Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (1351)

Who Fought

History & Significance

The siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély took place from February to August 1351 when a French army besieged an English garrison within the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Saintonge, France during the Hundred Years' War. An English relief force was victorious at the Battle of Saintes, however was unable to relieve the town. With the personal appearance of King John II of France at the siege, the English garrison surrendered.

John II ordered a siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, a town in Saintonge. An army made up of Poitevin, Saintongeais, Tourangeaux and Angevins knights and foot soldiers, was formed and set up camp at the foot of the walls of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The army was led by Guy II de Nesle, Marshal of France and Édouard I de Beaujeu.

The French did not take any initiative to attack the city because they lacked large enough siege engines to break the walls of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The town was surrounded and trade routes blocked to starve the English garrison into surrendering. An English relief force led by the Seneschal of Gascony, John de Cheverston and Arnaud-Amanieu, was intercepted by a French detachment of the siege army. Although the English were victorious, Cheverston was unable to break through to Saint-Jean-d'Angély.

Upon the capture of Guy II de Nesle, Marshal of France, John II headed to the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. In August 1351, with the presence of the King of France, the inhabitants opened the gates of Saint-Jean-d'Angély to the French.

Wagner, John A. (2006). "Saintes, Battle of (1351)". Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0313327360.

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (1351) lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (1351)

Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley

Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley, is a navigable aqueduct constructed in the late eighteenth century to carry the Engine Arm Canal across the Smestow Brook valley in Staffordshire. Built as part of the broader canal network expansion during the Industrial Revolution, the aqueduct demonstrates the engi…

Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Smeaton's Summit Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

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Brianboru100 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sandwell Priory, a Benedictine monastery

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

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Sjwells53 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Perry Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~2.6 mi

Perry Bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in Staffordshire. The structure dates to the medieval period and represents an important example of bridge engineering from that era. As a scheduled monument, it reflects the significant medieval infrastructure development in the region and continue…

Oosoom / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Chances Glassworks, Smethwick

Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

Chances Glassworks is a nineteenth-century glass manufacturing facility located in Smethwick, Staffordshire. The works were established in the mid-nineteenth century and became significant as a centre of glass production during the Victorian industrial period. The site retains structures associat…

Row17 / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Roman forts at Metchley

Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

Metchley is a Roman fort situated near Birmingham in Warwickshire, England, dating to the late first century AD. The fort was established during the Roman advance into the Midlands, likely in the late 70s or early 80s AD, and served as a strategic military installation during the campaigns of Agr…

Chris Allen / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

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• Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (1351) · Wikipedia