose by waiting!' and Joyeuse called for the charge: the trumpet was sounded and the Catholic host surged forward.
Lavardin's light horse was first off the mark: they crashed into Tremuille's light troops opposite, bowling them over and sending some fleeing through the town; eighteen recently joined Scottish volunteers formed a solid core in Tremuille's force and aided by the artillery, quickly brought Lavardin to a halt.
The Catholic townsfolk, seeing the light troopers fleeing, began cheering and crying 'Victory!'
The Huguenot infantry on the left, hearing the cries, charged forward over the brook, falling on the Royal troops unexpectedly, dragging pikes aside or rolling under, they closed in hand-to-hand combat and the left side of the battlefield dissolved into melee.
The infantry on the right were hotly engaged, but were able to fire vollies at Lavardin's horse, the Royal infantry continued attacking until the battle was over, bravely charging the warren again and again.
But it was in the center that the battle was decided: at the trumpet-call, the entire Catholic line, still rippling and unsteady, lowered their lances and went to the gallop.
The Huguenots began walking their horses, conserving them for the fight; as they speeded up to the trot, they raised their voices in the battle hymn of their party: "This is the day which the lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it..." One lord, on Joyeuse's right cried: "Ha! the cowards! They are confessing themselves!" Lieutenant Vaux, a veteran with much experience against the Huguenots, replied: "M'sieur, when the Huguenots make those noises, they are prepared to fight hard."
The Arqubusiers between the Huguenot squadrons fired and the Huguenots spurred to the gallop.
[edit] Aftermath
The Catholic line was shattered into fragments and Joyeuse took to his heels: cornered by a group of Huguenot cavalry, he threw down his sword and called: "My ransom is a hundred thousand francs!" he was a shot in the head: as the commander who had ordered Huguenot wounded to be killed in the field and one who had butchered garrisons that had surrendered relying on the laws of warfare, there was no quarter.
Until Henry intervened, little quarter was given to any of the Royal army, and dozens of nobles and over three thousand common soldiers were killed.
Totaling up the day's work, Henry said: "Well, at least now no one can say we Hueguenots never win a battle."
[edit] References
- The Armada, Garret Mattingley
