Hi my name is Kevin Hicks and welcome to my YouTube channel the History Squad. Now today's
video is about an episode that took place during the Breton War of Succession of 1351. Now it's
not a battle, it's an, an episode, an incident uh where two towns had fallen out in Brittany
and the knights challenged each other to individual combat, but it then escalated
to they would have two lots of 30 attacking each other. It's called the combat of the 30
and then it went a stage further, chivalry took over and they are upholding the honor
of two separate ladies Joan, Duchess of Brittany of the House of Blois and Jean Montford of the
House of Montford. Now if you'd have seen my last episode, episode nine of the Hundred Years War
you would have seen that uh the House of Blois is supported by the King of France, Philip VI
and therefore the House of Montford is supported by Edward III King of England,
so the episode has escalated, it is now this chivalric business, the combat of the thirty.
So I suppose before I uh get into the combat of the thirty, we ought to explain a little
bit about chivalry. Now you probably know as much as I do, if not more. Chivalry you
can trace it all the way back to Charlemagne and it comes so I understand from chevalier,
the mounted nobleman on a horse, so chivalry is he's more attached to the noble knight upon his
steed, a cavalry kind of thing uh upholding the truth and the honor and defending the weak but
Edward III escalated this when he formed the Order of the Garter 1348.
Twenty four noblemen will be accelerated up into this great noble chivalric
organisation and the French followed suit, 1351 John the second, he formed the Order of the Star
and that was you know an imitation I suppose of the Order of the Garter. For the French though
sadly many of the members of the Order of the Star were killed at the battle of Poitiers,
uh very sad for them but uh it just goes to show the idea of chivalry from here on really does grow
in romance, the idea of 60 men fighting it out to the death in some cases, for the honor of ladies.
So the combat of the 30, ah basically what happened was two Breton knights early in
1351 fell out and there was Jean de Beaumanoir and Robert Bemborough and it was a personal challenge
until it was decided by Robert to turn it into a Pas d' Arms, 30 men on each side, it's gonna
be a battle. Now there was a what do you call him a chronicler Jean de Bell said this was a
magnificent chivalric matter right? It's a show, thousands of people are gonna turn up
it's gonna be the biggest joust you can imagine except for one thing,
it's not a joust, they're gonna fight to the death. Now they meet at the halfway oak,
between the castle Josselin and Ploermel. The two armies set up facing each, other don't forget
this is supposed to be a great chevalric occasion people must have been so excited.
Now we don't know the full details yeah there are pictures there are different accounts,
so I’ve kind of taken a little bit from everybody the beginning, so I understand is on horseback.
Now I don't have 60 knights on horseback I’m afraid, not at the moment, so I’ve just got two
groups to represent them charging at each other. Now I have seen a cavalry charge with 30 lancers
and the ground absolutely shook and wow, what a spectacle but what you have here is 60 armed
knights 30 on each side charging towards each other you imagine the clash, the bang as they
clash together. Those who fall, they will now fall to foot combat, it was a bloody affair six men lay
dead when the whole thing stops, for refreshments. Don't forget this is a chivalric episode.
So refreshments have been had, there are six dead men on the field the crowds must have
been roaring when they re-engage. Now as you'll notice they're all on foot so I’m taking as much
information as I can from different accounts. They now engage. In no time at all apparently
Robert Bemborough is actually uh fatally wounded, but what the English uh do now is they form into a
tight formation. So let's get rid of some of their loose men this tight formation is so good that the
French can't crack it and they're having problems. So they are advancing but they're not getting
anywhere because of this almost hedgehog of the, of the English when this happens.
A Breton knight has remounted. Now don't forget everybody's on foot. He's remounted his horse and
he charges into the English position there, smashing his way all the way through. As he
does that, the French then attack. At the end of the whole business the English uh the Montfort
faction surrender now. At the end of it there are nine of the Montford household are dead
and six of the Blois are dead and every single combatant apparently was injured. This becomes
a legend, this chivalry thing, this chivalric episode in its there are poems and songs written
about it of how the Montford’s were defeated and Robert was evil because the way he treated the
locals, there's lots of stories come out of this. But it hides one little fact is that uh a Breton
knight rode into the formation of foot soldiers breaking them up. The English says that was not
chivalry, the English says bad form, and me as an Englishman
I reckon they cheated but it's down to you to decide. You see this episode had no effect on
the outcome of the wars of the Breton succession it simply had no effect it was just one of those
little episodes that I thought I’d share with you. It's quite something, no bowman involved, haha.
Well I hope you enjoyed our little video there if you did like share and subscribe
and if you remember turn on the notification button and you'll see what's coming next.
Now before I go I need to just give a shout out for a couple of my
Patreon members I’ve got to read this one because you'll love this name Count Bratcular
that's amazing and Sebastian Bender, hey guys thanks a million, see you all soon.