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The Battle of Poitiers (1356) - Bow & Blade, Episode 44
🕑 Added 2024-02-06 16:08:36 +0000 UTCIn this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly take another look at this important battle from the Hundred Years' War. How do a visit to the battlefield and the writings of an Italian chronicler change their views on how Edward the Black Prince gained his victory?
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I enjoyed the episode, but I'm a bit skeptical about Matteo Villani's credibility as a source. Of course I haven't read Villani's account and know only as much about it as what you discussed in the episode, but I had the sense that he might have been working with a source that provided a bare outline narrative and embellished it with details that explained the events, such as the story of the commanders who overslept. If this is the case, it might help us to make sense of Villani's account of the burned loot. This is pure speculation, but perhaps Villani had heard that the Black Prince had destroyed French loot (possibly so as to not slow down his army), and he added a classical trope, such as the burning of the Achaean ships in the Illiad. By the way, what do we know about camp and march discipline for medieval armies? How likely is it that an army would leave camp and that its commanders wouldn't realize that elements of the army were missing? Wouldn't they at least have noticed that some of the banners were missing?
…colleagues? (Sorry, hit the wrong button on the iPad). In addition, love the intro music, and it scares the hell out of my cat every time, so thanks for the
Loved this episode and all the conversation about the sources. For Q&A: Would love to know more about the drone and how you’ve used it for battle sites. Also, when you DO relocate a battlefield, what’s the fallout with your
