Battle of Patay

Timeline

1. 1429Loire Valley · Loire ValleyAfter the relief of Orléans, Joan of Arc and the Duc de Dunois led French forces east along the Loire in pursuit of the English. The French successively captured Jargeau, Meung and other places; the English remnant under Talbot and Fastolf retreated toward Patay, and the vanguards of both sides made contact in the river valley.
2. 1429Patay · Loire ValleyAfter French scouts located the English, La Hire and Gilles de Rais led the heavy cavalry in a surprise attack. The French horse charged at full speed, disrupting the English longbowmen's formation, and Talbot's men broke in the hasty engagement. The battle shattered the myth of English field-battle superiority and became a model case of French cavalry tactics in the Hundred Years' War.
3. 1429Patay · Loire ValleyThe Earl of Talbot was captured in the melee and Fastolf led the remnants south. The French pressed on to retake Beaugency and other places, and the English strongholds in the Loire Valley fell one after another. The great victory at Patay paved the way for the French march north to Reims and the coronation of Charles VII, bringing Joan of Arc's Loire campaign into its final stage.