Siege of Orléans (1428–1429)

Long ago, two sides fought for France.

One side tried to take a city called Orléans. This city was near a big river.

The English army surrounded the city. They built walls to stop food from coming in. It was a hard time for the people.

Then, a girl named Joan of Arc arrived. She helped the French soldiers. Her arrival helped the people win.

After the win, the French took back more land. This was a very big change in the war.

It is amazing how one person can help a whole city.

Long ago, England and France fought a long war. They fought over who should be the king of France. This was called the Hundred Years' War. In 1428, the English army moved toward the city of Orléans.

Orléans sat on the Loire River. It was a very important place. If the English took the city, they could win much of France. The English surrounded the city to stop food from coming in. They built many forts, called outworks, to keep the city trapped.

The fighting was very hard. The English took a gatehouse called the Tourelles. After that, the English leader, the Earl of Salisbury, died from injuries. This gave the French people more time.

Then, a young woman named Joan of Arc arrived. Her arrival changed everything. She helped the French soldiers fight back.

Nine days after she arrived, the siege ended. The French won the fight. This win helped the French take back more land. It was a big turning point in the war.

The Siege of Orléans was a major event in the Hundred Years' War. This was a long fight between England and France over who would rule France.

The siege began in October 1428. It lasted for about seven months. Orléans was a very important city because it sat on the Loire River. It was the last major city loyal to the French king. If the English captured it, they could move into central France easily.

The English army used a way of fighting called a siege. They surrounded the city to stop food and supplies from getting inside. They wanted to starve the people until they gave up. The English and their allies from Burgundy built many strongholds called outworks. They put seven of these on the north bank of the river. They put four more on the south bank.

These forts helped the English control the area and watch the city. They also tried to block the long bridge that led into the city center.

Before the siege, the English had already won many battles. In 1415, they won a big victory at Agincourt. In 1420, a treaty called the Treaty of Troyes changed things. This treaty said the English king, Henry V, would succeed to the French throne. However, the French heir, the Dauphin Charles, was left out. This caused a lot of anger and fighting in France. The English used this power to take over much of northern France.

In the beginning, the English had a very large force. They had about 10,000 men, including many longbowmen. An English leader named Thomas Montagu, the Earl of Salisbury, led the attack. He moved his troops toward the river in July 1428. On October 12, the siege officially started. The English attacked a gatehouse called the Tourelles. They took the gatehouse, but the Earl of Salisbury was hurt by cannon fire. He died from his injuries about a week later.

Everything changed when a young woman named Joan of Arc arrived. She came to help the French forces. Her arrival gave the French soldiers new hope. Only nine days after she arrived, the siege finally collapsed. The French forces pushed the English back. This victory was a huge turning point in the war. After Orléans was safe, the French began to take back their land.

The Siege of Orléans was a pivotal military event during the Hundred Years' War. This long conflict was a dispute over the French throne between England and France.

The siege took place from October 12, 1428, to May 8, 1429. It represented the highest point of English power in the war. If the English had captured the city, they might have conquered all of France. The siege ended when French forces, inspired by Joan of Arc, repulsed the English attackers. This victory allowed the French to regain control and begin recapturing lost territories.

Orléans held immense strategic and symbolic importance in the 15th century. The city is located on the Loire River in north-central France. At the time, it was the northernmost city loyal to the Valois French crown. Because it sat on a major river, it acted as a barrier to central France. The English and their Burgundian allies already controlled Paris and much of northern France.

Controlling Orléans would have allowed the English to move smoothly into the heart of the country.

Political factions also played a major role in the city's importance. The dukes of Orléans led a group known as the Armagnacs. This faction supported the Dauphin Charles, the disinherited heir to the French throne. The English had gained power through the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. This treaty made the English king, Henry V, the regent of France. It also meant that the Dauphin Charles was bypassed for the succession. Because of its Armagnac ties, Orléans was a target for the English.

The English military preparations were massive and well-organized. In early 1428, the English regent, John, Duke of Bedford, gathered fresh reinforcements. The Earl of Salisbury brought 2,700 men, including 450 men-at-arms and 2,250 longbowmen. These troops joined local levies and Burgundian allies to reach a total strength of about 10,000 men.

Salisbury moved through the countryside and seized several towns before turning toward Orléans. By October 7, he reached the city and began surrounding it.

The siege began with a focus on the city's vital bridge. This bridge was nearly 400 meters long and crossed an island called St. Antoine. At the southern end stood a gatehouse called Les Tourelles. To defend the bridge, the French leader John of Dunois built a large earthwork called a Boulevart.

On October 12, the English began an artillery bombardment. On October 24, the English successfully captured the Tourelles by storm. This was a major blow, but the French had already destroyed parts of the bridge to stop a pursuit.

Following the loss of the Tourelles, the English changed their tactics. William de la Pole, the Earl of Suffolk, took command in mid-November. He decided to use a strategy of investment to starve the city. Since he lacked enough men to build continuous trenches, he built several outworks called bastides. The English set up seven strongholds on the north bank and four on the south bank.

During the winter, 1,500 Burgundian soldiers arrived to help the English. The French garrison fought back by destroying buildings in the suburbs to deny cover to the English.

The arrival of Joan of Arc changed the course of the siege entirely. Her presence provided a sudden surge of inspiration for the French troops. The English siege, which had lasted for many months, collapsed only nine days after her arrival. This event shifted the momentum of the entire Hundred Years' War. It transformed a period of English dominance into a French recovery. The success at Orléans proved that the English could be defeated on the battlefield.